[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky] When I was young, I spent Halloween night bobbing for apples with my hands behind my back. I remember thinking how silly it was, when I could get a perfectly delicious apple coated in caramel neatly perched on a stick. And now even that seems barbaric when I can drink my caramel apples from a beer bottle. Brothers Toffee Apple Cider tastes of sweet, alcoholic, bubbling apple cider with melted caramel stirred up inside, described quite correctly by the company as tasting something like "cream soda." It was originally developed for Halloween, but was so popular the company now bottles it year-round. For an American away from America during the all-American season from Halloween to Thanksgiving, the...
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Growing up in Florida, apple picking is logistically impossible. It's one of the many reasons why I've made it a tradition to go each year since I've been living up north, along with the amazing views and resulting fresh-baked pies. This year, the orchard of choice was Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Massachusetts, known more for the products sold in its outpost than for the myriad varieties of apples growing on its trees. Russell Orchards is home of New England's best cider donuts. Among its biggest claims is that Russell Orchards is home of New England's best cider donuts. Only when I saw how intensely dedicated they are to this special treat did I start taking the claim seriously: not...
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Longtime Green City Market veteran fruit slinger Peter Klein, of Seedling Orchard in South Haven, Michigan, unveiled a hard cider a few weeks ago here in Chicago. Like me, he's a huge fan of Normandy ciders and was inspired by the tipple to make his own. All apples for Klein's cider are hand-picked and pressed on a hydraulic press "soft" cider mill on his property. Seedling's hard cider is made from a mix that is heavy on tarter varieties and a fall blend of apples with good sugar content. He says, "Historically, I think we would like even more tart and tannic apples in the mix; but we don't grow these yet." Klein adds, "If we have a good year,...
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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...
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Atkins is a misleading name for a farm that makes fried rings of dough, covered in sugar and cinnamon. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, part of the idyllic motherland of apple orchards, Atkins Farms makes the classic cider doughnut. The kind you want in your mouth now, and for every autumn forever. When my friend sent me a three-dozen box of them for my birthday this week (she was a Smithie, and has fond memories visiting the nearby farm), I couldn't be happier. "That's a lot of doughnuts," Serious Eaters said as they walked by, already weighed down by pumpkin cakes, pumpkin cookies, pastries, and chocolates (we had two birthdays in the office this week). Though a surplus of cider...
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Drinking cider makes me smile anyway, but this line of Swedish ciders by Krönleins Bryggeri makes me get all winky face. One day, the brewers were probably just lounging around, text messaging, then brilliantly discovered the natural emoticon inside the word. Seriously, who could say no to a beverage winking at them? [Via Neatorama]...
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