Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOMINIC PERRI Apple juice is back. In a big, ripe way. And we don't mean that sweet stuff with fake fruit f lavors. We're talking fresh-pressed apple juice fermented with yeast to create a smooth, complex sparkler. In other words, the hard stuff. The hard cider market has grown more than fivefold in the past three years, say industry experts, and that's just among major commercial produc- ers, like The Boston Beer Company (Angry Orchard) and Anheuser-Busch InBev ( Johnny Appleseed). A lso sprouting like mushrooms throughout New England and beyond are dozens of boutique brands. "I think of hard cider as an offshoot of craft beer," says Ross Brockman, a cofounder of Boston's Downeast Cider House, explaining the new allure of this colonial American pour. "Craft beer has unusual f lavors, like fruit, and COURTESY OF OAK LONG BAR + KITCHEN AT THE FAIRMONT COPLEY PLAZA. 1 ½ ounces bourbon 1 ounce pure maple syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Your favorite hard cider Place several ice cubes in a beer glass. Add bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters. Stir. Fill the glass with hard cider. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or lemon wheel. BOURBON HARD CIDER FIZZ Spike the Juice THIS FALL, APPLE FARMERS ARE POLISHING UP THEIR BOUNTY FOR POWERFUL HARD CIDER. BY VICTORIA ABBOTT RICCARDI over the past several years has been edging more toward hard cider." Downeast packages its cloudy Original Blend, filtered Unoriginal Blend, and Cranberry Blend in cans, like beer, and also offers seasonal f lavors, such as fall's Pumpkin Blend. Salem's Far From the Tree takes a similar craft-beer approach to its hard cider, using local pressed apple juice and maple syrup to create its Roots (plain, dry), Rind (with orange rind and coriander), and seasonal blends, like Sprig (with hops and mint), all sold in beer bottles. Lookout Farm Hard Cider in South Natick also uses beer bottles for its Farmhouse Blend. Yet hard cider's all-natural, gluten-free, low-alcohol (less t han 7 percent) character has hooked the health set, along with wine and cocktail drinkers—a market that Somerville's Bantam Modern American Cider serves with its elegantly labeled varieties, like the honey-kissed Wunderkind and the piquant Rojo (with cherry juice and pepper). "Hard cider is technically a wine, and we have to have a wine license to make it," says Dana Masterpolo, a co-owner of Bantam. Yet the company recently put its Persian spiced cider, The Americain, in cans. "Hard cider used to sell well in the fall, but now we're sell- ing it constantly year-round," says Michael Crookes, assistant manager at Marty's Fine Wines in Newton, carrying more than 50 globally sourced hard ciders, including those from New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders, which are sold in bot- tles with Champagne-style corks. "People are seeing more options and better-quality hard cider and realizing it's versa- tile enough to sip alone or pair with almost anything, from pork to mac 'n' cheese." BC CIDER HOUSE RULES New England's top spots for tours, pours, and seasonal specials. THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY Later this fall, The Boston Beer Company, which makes Angry Orchard hard cider, will open a cidery for research and develop- ment in Walden, New York. Tastings will be offered to the public. Check the website for updates on the Walden cidery and upcoming events. angryorchard.com BANTAM MODERN AMERICAN CIDER Growler (jug bottle) fi lls and tastings of unique hard ciders, Thursday – Saturday. Tours on Saturdays only; call for hours. 40 Merriam St., Somerville, 617-299-8600; bantamcider.com DOWNEAST CIDER HOUSE Growler fi lls, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tours and pours, Saturdays and Sundays; call for hours. 200 Terminal St., Charlestown, 857-301-8881; downeastcider.com FAR FROM THE TREE Growler and bottle fi lls and tastes of more than fi ve hard ciders not available in bottles, Wednesday – Sunday; call for hours. 108 Jackson St., Salem, 617-877-0865; farfromthetreecider.com FARNUM HILL CIDERS Tastings every day; call for hours. 98 Poverty Lane, Lebanon, NH, 603-448-1511; povertylaneorchards.com 86 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM TASTE Cheers!