Non-Alcoholic Whiskey?!

[Cygnus]

...
However, my question now is, what could I get away with using in place of the aqua vitae? I've made a non-alcoholic over-steeped mulled cider that's pretty strong as far as soft drinks go. Lots of cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger and cloves with citrus and then brown sugar to sweeten the deal. If you steep it long enough it burns a bit going down.

That sounds like excellent stuff! As I fall into the category of the sober folks from your description, I'm always looking for a good alternative.

Not long ago my wife made a similar cider that not only left the mouth completely numb, it caused the Teflon on the pan to peel away when we washed it after! Needless to say, it was a bit strong!

[artificer]

Not long ago my wife made a similar cider that not only left the mouth completely numb, it caused the Teflon on the pan to peel away when we washed it after! Needless to say, it was a bit strong!

I've had cider like that (or something made with apples anyway).

Folks can do some wicked things with strong cider

[Cygnus]

I've had cider like that (or something made with apples anyway).

Folks can do some wicked things with strong cider

I should point out that this was non-alcoholic cider - a bit heavy on the clove, though...