Hard ciders range from dry and tart with nary a bubble in sight to super-sweet and Champagne-bubbly. In addition to traditional cider styles (still, sparkling, dry, semi-dry, sweet), some apple folks are getting mighty creative these days by concocting apple dessert wines.
Slyboro Ciderhouse’s Special Reserve Ice Harvest cider is pressed at the foothills of the Adirondacks in the depths of the Northern New York winter, and its rich sweetness makes it a terrific companion to your best homemade holiday pies.
Foggy Ridge’s Pippin Gold is just that: liquid gold. Yellow-fleshed “Newtown Pippin” apples fortified with apple brandy from Laird & Company, the country’s oldest distiller, yield something so special it’s almost a dessert in itself.
The snowy winters of Vermont help chill an intoxicating blend of “McIntosh,” “Empire,” “Russet,” “Calville Blanc” and “Ashmead’s Kernel” apples into Eden Ice Cider’s flagship product, a sweet hard cider with pear and citrus notes that complements many of Vermont’s other best offerings: artisan cheeses.
Do you have a favorite dessert cider? Share it with us in the Comments section below.
Photo by Tim Nauman Photography