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    Home » Wild Fruit » Black Cap Raspberry

    Aronia Wild Berry Cider

    Published: Nov 12, 2022 Modified: May 27, 2023 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    It's cider season. Here's a super easy variation you can try using fresh berries, especially aronia berries (chokeberries). Other fruit like highbush cranberries will work too.

    a cup of aronia berry cider next to a bowl of berries

    I got the idea for this while I was picking chokeberries with Sam Thayer in his orchard a few weeks ago. Sam mentioned making aronia cider, and I knew I needed to try some right away.

    Aronia berries. A cultivar known as "Viking".

    Pressing vs Pureeing

    What you think of when you imagine berry cider will probably depend a little on your experience with apples.

    When foragers I know say cider, they're usually referring to the juice of apples put through a cider press-not a drink containing alcohol. Aronia cider is just adding some berries to the apples when they go through the press.

    a bottle of purple berry cider next to a bowl of aronia berries
    I put the cider in a bottle if I want to show it off.

    The genius part of using chokeberries here is that the berries get tannic when they're cooked, so pressing them with the apples cold keeps the flavor unchanged.

    pureeing chokeberry cider in a blender
    If you don't have a cider press, you can puree the berries with cider and strain them.

    I don't have room for a cider press so I developed a work-around. I puree finished cider with berries, and strain-that's it. After it's done, I've been straining the cider back into the half-gallon jug it came in, or into a glass vessel if I want to impress people.

    aronia berries and apple cider in a blender before pureeing
    Add berries and cider to a blender.
    Puree.
    straining aronia berry cider through a chinois
    Strain.
    straining aronia berry cider through a chinois
    Tap on the side and mix gently in the strainer.
    pouring berry cider through a funnel into a jug
    Pour into a container using a funnel.
    a cup of aronia berry cider next to a bowl of berries
    Serve.

    Everyone I've served it to has loved it and it's been a nice option to have for cold drinks for people who don't drink.

    Serving cold or warm

    If you heat aronia cider, it may get a little tannic. Mostly I've been enjoying it cold on ice, with a splash of soda water to cut the sweetness.

    Using Different Fruits

    You can use any kinds of berries you like here, and if aronia aren't involved, or are used in a small amount, you can heat the cider up in a crock pot for the holidays and serve it warm like many people do. Here's a few notes to consider with fruit that have seeds and pits.

    • I made this with highbush cranberries for a tart cider. Keep the blender on a lower speed and serve cold to keep the color.
    • Wild plums could be used, but you'll want to use a puree of fruit already extracted from them with the stones removed.
    • Wild Cherries will work too, just make sure to keep the blender on low speed to avoid crushing the stones if you'll serve it cold.

    Using frozen fruit

    I use frozen fruit for this. Typically berries I've IQF'd (individually-quick-frozen) by laying on a sheet tray with parchment in a single layer and freezing.

    frozen IQF aronia berries or chokeberries
    Frozen aronia berries.

    After the berries are frozen I portion them into bags, which prevents them freezing in clumps.

    Save the pulp to make vinegar

    There's still a lot of goodness in the fruit, and if you add some water, sugar, and a splash of living vinegar you can make my Homemade Fruit-Scrap Vinegar.

    Related Posts

    Chokeberry or Aronia Preserves or Jam

    Rowanberry Jelly

    Sweet and Sour Aronia, or Elderberry Syrup

    a cup of aronia berry cider next to a bowl of berries
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Aronia Wild Berry Cider

    Cider infused with aronia berries, or another berry you like. It's a great twist on an old favorite for the holidays.
    Active time10 minutes mins
    Total Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Beverage
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Aronia Berry
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 301kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 5

    Equipment

    • 1 Blender
    • 1 Funnel
    • 1 Strainer I use a chinois

    Ingredients

    • ½ gallon apple cider preferably from a local source.
    • 2 cups aronia berries frozen or fresh

    Instructions

    Pureeing the cider

    • Inspect the berries for any debris or foreign particles, then wash them in a colander.
    • Add 6 cups of cider and the aronia berries to the blender. Depending on the size of your blender bowl you may need to work in batches.
    • Puree the mixture, keeping it on low to medium speed. All you want to do is infuse the cider-not make a berry puree. Once it looks like bright purple fingerpaint it's done.
    • Strain the cider through a fine strainer, tapping on the side with a spoon as opposed to pressing down which can push particles through.
    • Pour the strained cider into a container-an empty cider jug is fine. Keep the cider in the fridge.

    Serving

    • Serve the cider on ice with a splash of soda water if you find it too sweet on its own.

    Video

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Alan Bergo (@foragerchef)

    Notes

    Notes 
    I serve this cold, without adding anything like cinnamon sticks as I like the nice, clean flavor. If you use other fruit than highbush cranberries or aronia, you can warm it up in a crock pot as people like to do for the holidays. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Clay

      November 15, 2022 at 2:28 pm

      I wonder what mechanism makes them *more* tannic after cooking? It usually seems that cooking softens the impression of astringency or tannins in fruit -- e.g. in chokecherries (Prunus virginiana).

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 15, 2022 at 7:03 pm

        I don't know, but it's noticeable, and strong. Sometimes I don't mind it if there's enough sugar and they're cooked down.

        Reply
    2. Ellen Rubenstein Chelmis

      November 12, 2022 at 8:17 pm

      5 stars
      I dried my aronia berries whole. How would you suggest I rehydrate them to use for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 12, 2023 at 10:44 am

        Puree them in a blender with the cider.

        Reply
    3. SuzanneG

      November 12, 2022 at 1:45 pm

      Love this approach! We coppiced our aronia this summer as they had overgrown their location, so no fruit this year. But we’ll likely have some again by next season and I will try this. I made aronia-ginger jam from the fruit once years ago and still have a jar in the pantry - it is incredibly tannic and I always struggle to know what to do with it (glaze for beef or venison has been about the only success). I have been looking for a more palate-friendly idea for using the fruit. And leaving plenty in the garden for the birds who will eventually eat it!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 12, 2022 at 3:04 pm

        Yeah the birds seem to wait a little bit for them here. It's such a simple thing but I've really been enjoying buzzing them up like this. The pulp makes good vinegar too.

        Reply
    4. Elizabeth Blair

      November 12, 2022 at 1:40 pm

      I have been making pies with foraged apples and adding some of the arona berry jam that I made following your recipe here, Alan. The combination is delicious. Thank you again for posting all of these wonderful recipes.

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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