Apple Pie moonshine season has come

BrewinBrian44

Hey guys,
Well, Fall is coming quick and found it was time to make the crowd pleasing seasonal product known as apple pie! I've made it a couple times in the past and had pretty good results. When I researched different recipes I've found some people make it very complicated and I've honed in on something more simple.
I used a post from HD as a starting point. I made the recipe exactly as written last year, but have added a touch more complexity and ABV this time around, which suits my taste a little better. The original recipe only used cinnamon as the spice contribution. While it tasted good, I thought it was a bit one dimensional. I could easily pick out each ingredient and that was pretty much all there was. Rather than just cinnamon and apple juice, I've now contributed some nutmeg, allspice, clove and fresh vanilla. These additional spices definitely add more flavor complexity and the addition of vanilla really took it to the next level. The vanilla reminds me of having a fresh scoop of ice cream right next to my slice of apple pie or a little whipped cream. I can confidently say, this tastes like a liquid slice of apple pie with just enough alcohol to remind you this is an adult drink.
Apple Pie Moonshine: Yields 5 quarts around 40 proof
1/2 gallon fresh apple cider
1/2 gallon apple juice- cheap store brand
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks. 5 more for in the jar
1 whole clove
2 crushed allspice berries
1/2 whole nutmeg pod, lightly crushed into big chunks
1 fresh vanilla bean, cut open and scraped.
1 quart of 190 proof clean neutral spirit. I used Shady's sugar shine
Process:
Add all the juice, spices and sugar to a large pot over the stove. Turn the heat on high and stir as it warms to distribute the ingredients and dissolve all the sugar. For the vanilla bean, cut a slit down the middle with a small knife and scrape out the black paste and add it directly to the pot. For the remaining bean, chop it into small chunks and throw that in as well. Also make sure to leave the lid on the pot as to not lose product to evaporation and also some of the aromatics from the spices that might escape.
Stir infrequently as it warms. Once you hit a boil, turn off the heat and let the solution cool down to room temperature. Once it has chilled to room temp, slowly stir in the alcohol. After everything is mixed, strain the product with a mesh sieve into clean quart jars. In each jar, add a cinnamon stick and store in a cool dark place. After two weeks, it's ready to drink. If you're impatient, it's still good right away.
For the cinnamon stick in the jar, I've found with a higher proof product, there can be a little risk of adding a touch of bitterness. Keep an eye on the flavor profile and remove the stick if it becomes too much.
Enjoy!
-Brian

Steve-Broady

I’m curious why you use half apple cider and half cheap juice. Does the latter add anything, or just stretch out the volume, flavor, and budget?
Also, have you tried this with lower proof spirits, or something other than neutral? Around here, apple pie moonshine is quite popular. I can make UJSSM at around 80% without too much trouble, but 95% is a challenge with a pot still. I was thinking about adjusting the recipe to suit, going for three parts by volume of apple cider and one part 80% UJSSM, which ought to yield 20% final product.
(Edited because I misread the proof vs. ABV) in the original post)