As the chill in the air increases, so do thoughts of curling up by the fireplace with a steaming mug of mulled apple cider. But what kind of cider is in your mug? Is it fresh, sweet or hard cider, or is it apple juice? Is there a difference?

In some cider-consuming regions of the world, the term refers to the alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of apples. In North America, it denotes the nonalcoholic version, and is often called fresh or sweet cider for clarity. Hard cider is the North American term for the alcoholic drink.

Fresh or sweet apple cider and apple juice are theoretically the same thing. The difference is that commercial apple juice has the pulp and any apple sediment filtered out of it. The resulting clear liquid is often reconstituted from concentrate, in which case water, and sometimes sweeteners, are added. Fresh cider is unfiltered and usually thick, brown and intensely flavored. Once you've tasted it, you will never confuse it with apple juice.