Boiled Cider

Two lines of instruction that assume you know what cider is and what molasses looks like. The gaps worth filling are the starting liquid, the degree of reduction, and how to keep it once bottled.

• "Cider" here means sweet cider"Cider" here almost certainly means sweet cider — fresh, unfermented apple juice, pressed and unfiltered. American usage of the period was not consistent (cider often meant the fermented drink), but the serving directions point to the sweet kind. Fresh cloudy juice gives more flavor than clarified apple juice, which reduces to something thinner. Hard cider would boil down to a sour syrup with the alcohol driven off.
• How far to boil downRoughly 7 parts cider to 1 part syrup, so a gallon yields about a pint. Reduction at a steady open boil in a wide pan takes several hours; a narrow stockpot takes far longer. There is no sugar added and none needed — the apples supply it.
• Judging "thick as molasses"Cider syrup thickens noticeably as it cools, so it will look too thin in the pan at the point you should stop. Pull it when it coats a spoon and sheets slowly off the edge; a candy thermometer in the low 220sF is a useful cross-check, though the right point varies with how thick you want it. Taken much further it sets progressively harder as it cools.
• Pan and skimmingUse stainless steel or enamel, not bare aluminum or cast iron — the acid in cider picks up a metallic taste. A gray-brown foam rises in the first hour; skim it off for a cleaner-tasting syrup.
• Bottling and keepingThe syrup is acidic and very high in sugar, which is why the original expects it to keep on a shelf. Pour it boiling hot into clean sterilized jars or bottles and seal at once. Modern practice is to refrigerate after opening and keep an eye out for surface mold; it holds for many months cold.
• Serving as writtenAbout 1 to 2 tablespoons of syrup to a tall glass of cold seltzer gives a sharp apple soda; the same in hot water with a cinnamon stick, a clove and a strip of lemon peel is the winter version. Adjust to taste — concentration varies with how far you reduced.
• Other usesBoiled cider is worth making for cooking rather than drinking alone. It goes into apple pie and mincemeat, glazes pork and ham, and stands in for maple syrup or balsamic reduction where you want acid with the sweetness.