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Spiced Pear Cider Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Spiced Pear Cider Recipe

I made this spiced pear cider for the first time on a chilly Saturday when I had way too many ripe pears sitting on my counter, and I haven't looked back since. The whole house smelled like cinnamon and citrus within the hour, and I remember standing over the pot just breathing it in
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 cups water — this is your base so use filtered water if your tap water has a strong taste
  • 10 ripe pears halved with the ends trimmed off — go for pears that are fragrant and slightly soft, since underripe ones give a flat flavor
  • 1 orange sliced — adds brightness that keeps the cider from tasting one-note sweet
  • 5 cinnamon sticks — whole sticks give a warmer less bitter flavor than ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons allspice — this is what gives the cider that cozy mulled-drink flavor
  • 3 whole star anise — a little goes a long way so don't be tempted to add more
  • 1/2 cup honey — pick a mild honey so it doesn't compete with the pear flavor
  • 5 to 6 whole cloves — stick to this amount since cloves turn bitter fast if you overdo them
  • 1 Granny Smith apple sliced — the tartness balances out all that pear sweetness

Method
 

  1. Add the water, pears, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, allspice, star anise, honey, cloves, and apple slices all into your large stockpot at once. There's no need to layer anything in a specific order here.
  2. Set the pot over medium-high heat and let it come up to a full boil. This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your stove, so keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over.
  3. Once it's boiling, cover the pot and drop the heat down to low. Let it simmer gently for a full hour so the fruit has time to soften and release its juices into the water.
  4. Take the lid off and let the cider boil, uncovered, for 2 more hours. This step reduces the liquid a bit and really concentrates all that pear and spice flavor.
  5. Once the time is up, pull the pot off the heat. Use a potato masher to break down the softened pears, orange, and apple right in the pot until everything is chunky and broken apart.
  6. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bowl or pot. Press down gently on the solids with a spoon to squeeze out every bit of liquid you can.
  7. Run the cider through the sieve one more time. This second pass catches any leftover spice bits or fruit pulp that snuck through the first time.
  8. Ladle the cider into mugs while it's warm, or pour it over ice if you'd rather have it cold. Either way, this cider is ready to drink as soon as it's strained.

Notes

  • I always use the ripest pears I can find, because underripe ones make the cider taste watery instead of rich.
  • I let the cider cool for about 10 minutes before straining, since scorching-hot liquid through cheesecloth is asking for a mess.
  • I tie my cinnamon sticks and star anise into a cheesecloth pouch now, which makes straining faster since there's less loose debris.
  • I taste the cider right after straining and stir in a bit more honey if I need it, since pear sweetness varies a lot from batch to batch.
  • I keep the heat on low during the long simmer, because a rolling boil the whole time makes the spices taste harsh.