Anime Sweep

Hard Ciders at Thanksgiving, So Underrated

From Serious Eats

Photograph from Eduardo Mueses on Flickr

I’m all about mixology, but even I’ll admit that while there are certainly exceptions, cocktails are best suited as a pre- or post-prandial enjoyment. And while others are weighing the benefits of Thanksgiving-friendly wines, Jason Wilson at the Washington Post reminds us of a seasonal, suitable and historically appropriate accompaniment to the meal: cider.

As Wilson points out, cider has a bad rap: most commercial brands are overly sweet, excessively carbonated and downright insipid. Cider deserves much better. During the colonial era and the nation’s early years, hard cider was popularly consumed by people of all ages and classes. More flavorful and, in many cases, safer than water in those pre-treatment days, cider was easy to make using the fruit grown on most any homestead.

And as Michael Pollan pointed out in The Botany of Desire, Johnny Appleseed?now Disneyfied into an apple-chomping wanderer?was providing a necessary service to early pioneers by giving them the means to produce this staple beverage.

Fortunately, many growers are rediscovering traditional apple varieties that make exceptional cider, and there are products on the market that show how complex and nuanced good cider can be (and, it should be pointed out, these ciders are typically on the dry side?a far cry from many of the sugary mass-market varieties). Aspall, from the UK, is bright and crisp, and even better, relatively easy to find.

Wilson also recommends French ciders such as Eric Bordelet Sydre Argelette and Cidre Bouche from Etienne Dupont, as well as Farnum Hill’s Extra Dry, which is made in New Hampshire.

Baked macaroni and cheese

I’ll be packing some Aspall Dry as well as a bottle of Cidre Bouche to my in-laws for Thanksgiving; anybody else planning on serving cider for the big event? And if you’ve got a favorite brand, please let us know.

About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.

Related posts: Zack and miri make a porno, Video mccain concession speech, Four minutes, Bernie williams, Horoscopo