Apple Jack

[Coyote Creek]

Has anyone made Apple Jack? If so do you freeze it? I heard this removes the juice and leaves only the hard cider.

 

[major bill]

My family has made it for generations. I have drank it but not made it.

 

[donna]

Thought ought to reply to this thread. Have never made Applejack. But have some facts and trivia on it.

It is a strong alcoholic drink made from apples. It is usually winesap apples. It was very popular in the Colonial era in America. It declined in 19th and 20th centuries.
Apple Brandy was first made in 1698 by William Laird in N.J. He was a Scottish immigrant who settled in New Jersey. It was first known as Jersey Lightning. Laird and Co. is the oldest licensed Applejack distillery in the the U.S.

Four U.S. presidents are associated with applejack. They are:

George Washington who wanted to make it and got recipe from Robert Laird.

Abraham Lincoln who serve it when he was tavern keeper in Springfield, Ill.

Franklin Roosevelt who always used it in his Manhattans, his favorite drink.

Lyndon Johnson who gave case of it to Soviet leader Alexei Kosygin in 1967.

It is still enjoyed today.

 

[Arioch]

My understanding has always been that "Jack" is a generic term for home brew (distilled)....I've also heard plenty about raisin 'Jack'

I never equated it with cider (does make sense, though), but I've always regarded it as apple 'moonshine'....I would like to try genuine 'Apple Jack'

 

[Pollaco]

I saw a TV show recently about alcohol and I think this is what "Johnny Appleseed" had in mind. He wasn't populating apples for eating just out of the kindness of his heart, it was the alcohol that he was really after.

 

[donna]

If you are interested in Apple Jack check out Laird & Company's website. They have their history and all the apple spirits they sell.
lairdandcompany.com

 

[major bill]

My family made apple jack and other things such as "woods stew". The "woods stew" was made form items found in the local forest, such as the roots of Michigan lilies, other root items and what ever else grew in the forest. It was flavored by a type of wild leek and reeked so bad it made my eyes water when I was a child. I refused to ever try it so can not comment on the taste. After my grandfather died none of my aunts would allow it to be made in their house and in most cased even to be made on the property.

The way my family made apple jack was to make something like hard cider and store it outside during the winter. Once the temperature outside got to below zero the water content in the 'hard cider" froze and the barrel is turn over so that the alcohol would drain out. The colder the weather the higher the alcohol content. I found that Apple Jack drained at 10 to 20 degrees below zero has a rather harsh taste. At temperatures above that it tasted a bit like like apple brandy or perhaps hard cider. My family made this kind of apple jack for about 150 years. The exact apples, raisins, sugar, and yeast used by my family to make apple jack was lost when my father and uncles died.

 

[7thWisconsin]

I've made apple jack several times. Ferment the cider until you've forgotten about it, then freeze it hard. Poke an icepick into the middle of the ice ball and drain off the liquid until the ice left behind is white. Keep freezing and draining until the liquor won't freeze anymore. You'll get about a pint per gallon.