We just never let it boil, getting it hot enough just so everything mixed well and stirring it worked just fine. We used a very small flame on the propane burner.
I went with musselmans cider from Walmart, any thicker pulpier quality should be fine. The darker the apple juice the better too. The thicker cider & darker juice carries more flavor. I also used Watkins cinnamon sticks from Menards.
When we got it hot enough , basically the cinnamon sticks start to unfold. You’ll see it cause they float on top.
Then we set ours outside, right in the pot, to cool to the touch. Left the lid cracked about 1/4. Stirred it outside too. Once you could put your finger in and it was Luke warm we brought it in and added the everclear. Stirred it up real good and used a glass measuring cup with a handle to scoop into the funnel and bottle everything.
I don’t refrigerate mine. I just stash it in the garage. It’s on the floor so it will stay cold enough to take a nip here and there. I keep a stack of Dixie cups in the window sill out there too.