My first glass of "sort of cider" was given to me in a village just outside Cirencester, a village where the local pub, which is only open for two days a week and consists of a tablefull of locals and two pumps. When the couple I was staying with told the locals how their cider was made it was met with polite derision. That is not to say it isn't a great drink, it is; but as the locals at this tiny pub muttered to themselves, "it's not cider."
What it is is a great introduction for those not sure about getting or making a cider press who want to make a great alcoholic apple drink. One of the joys too with sort of cider is that it can be made using weeping, battered, bruised and wrinkly apples, so you can use up the last of your stores.
SORT OF CIDER
1kg apples
Thumb sized piece of bruised ginger root
Half tsp cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
500g sugar
4 litres of warm (25°C) water
Champagne yeast
Wash the apples, grate and squash into a clean and sterile fermentation bin. Top up with water and add yeast. Leave lightly covered for 5-10 days. Strain through muslin/cheese cloth into a demijohn and add the sugar and spices, shake vigorously. Leave for 10 days before siphoning into screw-top or swing-top bottles.
Sort of cider might be still volatile, so check by loosening the bottles daily. It can and should be drunk as soon as it has been made.
This recipe and 100 others can be found in Booze for Free, published by Eden project books and available from the Guardian Bookshop priced £9.99.
