Sweet Christmas Cider Recipe

My favourite flavours are brightly wrapped in this homebrew cider recipe

This homebrew cider recipe contains the flavours of some of my favourite spices, it’s the cider enthusiast’s version of the Christmas Mulled wine.

Primary Fermentation

If you’re new to homemade cider, then it’s worth checking out Homebrewing with Fruit, or Simple Turbo Cider first. They provide a step-by-step guide to preparing a homebrew cider with either fresh fruit or store-bought apple juice.

For our Christmas Cider, primary fermentation simply requires combining the basic ingredients and allowing it to ferment for a few weeks. The spices for flavouring are added after fermentation completes.

The addition of Pectolase is only needed if using freshly pressed apple juice as this helps remove the enzymes that cause haze in the final result. For turbo cider, the store-bought apple juice is already clear and doesn’t require this addition. Yeast nutrients are similarly optional, but they improve the chances of achieving a complete and successful fermentation.

The choice of yeast is an important factor in the final flavour of the cider. For this recipe I want the spices to provide the flavours, but I’d be happy with a slightly stronger (ABV around 7% or higher) end result. Hence a champagne yeast such as Lalvin EC-1118 provides an alcohol tolerance of up to 14% while also fermenting clean.

Secondary Phase (Flavouring)

Once primary fermentation is complete, it is an opportunity to remove the cider from the yeast sediment (lees) that has settled to the bottom of the fermentation vessel. Racking to another vessel can help with clarity, but increases the risk of oxidation from exposure to air.

The flavours are the key, and the combination of ingredients for this recipe is an evolution of my ‘Sweet Apple Pie Spiced Cider’ from earlier in the year.

The quantity of spices used is also a factor of time available, if you’re in a desperate hurry then you can add more spices for less time. The reverse of this statement is also true, but you don’t want to completely overpower the cider with spices. If leaving for a longer time, it is worth checking regularly on the taste and racking again to remove from the spices once the taste is right.

The spices for a 2–3 week secondary flavouring stage are:

• 1 Cinnamon Stick (make it 2 if you’re a cinnamon fan)
• 4 Cloves (don’t overdo cloves, they can be a stronger flavour than some of the other ingredients)
• 3 Green Cardomom Pods
• 6 AllSpice Berries
• 1 Nutmeg (Grated)
• 2tsp Vanilla Essence (up to 6tsp is fine if you prefer)
• 250g Non-Fermentable Sugar (adjust the level between 0–250g based on taste, I prefer a sweeter taste so 250g is quite high)

Carbonation, Bottling and Drinking

The level of carbonation is a personal choice, but this is a Christmas Cider and needs plenty of fizz to be added. If you have a mini-keg, this can be achieved by pressurising under CO2. Alternatively, add 3.5g Sugar to each 500ml bottle and leave for 2 weeks in a dark, warm place for bottle carbonation.

The result is delicious. If you give it a try then drop me a comment, or if you have your own Christmas Cider Recipe then I am happy to trade.

The Christmas Cider (From Apple to Glass)

Happy Cider Making
Rob