Apple Pie Moonshine Recipe

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This Apple Pie Moonshine recipe is crazy good – it’s one of my most popular recipes and everyone always asks me for the recipe!  It goes down very easy and smooth but really packs a punch.  It’s a very easy recipe to make and doesn’t have any complicated steps. 

Apple pie moonshine in a mason jar wrapped in  a paper bag.

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The Apple Pie Moonshine recipe is an incredibly delicious cocktail. Every time I make it, it’s always the hit of the party and my friends and family go crazy for it because it tastes just like apple pie.

Plus, you  won’t believe how easy it is to make! Just make sure that you give yourself enough time. This is a great homemade version of Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine but with more flavor.

This recipe is completely legal to make. It’s not real moonshine, per se. Essentially, it’s flavored 190 proof grain alcohol that tastes like grandma’s apple pie. It’s incredibly delicious and everyone will rave about it.

If you want even more fun drinks, check out my other moonshine recipes, including my favorite Peach Moonshine recipe, Pumpkin Pie Moonshine and Pineapple Moonshine. If you want to learn about all the different homemade moonshine inspired recipes, check here.

What I Love About This Recipe

This is truly the best homemade Apple Pie Moonshine recipe you will ever try. It is full of apple pie flavor.  Remember to let it sit and mellow, though as high-proof grain alcohol (190 proof) is used.   

If you try this moonshine too soon, it’s like drinking rocket fuel.  Or, at least I’m assuming that’s what rocket fuel would taste like.  I’ve never really tried it.

  • Quick Prep: It takes only a few minutes to prepare and about an hour to cook.
  • Rest: Will take 8 weeks to mellow and blend.
  • Adaptable: Can make it so many different versions.
  • Makes Great Gifts: This recipe makes a big batch so it makes a wonderful Christmas or party gift.
Apple pie moonshine in a sealed jar.
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Ingredient Notes

It’s easy to make moonshine. There are only a few simple ingredients and some basic steps.

  • Apple Juice – Any variety that you have on hand or enjoy drinking.
  • Apple Cider– A fall staple but now you can find year round in most gourmet sections of supermarkets.
  • Cinnamon Sticks- Provides a warmth to this apple pie moonshine drink.
  • 750 ml 190 proof Everclear grain alcohol or the highest proof vodka you can find: Any grain alcohol will work but Everclear is best. There are two versions, 151 and 190 proof. 190 proof is preferred but use the highest proof you can find at your local liquor store.
Bottles of Everclear grain alcohol showing the proof.

Equipment Needed for Moonshine Apple Pie Recipe

How to Make this Apple Pie Moonshine Drink

These are the basic steps for making Apple Pie Moonshine. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

STEP 1: Cook

First, in a large pot, bring the apple cider and apple juice, sugar, nutmeg, ground cinnamon (the traditional apple pie spice mixture) and 8 cinnamon sticks to a boil, stir and then cover and simmer for 1 hour.

STEP 2: Alcohol

Next, allow the mixture to cool then stir in the grain alcohol. Do not add the alcohol until the mixture cools. If the liquid is too warm, the alcohol will dissipate.

**CAUTION: Do not add alcohol near a flame or heat source. It is highly flammable. Make sure mixture is completely cooled before adding alcohol.

STEP 3: Strain and bottle

Strain the cinnamon sticks out and pour into jars. Divide remaining 6 cinnamon sticks among mason jars. Finally, place lids on jars and allow to sit to blend and mellow in a dry place for 8 weeks before enjoying.

Prep and Storage Tips for this Apple Cider Moonshine Cocktail

Here are a few tips and helpful suggestions see all the information in the Flavored Moonshine Ultimate Guide.

DO YOU HAVE TO WAIT THE 8 WEEKS?

The reason that the recipe recommends the eight weeks is to allow it to mellow, 191 proof Everclear is very strong.

The longer it sits, the better it gets. If you are using a strong vodka or Everclear 151 then you do not have to wait the 8 weeks to enjoy.

HOW TO STORE THIS BEVERAGE RECIPE

Refrigeration is not necessary. Just a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. Even after opening, refrigeration is not necessary due to the high alcohol content.

However, you can use the refrigerator if you want to serve it cold.

HOW TO MAKE MY OWN MOONSHINE

If your goal is to make your own moonshine from a still and not this easy apple pie drink recipe, then here is a great website that will give you access to stills and all the equipment that you will need to purchase.

WHAT TO MAKE WITH YOUR APPLE PIE MOONSHINE

Now you have this amazing homemade moonshine, what do you do with it? This apple pie moonshine drink can be enjoyed hot or cold. Mix it with soda or juices, liquor such as vanilla vodka, whiskey or rum or make some fabulous cocktails.

Frequently Asked Questions About Flavored Moonshine

SUGAR SUBSTITUTE?

You can make Apple Pie Moonshine with the white sugar listed below in the recipe card, brown sugar or a combination of the two. Certainly you can use less sugar or a sugar substitute if you prefer.

CAN I ADD ADDITIONAL ITEMS?

Of course, you can add apple slices to the recipe, some even add whipped cream vodka, fireball or other vanilla bean.

CAN THIS RECIPE BE DOUBLED OR HALVED?

Indeed, this recipe can be adjusted as you need it for your get together. Make the number of batches that you need.

WHY IS MY MOONSHINE CLOUDY?

This can happen from the spices, or sometimes sediment in your sider. You can strain it through cheesecloth or shake it before serving to guests.

IS CANNING NECESSARY?

No, there is no need to can this recipe. Just make sure that your jars and lids are completely clean. Make sure that the lids are applied tightly.

Close up on a jar of apple pie moonshine.

Expert Tips for Making This Recipe

  • Add Less Cinnamon: Not a fan of cinnamon, there is no need to add the cinnamon sticks to the moonshine recipe.
  • Apple Cider: Feel free to make your own if you have a good recipe.
  • Alcohol Content: It is difficult to calculate as it depends on the brands that you utilize. However, for general purposes it is about 30 proof with an ABV of around 15 percent (estimated).
  • Jars: You can use any size canning jars or other jar with a tight fitting lid. 
  • No Canning Needed: You aren’t going to do the entire canning process.  Just fill the jars and make sure they are tightly sealed. Because the alcohol content is so high, there is no need to go through the canning process
  • Time: The eight weeks is a guide, as the alcohol content is very high. If you like strong spirits with a kick or use a less strong proof then you can drink before the 8 weeks. Please drink responsibly.

What to Serve with Moonshine

Apple pie moonshine in a mason jar wrapped in a paper bag.
4.87 from 695 votes

Apple Pie Moonshine Recipe

Yield: 6 quarts
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
This Apple Pie Moonshine recipe is crazy good!  It goes down very easy but really packs a punch.  It’s a very easy recipe that doesn’t require a moonshine still or any complicated steps.  This is really a flavored moonshine recipe
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 64 oz apple juice
  • 64 oz apple cider
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 14 cinnamon sticks, divided
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 750 ml 190 proof Everclear grain alcohol, or the highest proof vodka you can find

Instructions

  • Bring the apple juice, cider, sugar, nutmeg, ground cinnamon and 8 cinnamon sticks to a boil.
  • Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
  • Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
  • Add alcohol to mixture. **CAUTION: Do not add alcohol near a flame or heat source. It is highly flammable. Make sure mixture is completely cooled before adding alcohol.
  • Strain the cinnamon sticks out and pour into jars.
  • Divide remaining 6 cinnamon sticks among jars.
  • Place lids on jars and allow to sit in a cool, dry place for 8 weeks before enjoying.
  • Please enjoy responsibly.

Expert Tips

  • Add Less Cinnamon: Not a fan of cinnamon, there is no need to add the cinnamon sticks to the moonshine recipe.
  • Apple Cider: Feel free to make your own if you have a good recipe.
  • Alcohol Content: It is difficult to calculate as it depends on the brands that you utilize. However, for general purposes it is about 30 proof with an ABV of around 15 percent. (This is just an estimate only, please do not come at me in the comments)
  • Jars: Any size canning jars that you have to store this Apple Pie Moonshine Everclear.  You aren’t going to do the entire canning process.  Just fill the jars and make sure they are tightly sealed.
  • Time: The eight weeks is a guide, as the alcohol content is very high. If you like strong spirits or use a less strong proof then you can drink before the 8 weeks. Please drink responsibly.

Estimated Nutritional Information

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 0.7mg
The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
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Course: Beverages and Cocktails
Cuisine: American

405 thoughts on “Apple Pie Moonshine Recipe”

    • Absolutely have. Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples cut into eights. 3 slices of each per quart. Strained out after aging period. Seems to impart a fuller, smoother body to the beverage.
      Or so I’ve been told by most who have tried it

      Reply
  1. I’m a big fan of Apple Pie moonshine if done properly. It seems all the store bought shines I’ve come across are too sweet. Curious how this compares to most off the shelf brands as far as sweetness. Would 2 cups sugar be okay?

    Reply
  2. On here it states 64 oz of cider and juice but what you dumped in for the video was a gallon which is 128 oz. Are the instructions wrong or did you do a double batch?

    Reply
  3. Even with 190 proof grain alcohol, after adding the other liquids, this has an overall ABV of about 16%. This is about the same as a glass of wine, so I wouldn’t say it “packs a punch.”

    Reply
  4. 4 stars
    I tasted it and it is great but I do not find it strong at all. Is this just me? I’m wondering if I need to add more alcohol. I was expecting a very strong alcohol taste but I did not taste any at all.

    Reply
  5. 5 stars
    Great recipe, great flavor. I put mine in Mason jars as instructed several weeks ago. Just got them out yesterday and they look perfect! I transferred them to clear wine bottles and today they are cloudy. They still smell the same but very cloudy. Any idea what caused this and is there any thing I can do? Is it safe to drink? Thanks!

    Reply
  6. 3 stars
    my dad also puts Captain Morgan, Apple crown, and pinnacle whipped vodka is his batch. It’s 🔥
    One shot of that warms you right up

    Reply
  7. I wanted to know if I could change it up a bit. Instead of 3 cups of sugar I’ll use 2 and one cup of brown sugar and add 1 cup of vanilla vodka. Would that make it too sweet? I kinda wanted to mix it up a bit off of research I’ve done. Maybe you can give me a heads up if that is a good idea? Thanks!

    Reply
    • I always do less sugar because the juice is naturally sweet. I used half cup regular sugar half brown with 1 cup of a local distillery’s vanilla rum and thought it was really good! The vanilla flavoring rounds it out well.

      Reply
  8. I have used this apple pie moonshine recipe for the past 3 years, and EVERYONE loves it. I made 2 batches this past week but have not yet canned it. Before canning, I store the combined batches in a carboy for a couple of days, then transfer to a 2nd carboy before canning, to filter off the sediment. I took a taste, as I was transferring, and it has a very heavy alcohol taste. I don’t recall if I tasted previous years batches (prior to canning) but I know that the past finished product (a month or two after bottling) did not have this much of a burning alcohol flavor. It is always smooth drinking, and sometimes too smooth… I used Everclear 151. I have read that this drink will mellow, over time but concerned, after tasting it, that it will not be an enjoyable drink, like it has been in the past. I checked all of the volumes and everything is correct. I did simmer one of the 2 batches for 3 hrs. but tasted it prior to adding the alcohol and it tasted fine. Thoughts on if I am good to proceed to canning and in a month or two, it will be fine??

    Reply
    • First, you don’t have to can it. Storing it mason jars is perfectly fine. Second, Everclear 151 is not as strong as the 190 proof used in the recipe. It will be much more mellow and won’t need to sit as long before drinking it.

      Reply
  9. 4 stars
    So I did this recipe as it said but was 5 quarts and a half pint. Not sure if something was a miss. But will know to add more next time.

    Reply
  10. The instructions say use new cinnamon sticks when bottling but in the video you did not do this. Should I strain out the sediment before using?

    Reply
  11. 5 stars
    I have tried this in mukilteo restaurants and I’ve never come up with the idea that Apple Pie Moonshine can be easily done at home. Definitely, a must-try.

    Reply
  12. 4 stars
    Very Great recipe, Very flavorful, but do yourself a favor and make your own apple cider, skip that store bought stuff… It adds about 3 hours to the cook time, but that home made apple cider is way better than any of that store bought hocus pocus 🙂 Very nice recipe and I highly suggest you stop looking for recipes, and just use this one!

    Reply
    • You want to make sure that your jars and lids are clean with no residue. If you follow my recipe exactly, you do NOT need to process the jars to seal them. You simply screw on the lid and store in a cool, dry place for 8 weeks.

      Reply
  13. 5 stars
    Posting this comment since I had a question that a lot of others did but had to dig through these notes to find it. You can drink this right away! Letting it sit just mellows the alcohol sting and really bring out the flavors, but if you don’t mind a strong alcohol bite, this is delicious right out of the pot! I was searching all these comments looking for the answer and anticipating something like “YOU’LL GO BLIND IF YOU DON’T WAIT!!!” but have gathered that it’s just a preference on what kind of punch you’re looking for. 10/10 recommend and will make again.

    Reply
    • 4 stars
      I couldn’t wait either. Only thing is I do not find it strong at all. Makes me wonder if I should have added more alcohol. What do you think about the alcohol content?

      Reply
  14. If I’m using an 90 proof alcohol should I use double what the recipe specifies, since you’re using 190 proof alcohol? So that the strength is the same.

    Reply
    • 5 stars
      It wont work like that, 90 proof and 90 proof is still 90 proof… If you cant find Everclear at your local place, perhaps find a military buddy and have them get it for you. Everclear in that strength is carried in most Exchanges or package stores on/off base.

      Reply

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