Christmas Wednesday Edition: Apple Pie Moonshine

Not sure about you, but the picture above makes the adult members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen feel a little sick. It reminds us of parties in college, bad hangovers and poor judgement. Oh everclear... you devil.

But we're adults now. And we drink adult drinks. Like apple pie moonshine. This has been on our list of things to try making, and with Christmas right around the corner, we thought this would make a unique gift. 

Cool Dads word of warning: follow these directions closely. Remember, everclear is extremely flammable and dangerous. We know of what we speak. Don't pour it into hot liquid and don't use it near an open flame. Again: we know of what we speak. Here's what we recommend: once the apple juice/cider/sugar combination is done simmering, put it outside, or in the refrigerator to cool completely. We let it sit covered on our back porch for a half hour to make sure it cooled completely before adding the everclear. Safety first, kids. 

Apple Pie Moonshine
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.itisakeeper.com/7929/apple-pie-moonshine/

1 (64 oz) bottle apple juice
1 (64 oz) bottle apple cider
3 cups sugar
8 cinnamon sticks
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 (750 ml) bottle 190 proof Everclear - or the highest proof vodka you can find
6 cinnamon sticks for the jars

Bring the apple juice, cider, sugar, and spices to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Add Everclear to cooled mixture. Do not pour alcohol into the mixture while it's on the stove or hot. It is highly flammable.
Strain the cinnamon sticks out and pour into jars.
Place 1 cinnamon stick into each jar and seal. This yields almost 5 quarts of moonshine.
Let the moonshine rest for at least 2 weeks at room temperature before serving.

So, how does it taste? Not sure yet. We tried a sip immediately after making it, and the only thing we can compare it to is apple pie flavored kerosene. We're confident it's going to mellow and improve over time. We'll keep you posted. 

You've gotta admit: this is the perfect gift idea for the hard to shop for person on your list that has everything. We're pretty confident they don't have moonshine!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew