Canned Boiled Cider

Ingredients

• 5 quarts sweet cider

Method

Boiled cider is a reduction — nothing more than cider cooked down to a fraction of its original volume until the sugars concentrate and the flavour sharpens. Start with 5 litres of sweet cider in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel or copper pot (porcelain-lined kettles crack under sustained heat; avoid them). Bring to a rolling boil over a moderate flame. Do not cover the pot. You want steady, aggressive evaporation, not a gentle simmer that will take twice as long and risk caramelising the sugars unevenly.

Watch the surface constantly for the first hour. As water boils off, the liquid darkens from pale gold to amber, then to deep brown. This is reduction in action — you're not adding anything, only removing water, which means every flavour compound and sugar molecule becomes more concentrated. At roughly two-thirds reduction (around 90 minutes in), the bubbling will slow and the liquid will coat a spoon. At three-quarters reduction (the target), a wooden spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a brief trail that closes slowly. The cider should be the colour of dark caramel and smell intensely of apples — almost floral, with a slight burnt-sugar edge underneath.

Never walk away. The moment the bottom scorches, the batch is bitter and unsalvageable. If you see brown specks forming on the pan's sides, splash a little water down the walls to dissolve them back in.

Pour the hot cider into sterilised glass jars (boil them for 10 minutes, then dry) while it's still steaming. Fill to within 1 centimetre of the rim. Seal immediately with metal lids and screw bands, tightened finger-tight only — do not wrench them. As the cider cools, the vacuum will tighten the seal. For preservation through winter, this acid-rich, sugar-concentrated syrup will keep unopened for a year or more in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a month. Thin with hot water for a winter drink, or stir into sauces and glazes for pork and game.