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Crockpot cider for the first cool evening

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1Pick apples that argue

Use a mix: one sweet, one tart, one weird. Honeycrisp alone makes cider that tastes like juice with ambition. Add a Granny Smith and something ugly from the orchard bin and it starts tasting like fall instead of a grocery aisle. Six to eight apples fills a crockpot with room to spare.

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2Whole spices, not ground

Ground cinnamon turns cider into mud. Whole sticks, whole cloves, a star anise if you're feeling fancy, a strip of orange peel. They float, they steep, they fish out clean with a spoon. Ground spices never leave. You'll be straining them out of your memory long after the mugs are empty.

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3Low and long beats hot and fast

Fill the pot, toss in quartered apples unpeeled, cover with water by an inch, set to low. Six to eight hours does it. Mash the soft apples against the side, strain, sweeten only if it needs it. High heat boils off the good smell, and the smell is half the reason you're doing this.

4Day three: the second batch

The spent apples still have life in them. Cover with fresh water, add two new cinnamon sticks, run it again overnight. The second batch is thinner, more honest, some say better. This is also when you learn the mash smells like a barn and composts accordingly.

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5The spike question

Half the crowd wants it plain with a cinnamon stick for stirring. The other half waits until the kids go in and adds a splash of bourbon or rum to the mug, never the pot. Keep the pot neutral and everyone stays friends. Mulled wine rules apply: doctor your own cup.

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