Take A Sip: Make Your Own Michigan Apple Cider Easily At Home

Fall is here, you can feel the crisp breeze blowing in the air as the leaves wave their colorful goodbye to us for the year. It's time to get ready for the colder half of the year and the holidays to come.

I believe we all fall into two camps when it comes to Autumn. Either you're a pumpkin spice person, or you're an apple cider person. And while I show no disrespect to the Pumpkin Spice Latte fan club of the world, nothing beats a warm cup of Apple Cider in my book.

Sure, you can find cider at many farms and markets around Michigan, sometimes you just want to make your own.

Michigan's favorite comfort tiktok creator Old Time Hawkey just dropped a video giving us a step by step on how he makes his favorite Michigan fall comfort drink.

@oldtimehawkey homemade 🍎 cider #asmr ♬ cherry wine jonah kagen cover - Jonah

Let's dig in:

1. Grab your favorite apples

Obviously, the most important part of the cider is the apple, and they all taste different, so this step comes with a little bit of preference on your behalf.

However, if you want to know what the experts recommend, most ciders are made with Gala, Fuji, Cortland, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious apples, but if you'd like something more acidic or sharp, try Pink Lady or McIntosh.

2. Add some spices

Next you'll want to add clove, brown sugar, and any other spices you'd like to the apples.

Do this inside of the container you plan to cook it all in to make your life easier.

3. Add water, then make sure all of your ingredients are well mixed

Now that you've got all of your parts in place, it's time to make it into a sort of soup.

The amount of water you add will determine how strong the flavor of your fruits and spices will be. So, if you like it a little more mild, add extra water.

4. Cook/Simmer and Stir for 2 hours

Now it's time to let this bad boy soak up all of those fall flavors.

You can do this inside or outside depending on what your day entails. So if you live in an apartment don't panic, the campfire is optional.

5. Strain your fruit from the mixture

You're almost finished, now it's time to take the well soaked fruit and get rid of them.

If you have a teapot with a strainer, this is easiest, but you can use cheesecloth or anything else you have available as long as the holes aren't too big for what you cut up.

6. Sip, enjoy, and save the rest for later.

Congrats, you did it. Enjoy the spoils of your domestic victory.

What's the recipe for this cider?

@OldTimeHawkey left his full recipe in the comments, but here it is for you:

10 apples, 1 orange, 4 cinnamon sticks, 1tsp allspice, 1tsp cloves, 2tsp nutmeg, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Cover by 2 inches with water. Bring large stock pot to boil. Cover/let simmer for 2 hours. Remove oranges and mash. Strain then enjoy!