Cider is growing in popularity with more well-made varieties on the market.
With so many producers getting involved, there’s likely a cider or ciders that will be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving feast.
Cider is making a comeback, and one of Penny's recent newspaper columns on the topic has had a great response!
Read on...
Cider was an important part of New England food tradition and makes a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving celebration. Recently, there has been greater availability of well-made ciders. Sweet cider, hard cider, sparkling cider, and mulled cider– each has its audience and place in the meal.
Cider History
According to the University of Georgia, “Apples were brought to North America with colonists in the 17th century, and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was said to be near Boston in 1625.” Roxbury, in particular, was an important source of apples and in colonial times most apples were grown for cider.
The grains needed to produce beer were hard to cultivate in this area and expensive to import. Colonists turned to the apple orchards, and hard cider became a very popular drink.
In a recent article in Yankee Magazine, author Jim Collins explained that the temperance movement, “drained away some demand.” Italian and German settlers preferred a grape-based drink. And, with the growth of large breweries, beer replaced cider as the drink of choice. Finally, prohibition destroyed the production that remained.
Hard Cider Re-emerges
Today, just as microbreweries are thriving so is traditional cider making and the audience for that beverage. Nick Demjen, Beer manager at Bauer Wines & Spirits on Newbury Street, says he’s selling cider to beer drinkers. “And, also people who have gluten problems, so they can’t drink beer.”
He explained that some of the popular mass-produced ciders are made from an apple extract, where local small producers are making cider the same way wine is made– from fresh fruit. Demjen pointed to a shelf of Farnum Hill Ciders and said, “They pick the fruit, they press it, they ferment it...you can taste the difference in the quality.”
And, as Collins explains in his Yankee article, Steve Wood and his wife Louisa Spencer, cultivated the old cider apple varieties to make their Farnum Hill Ciders. “They jumped into this just as the microbrew and local-food trends were gathering steam. Theirs was real cider, nuanced cider, with the complexity of fine wine,” Collins wrote.
Farnum Hill’s Kingston Black Cider is a single varietal made from one of those heritage cider apples. Demjen served it to his family last Thanksgiving.
Sweet cider is available at local orchards and farmers markets throughout the fall. Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA even makes single variety sweet ciders. You can pick up a bottle of their Honeycrisp Cider from the Hamilton Orchards stand at the Copley Square Farmers Market.
Sparkling Cider
When it’s time for a holiday toast, fill those champagne flutes with sparkling cider. You can find hard sparkling ciders that range in taste from sweet to bone dry. And, those who can’t have alcohol can be included by raising a glass of sweet sparkling cider. Carlson Orchards makes a local one.
Mulled Cider
Fill a punch bowl with mulled cider and let guests help themselves as they come in from the cold. Warm your favorite cider to just below a boil (hard or sweet) and simmer it with orange peel, cinnamon, clove, and some slices of fresh ginger.
As you make your rounds gathering food and drink for your holiday table check for cider options at the farmers’ market, farm stand, wine shop, and supermarket. Having this traditional beverage available will add a strong New England accent to your celebration.
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Beer glasses, like the one below, are perfect for serving cider. Or, you can pour it into the same glass that other guests will use for wine as we did in the photo at the top.
Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino, Ed Cherubino
Penny’s “Fresh & Local” column is featured in The Independent Newspaper Group publications.
Photography: © 2010 Penny Cherubino
