Winter is a great time for snack plates. Going out might not be super appealing, and the holidays are now in our rearview mirror, but there are still some fun reasons to socialize coming up with the Super Bowl so many movies being released straight to on-demand. But, do you really need a reason to rock some snack food? Whether it’s fancy hors d’oeuvres or chips and dip, party foods are a fun way to make a Friday night feel festive. And cider is amazing with party foods.

I want to take you through several of my favorite snacky foods and awesome cider pairings. I’ve done it with a little bit of a twist! I’ve paired different party dishes together in a friendly head-to-head competition: Casual vs. Fancy. The casual snacks might be better for game day, and the fancy ones for a Hollywood premier, but feel free to serve them when and wherever you please!

Ready to get started! Our first pairing in the ring is:

Potato Chips (casual) vs. Sweet-and-Salty Popcorn Mix (fancy)

Both of these are great, but potato chips are about as easy as it gets for a party snack, while homemade sweet and salty popcorn mix is a bit more swanky. My favorite potato chips (since moving to Upstate New York) are Utz Kettle Classic Dark Russets. And when I did an impromptu poll of my friends, folks love party mixes like this eye-catching Pretty in Pink Popcorn Party Mix. Both of these are powered by intense salty rich flavors, so they need powerful cider pairings.

Muse Cider Bar‘s Slingshot, with its alluring whiskey barrel presence, or the tart, herbaceous and dry Redbyrd Orchard Cider‘s Wild Heart are great pairings. Both of these ciders dials up the intensity, whether through wild apple acidity or boozy barrel notes. That means that you’ll still be able to taste them when you’re munching on these addictive, salty snacks.

Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese (casual) vs. Spicy Brussels Sprouts on Skewers with Garlic Aioli (fancy)

Wings are a thing about which everyone has an opinion or preference: bone-in, boneless, or tofu. Then, there are the sauces: Are they better with barbeque, Buffalo or a dry seasoning mix? For me, it’s all about Buffalo tofu wings with blue cheese, but I never turn down pineapple teriyaki tempeh or honey BBQ seitan. For a more formal affair though, you might want a hearty appetizer that’s a little less messy. This type of party just begs for spicy Brussels sprouts with garlic aioli. Serve them on skewers or toothpicks to make them a bit more dippable for that garlic aioli that everyone is going to rave about. Also, things on toothpicks = fancy pants.

Much like the last round, these snacks have powerful flavors, which are even more intensified with some real heat. That changes the pairing, drawing us toward sweeter ciders for balance. I think Eden Cider‘s Cinderella’s Slipper would be absolutely unbeatable with either of these dishes — it’s beautifully rich.

Mexican Seven Layer Dip (casual) vs. Stuffed Mini-Peppers (fancy)

Everyone loves seven layer dip, or at least that’s how it seems whenever it shows up at a party. It just vanishes! I usually swap out olives for chopped roasted red peppers when I make it for myself, but olive fans will likely want to keep it classic. Stuffed peppers make a similarly hearty centerpiece in a party spread, and using mini-peppers makes them individually-sized and cute. You can stuff them with almost anything you want, but some starch (think rice) and a protein, plus cheese, of course, will help give them substance.

These foods both need dry, high-acid ciders. Golden State Cider‘s Save the Gravenstein or Farnum Hill Extra Dry fit the bill perfectly. Save the Gravenstein is bright and fruity with plenty of minerality; it’s almost as though it’s designed to lift up heavy flavors. Farnum Hill’s Extra Dry is legendary for its savory complexity and ability to just ride the edge of farmy and funky.

Pimento Cheese Spread and Raw Veggies (casual) vs. Cheese Plate with Pickled Vegetables (fancy)

This snack match up hardly seems fair, because at an ideal party, I’d like to have both pimento cheese dip and a nice cheese plate! But, they do tick the same boxes by providing the crucial snack intersection of vegetables and cheese. This is the most flexible pair of dishes in the whole bunch, and I want to use that blank canvas to show off some very fine apple-centric ciders.

Whitewood Cider Company’s Newtown Pippin is a dreamy cider. This single varietal made with apples from the Hood River Valley in Oregon is tropical, clean and wonderfully balanced. My other recommendation for either of these dishes is more regional: Cornwall Cider Co’s En Plein Air. This cider is made from late-season apples that were picked frozen off the tree, and features a pronounced peachy flavor with a hint of juniper.

Mini BLTs (casual) vs. Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Crostini (fancy)

Bacon is practically a religion, so finding a way to incorporate it into your party menu will certainly earn points with your guests! Mini BLTs are a perfect way to do that: super-simple and dangerously delicious. Just be sure to buy the best, ripest tomatoes you can! If your grocery store’s tomatoes aren’t up to your BLT standards, pear, walnut and blue cheese crostini is a great winter alternative. It pairs savory and sweet flavors, and you can get fantastic pears in winter so long as you buy them about a week before the party. Letting pears fully ripen at home is key!

I chose two sparkly favorites to go with these little open-faced sandwiches. I love how Slyboro Ciderhouse‘s La Sainte Terre si back-sweetened with house-made ice cider, which keeps all the sweetness natural and apple-y. Big Fish Cider’s Highland Scrumpy is another surefire pairing. This cider wins awards wherever it goes! It uses a huge blend of local apples, allowing it to have balance and tons of fruity notes.

Lemon Squares (casual) vs. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries (fancy)

Finally, dessert! A party is only a gathering if there’s nothing sweet to eat. Both of my choices are really easy to make at home, so you might find time for both if you’ll be hosting a sweet-toothed crowd. Lemon squares are a Southern staple from my younger years, perfect for brightening up a chilly night. When I worked at a chocolate shop in grad school, I learned an important secret: Chocolate-dipped strawberries are easy and fun. If you’ve never tried making your own, do yourself a favor and give it a go!

Both of these fruity desserts pair wonderfully with rich and full-bodied, semi-sweet ciders. I like to pair sweet with sweet for dessert. Aeppeltreow’s Sparrow Spiced Cider uses a signature blend of mulling spices to make a delectably sweet, spicy cider. For fans of maple and barrel flavors, I’ll recommend Angry Orchard‘s Wooden Sleeper. It has great mouthfeel and a host of luscious dessert flavors.

Whatever you plan to do to get through the depths of winter, I hope it involves enjoying food and cider together. A glass of great cider and some stellar party snacks always complete the night, no matter your plans. Cheers!

• Photos: Dish Works

The post Cider Loves Food: Snacks Pairings appeared first on Cider Culture.

In our column, “Cider Loves Food,” contributor Meredith Collins (blogger extraordinaire at Along Came a Cider) is looking at different cuisines and finding the perfect ciders to help take your meals to the next level.

Though Spring may technically be here, there are lots of blustery, wet and muddy days still to come. But that isn’t anything to dread! There’s a wonderful vibrance and potential in these transitional Spring days, which can help us feel wonderfully alive. 

Nonetheless, a warm hearty meal at home is sometimes just what we need to make the most of this season of growth. So, I’ve put together a list of cozy, familiar comfort foods (with links to recipes) and some ciders that pair beautifully with them. 

Lasagna

I’ve been a fan of lasagna since my youth, probably because my mom’s vegetarian lasagna is savory and delicious. I never missed the meat because there’s so much umami richness in the layers of cheese, sauce and veggies. 

I recommend pairing veggie lasagna with Alpenfire Cider’s 2020 Glow Airlie Red Rosé Cider. I’ve chosen this pairing for two main reasons: The Airlie Red cider has the necessary acidity to cut through the hefty portions of ricotta and mozzarella, and the cider matches the bold intensity of a tangy red sauce.

Mashed Potatoes

There are so many ways to make mashed potatoes, but no matter your technique, in my book they need to be creamy, but not gluey, neither too smooth nor lumpy, and intensely flavorful. Starting with really good Yukon Gold potatoes is key! 

For mashed potatoes, I recommend an ultra-dry, super-bubbly, high-acid cider like Farnum Hill Extra Dry. The bubbles and acidity both help with lifting what can be a heavy dish. This cider is also complex enough that pairing it with something relatively straightforward allows the many flavors of the cider to sing.

Chicken Pot Pie or Fisherman’s Pie

I didn’t grow up eating chicken pot pie or anything like it. At first I was too picky, and then my family stopped eating meat. Now I love a savory pie, and I’ve included two variations that both pair beautifully with a semi-sweet fruity cider. 

There’s no shortage of good options here, but I’m partial to Rosé for Sal by Angry Orchard’s Innovation Cider House in Walden, New York. This fruited cider uses tart blueberries and New York state apples to make a wonderfully balanced blueberry rosé. The creamy roux-based sauce for both of the pies really contrasts deliciously with something fruity and fun. Or if you want to try something brand new, Two Town’s Ciderhouse just released The Baddie with Pink Lady apples and amazing floral botanicals.

Vegetarian Chili

You’ll need two ciders for this one because the recipe calls for 12 ounces of beer, but it’s so much more delightful if you sub in cider instead. The cider you cook with matters less, but for the pairing, go with a whiskey- or bourbon-barrel-aged cider. 

Barrel-aged ciders often feature notes of butterscotch, bread crumbs and delightfully bourbon-y aromas, which helps them stand up to the powerful flavors of a good chili. Bauman’s Cider makes a Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Cider that I particularly recommend if you like your chili extra spicy. The vanilla and bourbon barrel notes interplay with spice in a way you don’t want to miss.

Apple Macaroni-and-Cheese

In the Fall, apple macaroni-and-cheese is a fan-favorite at our local apple harvest festival. I like it so much that I make it year round. You can approach the pairing in a few different ways, and definitely can’t go wrong with a semi-sweet and fruity high acid cider, like Uncle John’s Cider’s Blossom Blend or Schilling Hard Cider’s Spaceport Imperial Pineapple. If your pairing goal is to enhance the subtle fruit of apple in macaroni-and-cheese, doubling down with a strongly fruity cider pulls the dish in just the right direction.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I simply can’t talk about comfort food without mentioning one of the most reliable shortcuts to happiness that exists on this planet: chocolate chip cookies. They offer everything I want in a delightful and portable package: chocolatey, sweet, just a bit salty! And while they can be either as chewy or crispy as the baker desires, my preference is soft and chewy. Though milk is the traditional beverage accompaniment, I’d like to suggest Threadbare Cider’s Farmhouse Cider instead. This cider offers its own version of everything good as well; the cider is tart, bubbly, minerally, and just a little bit sweet. 

This is just a short list of some of my favorite comfort foods; I’m sure everyone has their own lineup, whether from childhood memories or their own culinary achievements. Hopefully these pairing recommendations can help you enjoy them all over again, this time with some delicious ciders. Cheers!

• Photos: Dish Works

The post Cider Loves Food: Comfort Food and Cider appeared first on Cider Culture.

Ready to say goodbye to the past year and usher in a fresh start? We are, too! There is no better way, in our book, to ring in the New Year than with a glass of special cider — save the cans of everyday session cider for brunch the next day, and break out the good stuff at midnight. It’s all too easy to hoard the “special” ciders, assuming that a more fabulous occasion can always arise.

But we say: That occasion is now! Life is short, exhume a bottle or two from your cellar, or splurge a few extra bucks at your local bottle shop or cidery, and pick up a cider that truly calls to you. Here are seven extra-dope ciders to consider for this New Year’s Eve!

Big Hill Kriek: Kriek usually refers to a type of sour Belgian ale made with Morello cherries. Big Hill captures the profound flavor and depth of this style in this wild-fermented cider. The sour cherries it uses are wild-fermented, too, and the combination of those punchy flavors with eye-opening sour apple cider is a one-two punch of brightness and funk. Shop online. 338 Georgetown Rd., Gardners, PA; (717) 677-0250.

Botanist & Barrel Basque in the Glory: If 2024 is your year to finally take a deep-dive into Spanish sidra, or domestic ciders made in the Basque style, we fully support you. Botanist & Barrel’s Basque in the Glory is a great place to start: it’s dry, raw, hazy, funky and sour. It’s a slightly fizzy, spontaneously fermented pet-nat that’s an extreme delight with cheese, charcuterie or your favorite Spanish tapas. Shop online. 105 Persimmon Hill Ln., Cedar Grove, NC; (919) 644-7777.

Metal House Cider 2020 Chinchinette: This Hudson Valley cidery produces a number of 750-ml format bottles that feel as exciting and precious as the most coveted champagne. But Chinchinette feels especially relevant for a big celebration: It’s a bottle conditioned, undisgorged blend of Northern Spy, Catskill wild crab and Metal House’s Esopus blend that’s exceptionally food-friendly, with bright acidity, a long finish and vivacious effervescence. Shop online.

Stormalong Cider Happy Holidays: Not ready to let go of the comfy, warming flavors of Christmas yet? Hang on to them a little longer with Stormalong’s Happy Holidays, easy-drinking (just over 5% AVB) and spiced nicely with allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg, with a touch of organic brown sugar. It’s like if apple pie met mulled cider and had a wild love affair! Shop online.

WildCraft Cider Works Unfiltered Sparkling Apple Juice: If you’re taking it easy on drinking, or you have some sober guests coming for NYE, you’re in luck! There have never been more fun, unique non-alcoholic beverages to explore! Par exemple: the super-juicy, hazy fizzy apple juice from WildCraft in Eugene, Oregon. Just because it doesn’t have booze doesn’t mean it’s not special! This beautiful cider is made with wild foraged, dry cropped or biodynamically farmed heirloom apples. Shop online. 232 Lincoln St., Eugene, OR; (541) 735-3506.

Virtue Cider Golden Hour: If you prefer your special-occasion ciders a bit more on the juicy, fruity cider, Golden Hour from Virtue has you covered. Meant to channel the gorgeous sunsets at Virtue Farm in Fennville, MI, this beauty offers up notes of stone fruit, honeysuckle and golden honey. This is a great one to share with cider newbies, or to open alongside whatever luxurious dessert you’ve made for you and your friends. Shop online. 2170 62nd St., Fennville, MI; (269) 722-3232.

Stoic Cider Javelina Rosé: If rosé cider is your preferred “cheers-ing” bevvie, look no further than this rad cider/wine hybrid from Stoic Cider. Newtown Pippin apples are blended with Merlot wine, for a delicate and balanced sipper, that’s a pretty raspberry hue with a lightly sweet, fruity character. Tasting notes include tart cranberry, grape skin, green apple and cherries. Shop online. 11500 W. Fair Oaks Rd., Prescott, AZ; (701) 361-7480.

What’s in your glass this New Year’s Eve? Whatever you’re drinking, and however you’re celebrating, we wish you a safe, healthy and cider-full new year!

• All photos: Courtesy of their respective cideries

The post 7 New Year’s Celebration Ciders for Extra-Special Midnight Toasts appeared first on Cider Culture.

In our column, “Cider Loves Food,” contributor Meredith Collins (blogger extraordinaire at Along Came a Cider) suggests the perfect ciders to help take your meals to the next level.

We are quickly approaching the season of winter holidays. Between now and mid-January, we’ll pass through many celebrations and observations. Whether your favorite tradition consists of a marathon rewatch of Lord of the Rings or baking enough to give everyone on your gift list a sugar coma, there’s room for cider. 

My holidays are going to be low-key this year; it’s time to tackle a big house project during my time off. Though I have plans to scrape more wallpaper than wrap gifts, and I won’t be crossing state lines for big family gatherings, I still want to do something to honor the longest night of the year. Here’s my plan for a family solstice dinner with cider pairings. Perhaps it can give you some ideas for a tasty time with your loved ones. 

Cider and Sides

I learned the term “Sidesgiving” this year, and honestly I love it. The veggies that adorn my holiday table are among my favorite things to eat all year long. This is also a wonderful chance to bring out the most complex ciders you want for elegant pairings. For all of these, I want cider with enough acid to shine against the sauces, caramelization, and richness, but I need tannins, too. Pop open your wine-inspired ciders made with heirloom and cider-specific apples here! 

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

One of my favorite parts of adulthood has to be improving my relationship with Brussels sprouts. This recipe is a simple way to up the textural wow-factor and avoid the unpleasant bitterness of overcooking.

Roasted Potatoes with Mushroom Cider Gravy

A special meal needs potatoes if you ask me. I’m pretty flexible about the form they take. I love potato pancakes and mashed potatoes, but there’s also something wonderfully simple about just roasting new potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. It makes them a wonderful canvas for a vegetarian mushroom gravy. I couldn’t find a recipe that’s exactly what we do at my house, but if you add a semi-dry cider to this one, it’s very close.

Cranberry Relish

This is a family tradition that I remember from my childhood, although this recipe doesn’t have all the substitutions we’ve created over the years. Skip the sugar and celery, sub in candied almond slivers, and if it does need additional sweetness, use a bit of maple syrup.

Spicy Caramelized Squash

I love baked squash in any number of iterations, but the addition of citrus and spice makes it feel special! My personal recommendation is making this with delicata squash, though the recipe can accommodate a wide range of base veggies. 

As examples, I recommend pairing any combination of these vegetable sides with Redbyrd Orchard Cider 2020 Biodynamic Sunset, Sea Cider Bramble Bubbly or West County Cider Cidre De Garde. They all have the features that are necessary here: strong acid, plentiful bubbles, tannins, complexity and mature confident fermentations. 

The Main Dish and Cider

I want rich flavorful fish as a main dish option for every important meal. When I’m hosting something special in my own house, there will be fish!

Maple Baked Salmon

I chose this recipe for two reasons. First, it’s simple to make. On a day when we might be cooking up to seven or eight distinct dishes, every easy choice helps. Second, I love the seasonal boost of maple syrup. I’m not about to get into a turf war about New York versus Vermont versus Pennsylvania or Michigan. There’s a lot of excellent maple syrup out there and it belongs on this salmon at the center of the holiday table.

My recommendation is to pair this salmon with Champlain Orchards Ashmead’s Kernel or Art + Science Wickson Cider. Salmon is a decadent fish, and that calls for a strongly flavored and highly acidic cider for counterpoint. Both of these choices highlight really special apples and make zingy sparkling flavor as the perfect way to lift up the layers of flavor in this entree.

Sourdough No-Knead Rolls

My tall companion doesn’t believe in serving bread at feast meals. He finds it to be a waste of space for the stomach and the table. As someone whose favorite part of holiday dinners throughout most of childhood was the rolls, I disrespectfully disagree. Bread is life. 

These sourdough rolls are delicious and aren’t that difficult to make if you’re already in the habit of working with a sourdough starter regularly. I was truly intimidated for months, but now I’m a big fan. Just don’t try the recipe for the first time in a high-pressure situation. Practice now, so you can feel great on the big feast day.

Pair this with All Times Sparkling Cider in honor of every kid whose favorite holiday food is a roll. Plus, it’s necessary to have something delicious and special to offer to everyone who’s not imbibing alcohol!

Dessert

For some celebrants, this is the first moment when the meal gets serious. Everything up to dessert is simply preamble. I’m not there, but I respect that position. Of course, dessert is important. This is the part of the meal when we’ve slowed down and relaxed. It’s often a golden peaceful moment after a hectic day of preparation. There are only two rules for dessert choices: there must be a chocolate option; and there must be something with apples.  

Apple-Pecan Bourbon-Caramel Pie

It’s impossible to resist this pie. It has everything: salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy, fruity, boozy … perfect. Since this isn’t the easiest recipe on the list, I recommend making this one ahead of time.

Grasshopper Brownies

There’s just something about mint and chocolate that signifies a fully satisfying end to a meal. Perhaps it’s the association with little candies, like Andes Mints or After Eight Thin Mints or even the classic Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. To me, this is a lovely send-off after a leisurely feast. 

For either of these ridiculously indulgent desserts, I recommend pairing with something equally rich and full-bodied. Now isn’t the time for a light ethereal suggestion of flavor. We need a cider that has heft enough to speak alongside other big bold flavors. I recommend Alma Wood Aged, particularly for the pie. The cider spent six months in bourbon barrels, upping the body and flavor-intensity. For the grasshopper brownies, choose a well-balanced fortified cider, like Finger Lakes Cider House Royal Cider ‘18. Flavor notes of golden raisins, vanilla, and barrel will beautifully pair with the deep chocolate of grasshopper brownies.

Whatever you choose to do with your holiday season, I hope you enjoy it and make time to do the things that make you feel restored and ready for a new year! 

The post Cider Loves Food: Holiday Meals and Winter Feasts appeared first on Cider Culture.

Chilly days bring on cravings for complex, rich flavors, comforting pops of sweetness and higher gravity ciders to warm our bones. We’re talking about ciders layered with huge amounts of juicy apple notes, perhaps enhanced with a bit of spice or vanilla from time spent in barrels.

Imperial ciders, which borrow terminology from the beer world, refer to ciders with higher-than-average alcohol content and bold flavors. It varies widely, of course, but most ciders hover between 4 and 7% ABV, while imperial ciders break on through to the other side of 8%. In beer brewing, the higher ABV is achieved by adding extra grains and hop, but in cidermaking, it’s all about more sugars present at the time of fermentation. More sugar = more food for the yeasts = more alcohol. To do this, some cideries use riper apples, which have developed a higher sugar content, or add fresh sweet juice or other sweetening agents during fermentation. The result is a “big” cider, both in terms of flavor and booziness — when drinking these, just remember that many are pretty much twice as strong as other ciders that you may enjoy!

Here are seven imperial ciders to cozy up with:

Portland Cider Co. Imperial Dry: Weighing in at 8.5% ABV, this crisp, bubbly cider from Portland Cider Co. is made up of a blend of 100% Northwest apples. Mellow tannins, a dry flavor and full-bodied mouthfeel, and notes of baked apple, toffee and pecan make this a balanced, festive sipper. Shop online or use Portland Cider’s Cider Finder to locate Imperial Dry at a retailer near you.

Seattle Cider Co. Imperial Odyssey: Available year-round, this fun cider from Seattle Cider is so juicy and drinkable, you’ll barely notice the 8.4% ABV (you’ve been warned!). A custom blend of Washington apples lends a great flavor profile, with aromas of stone fruit, melon and ripe apples, with fresh-from-the-oven apple crisp flavors at the finish. Medium-bodied and semi-sweet, this is a great cider for anyone who wants deep, cozy flavors but isn’t feeling the pumpkin spice vibes.

Schilling Cider Excelsior Mango Supernova: One of Schilling’s core lineup of ciders is an imperial cider (Excelsior), so you know it means business! One of this cidery’s boozier releases is a twist on the concept: Mango Supernova, for a sun-kissed approach to the style. Real mangoes are blended with Pacific Northwest-grown apples and European heirloom cider fruit with a hit of lime zest. At 9.1% ABV, this tropical treat brings a welcome taste of summer whatever the weather outside!

Incline Cider Imperial Hazy Honeycrisp: Made from Washington State honeycrisp apples, this hazy and refreshing cider is one of Imperial’s flagship offerings. Notes of citrus, honey and light spice underpin a bold, super-juicy apple character. At 8.5% ABV, tread lightly and enjoy. Shop online.

2 Towns Cosmic Crisp: Another imperial cider with an outer-space theme, 2 Towns’ Cosmic Crisp leans hard on the famous zippy, sweet flavors of Cosmic Crisp apples. This Washington State-grown apple is a cross between Enterprise and Honeycrisp that is sweet, tart and super-juicy. This cider is a blend of fresh-pressed Cosmic Crisp and Northwest apples, with bright, fruit-forward aromatics and a high-acid profile.

Eden Ciders Imperial 11° Rosé: Inspired by French Provencal rosé, this elegant cider is a blend of Vermont apples (including Esopus Spitzenberg, Calville Blanc, Hudson’s Golden Gem, Roxbury Russet and more), infused with red currant juice and smoothed out with a touch of ice cider. It’s juicy, off-dry and gently fizzy, bolstered with nice acidity and just enough tannic structure; tasting notes include watermelon, strawberry, citrus and slate. At 11% ABV, this is just about the same booziness as rosé wine! Sip it chilled with picnic fare, creamy pasta or tuna steaks. Shop online.

ACE HIGH Imperial Berry: A trio of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries add a pop of color and nice juiciness to this 8% rose-hued sipper. In addition to being a bit dangerously easy to quaff, this cider is vegan and, of course, gluten-free. Shop online by the 12-pack.

What imperial ciders have you tried? Do you have any favorites to share? Let us know in the comments!

• Photos: Courtesy of their respective cideries

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Halloween is my favorite holiday, because I love celebrating all things spooky, ghostly and costumed. The candy certainly doesn’t hurt, either! Whether the candy comes from the pre-Halloween parties or it’s discreetly snatched from a sugar-crazed child’s hoard, you can enhance the candy experience with a skillful beverage pairing or two.

As a cider lover, I’m biased, admittedly, but I really do love cider as a pairing for these autumnal treats. Cider is such a varied category, it’s easy to find just the right cider for all different kinds of sweets. Here are just a few cider and Halloween candies to start our pairings with, but feel free to explore far beyond these brands and types. Have fun!  

Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups: Embark Craft Ciderworks Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cider

I want a cider with real body to accompany any candy with peanut butter and chocolate. If I get any pairing right, it will be this one, because I eat Reese’s cups so often. They are my very favorite candy year-round. A strong cider pairing needs to incorporate body from some kind of barrel-aging. I like ciders that have spent some time in a spirit barrel, ideally a bourbon barrel. Embark Craft Ciderworks makes a Whiskey Barrel-Aged limited edition cider that is all treats and no tricks.

Twizzlers®: Virtue Cider Michigan Cherry Fruit Belt Cider

Fruit licorice, like Twizzlers, benefits from a complementary pairing: a modern cider with cherry or berries. Michigan Cherry Fruit Belt from Virtue Cider is a lovely option because of its balance and tasteful use of local cherries. This is a way to pair like with like, and use the fruity notes of a semi-dry cider to bridge the gap to a sweeter, chewy candy, like Twizzlers.

M&M’s®: Oyster River Winegrowers Wildman Cider

There’s something so special about M&M’s. Perhaps it’s the fact that this is the only candy that delivers both technicolor, bright hues and chocolate. I recommend pairing M&M’s with a dry, spontaneously fermented cider that uses only apples. Oyster River Winegrowers Wildman Cider will keep you and your guests haunting the cider table for more. What I especially like about this pairing is that the cider allows the sweet milk chocolate to play merrily across the palate, without turning bitter or sickly sweet. Wildman Cider, made with made with apples gathered from wild seedling trees, is unfiltered and made with native yeast fermentation that’s bottle conditioned with no sulfites added, which lends a tangy, feral quality, perfect for the spirit of Halloween.

Candy Corn: Stem Ciders Pear Cider

I know it’s already a controversial opinion to like candy corn, but this is the hill I will die on. There is a time and place for candy corn, and obviously it’s Halloween. Because this candy is such a delicate expression of sweetness, I want something that will blend with that. Pear cider is perfect, because it has sugars in the fresh pear juice that cannot ferment into alcohol, and blended with the apple cider, will maintain a very natural, fruity sweetness. Stem Ciders’ Pear Cider is blend of fresh-pressed pears and apples with notes of caramel and a crisp finish. The aromas and delicacy of this might be enough to sway even candy corn naysayers!

Mounds®: Portland Cider Company Pineapple Rosé

While Mounds aren’t my favorite candy, they are spectacular for fans of coconut and dark chocolate. Too few mainstream candies use dark chocolate, so this provides something fun for pairing. I want to push the coconut into a tropical vibe by choosing a pineapple cider like Portland Cider Company’s Pineapple Rosé. Pineapple goes with dark chocolate and with coconut, so this pairing is a no-brainer!

Red Hots®: Henney’s Vintage Still Cider

Wine pairings for candy sometimes suggest Red Hots with riesling, so I wanted to see how that could translate into cider. I think something off-dry and fruity, yet structured and still, would be perfect. I never like spicy with bubbles, so that means I’m looking for a still cider. Henney’s Vintage Still Cider provides all of that. It drinks smoothly and with rich sophistication, making it an enticing counter-balance to the spark and sharpness of cinnamon candy.

Sour Patch® Kids: Eden Specialty Cider Deep Cut Cider

Sour Patch Kids are a stand-in for a whole category of candies operating on sourness, sometimes to a fairly extreme degree. Being able to tolerate, or even enjoy, these candies was the measure of cool back in fourth and fifth grade. Now that I’m past those years, I appreciate sour candies in a new way, and to pair them, I want something similarly acid-driven in profile, and also wine-like. I think a high-acidity dry cider with a hint of wildness is the only way to go for sour candies. From the line of canned offering from Eden Specialty Ciders, Deep Cut is wonderful as a sour-candy pairing. It’s a great cider for any occasion, but it’s easy to appreciate its full-bodied, hazy texture when it’s contrasting with zingy Sour Patch Kids!

Bonus: Popcorn and popcorn balls are amazing with a spiced cider like Threadbare Cider’s Spiced Cider. Popcorn operates very much on texture, leaving room for more complex flavors in a pairing cider. I like a spiced cider with Halloween popcorn, so we can double-up on seasonal treats. Threadbare’s Spiced Cider is made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove, so it delivers many notes of a mulled cider or apple pie, but via cider.

Kids may get trick-or-treating, but pairing cider with Halloween candy is a series of unearthly delights for the 21+ crowd!

• Photos: Dish Works

The post How to Pair Cider with Halloween Candy appeared first on Cider Culture.

The winter provides many opportunities to gather: Between the holidays, epic dinner parties and cozy indoor hygge vibes, there are creative ways to make the most of the dark, cold nights of the season. A special cider is the perfect festive libation to pair with hearty food and keep the conversation lively! If you like to add unique ciders to your cellar to pull from in celebratory moments, the Northwest Cider Club is right up your alley. This quarterly subscription curates beautiful small-batch ciders from makers across the Pacific Northwest, and delivers them right to your doorstep. It makes an amazing gift, and is a surefire way to ensure that you always have some really cool ciders ready to pop open and share with guests! 

The current Northwest Cider Club theme is “Winner’s Circle,” meaning that all of the ciders/cideries in both the Discover Box and Elevated Box were winners at the NW Cider Cup, an esteemed decade-old cider competition. There are some serious gems inside these boxes: stunning ciders made by extremely passionate people — truly the best of the best to pair with your holiday meals and BFF hangs. 

We were thrilled to chat with three of the cidermakers included in this installment of Northwest Cider Club; we hope that by learning their stories, you’ll be even more excited to try their ciders! 

Empyrical Orchard & Cidery

• Location: Snohomish, Washington
• Owners/cidermakers: Adam Wargacki and Elizabeth Lockhart
• NW Cider Cup 2023 Best New Cidery of the Year
• Cider in the NW Cider Club Elevated Box: Abstract, a single-varietal Harrison cider, cryo-concentrated and barrel-aged; 12.1% ABV

Excerpts from a conversation with Adam Wargacki and Elizabeth Lockhart:

We started making cider because: We had some early success in amateur cidermaking, and so we started an orchard project to support it. We planted our orchard of 1,000 trees, mostly European and American cider apples and some perry pears, about 8 years ago. Now about 30% of production comes from our own orchard. We’re new and not on a lot of shelves yet! – Elizabeth 

Our ciders are: Really rich and intense, aiming toward higher alcohol levels. Very sippable, and hopefully highly valued. Most of our ciders are wild-fermented, blended, barrel-aged and made in the champagne method. We want to push the quality of cider as high as it can possibly go. We want to make cider almost physically impossibly good. – Adam 

In the orchard, our philosophy is informed by: My career working as a biochemist, specifically in biofuels. In biofuels, concentration is key, and we’re bringing the same philosophy to cidermaking. We’ve borrowed from traditional, modern and even newer sustainable approaches to try to grow amazing fruit and make the most intensely flavored ciders we can. Our overall stance is the beauty of the orchard, and the cider is a byproduct of that. – Adam

Elizabeth and Adam Wargacki of Empyrical Cider

What it means to be NW Cider Cup Winners: It’s data for us. Our name is Empyrical; we have to have our ciders peer-reviewed. We couldn’t claim they were as good as they are unless the very best in the industry were tasting them and agreeing with us. We’re putting these ciders in front of the most knowledgeable cider enthusiasts in the country, and the feedback we’ve received has been incredible. That raises the bar for us, and guides us. – Elizabeth

Our cider in this quarter’s Northwest Cider Club box is: A single-varietal Harrison cider that we’re just releasing for this box! It’s traditional: very phenolic, leathery and spicy with some cinnamon holiday spice, not overly fruity like a lot of modern ciders. It reminds us of an Old Fashioned, with dark caramelized fruit and barrel notes. Like all of our ciders, the artwork and imagery on the bottle come from our pomological library, a collection of literature that we’ve been amassing and hope to make available to others soon. – Elizabeth

Pair Empyrical Abstract with: Light desserts or nuts and cheeses, or sip as you would an after-dinner cocktail.

Union Hill Cider

• Location: East Wenatchee, Washington
• Owners/cidermakers: Drew and Katja Handley
• NW Cider Cup Gold Medal in the Botanical Hopped category
• Ciders in the NW Cider Club Discover Box: Liquid Limber, a gose-inspired hopped cider, 7.8% ABV; and Wildwood, a wintry barrel-aged blend; 7.4% ABV.

Excerpts from a conversation with Katja Handley:

Our history with apples goes back: For 50 years! My husband is a third-generation orchardist, and his family has had an orchard here in the valley for half a decade. They grow fruit for culinary purposes, the fresh market, and in 2016, we started getting excited about cider. My husband and his roommate tried to make cider in a carboy in their closet, and it was undrinkable! 

An important part of our cidermaking journey was: Stumbling across Snowdrift Cider, which is also here in East Wenatchee. We became friends with them and learned more about cidermaking and cider-specific apples. From there, we planted new orchards and grafted some of our established orchards over to cider-specific fruit, like Dabinnet and Kingston Black. We have nine different varieties now. In 2018 we first started our company; it’s Drew, two of his childhood friends and my father-in-law running it. From there we’ve become bigger and started a tasting room. But we’re still very much just a family and friends making cider and sharing our craft and our love for these cider apple varieties.

We first started making our cider in: A little garage on Drew’s grandfather’s property where we lived. Once we outgrew that and built a shop to have more room for pressing and tanks, we transformed that little garage into our tasting room. Two years ago we put in a little stage and a tiered lawn, and started hosting live music, and then we built a bigger tasting room, with a lot more indoor seating. We’ve built a little community gem! People bring their kids and dogs, socialize and drink cider and eat food; that was our dream all along, to have this little spot where people can gather and be together. 

We enter cider competitions because: There’s so much work that goes into making cider, and recognition is always special and helps keep you motivated. It was our first year entering the NW Cider Cup and our hope was to gain some clarity on if what we’re doing is as good as we think it is. Judging your own product can get a little one sided. We were incredibly honored to take home a gold medal for our Liquid Limber, a personal and tasting room favorite. 

Our ciders in this quarter’s Northwest Cider Club Box are: Wildwood and Liquid Limber. 

Wildwood is our newest cider. It’s pretty different from what we’ve done before. Most of what we grow are bittersharp apples, which are more acid-driven, but this is made from bittersweets. The cider is barrel aged in red wine barrels for over a year, for an amber-colored hue and a well-rounded and layered flavor. It’s tannic, smooth and just a little sweet, with notes of dried apricot spiced wood and baked apple.

Pair Union Hill Wildwood with: Cheesy, rich foods, like risotto, chicken alfredo or other fall pasta dishes.   

 Liquid Limber is a cider Drew came up with when he was skiing with a friend. He thought, instead of limbering up, maybe you could just have a cider and then go skiing! It’s a cider aged on grapefruit, lemon and coriander and a touch of sea salt, hopped with Galena hops. It’s our winter seasonal that’s really fun, fresh, complex but also very easy-drinking. Inspired by gose-style beers, it’s the perfect balance of hoppy, zesty and a little salty.

Pairings Union Hill Liquid Limber with: Simple bold fare, like a burger and fries, prosciutto and goat cheese pizza or a pulled pork BBQ sandwich.

Swift Cider

• Location: Portland, Oregon 
• Owner/cidermaker: Aidan Currie 
• NW Cider Cup Bronze Medal in the Fruited Cider category 
• Cider in the NW Cider Club Discover Box: Swift Cider Blueberry, a refreshing, floral fruited cider; 5.1% ABV.

Excerpts from a conversation with Aidan Currie:

I had the idea to start a cidery: Back in 2011 when I couldn’t find any local cider in Portland. There were beautiful wines and craft beers, but no real craft cider on any of the bar taps around town. I thought, the Pacific Northwest produces 85% of North America’s apple crop but nobody out here is turning it into alcohol. I’d already started a root beer company in college, and worked at Deschutes Brewery, so I had a bug for fermentation and small business. 

In the beginning phases of my cidery: There was a lot of learning and scrapping it with small and limited resources. We grew into a bigger facility about five years ago, with larger tank capacity, and became a more distributed cider brand. 

We’re known for: Dry and semi-dry ciders made from apples and fresh-pressed or whole fruit. We’ve always tried to differentiate ourselves from the big cideries that use concentrates and very little fresh fruit. We like to experiment, too. For years we’ve been selling 3 to 5 main ciders, and up to 40 small-batch releases a year. 

My thoughts on cider competitions and awards are: These days, I get so many emails from cider competitions I’ve never heard of, it can feel like a scheme sometimes. But the NW Cider Cup, that’s the exact other side of the spectrum. They’re trying to do everything right, and they’ve gotten better with experience. They define styles that are common in the market, and do training to educate the judges. And the judging is really good; people take their time with it. For us small cider brands, even sending a few bottles to a competition is precious to us, so the judges honoring that effort and giving feedback is important! 

Our cider in this quarter’s Northwest Cider Club box is: Swift Blueberry Cider, which was an award-winning cider at GLINTCAP and the NW Cider Cup! People make a lot of fruited ciders with concentrates and sugar, but ours is made with Northwest blueberries for a real, fresh blueberry character, with a medium sweetness. It’s a clean fruit-forward cider, with blueberry on the nose, and a little bit of spicy, fresh jammy blueberry on the palate. We don’t add sulfites to our ciders which helps the cider develop in the can, so this actually ages well! Over time, you’ll see more jammy flavors and apple notes pop through the cider. 

Pair Swift Blueberry Cider with: A fatty fish or a straightforward steak; or sweet treats, like fresh baked blueberry muffins, or high-quality dark chocolate or chocolate truffles.

There is so much more to explore in the winter Northwest Cider Club boxes! Head to the Northwest Cider Club website to get the full deets, and don’t forget to join the club by November 9 to ensure delivery in plenty of time for the holidays.

• Bottle/can shots: Northwest Cider Club
• All other photos: Courtesy of their respective cideries

The post The ‘Winner’s Circle’ Boxes from the Northwest Cider Club Are for Pairing & Sharing appeared first on Cider Culture.

In our monthly column, “Cider Loves Food,” contributor Meredith Collins (blogger extraordinaire at Along Came a Cider) is looking at different cuisines and finding the perfect ciders to help take your meals to the next level.

There’s never a bad time for tacos! In honor of National Taco Day (which, of course, makes me crave tacos even more than usual) I want to share some cider and Mexican-food pairings.

But, first, a disclaimer: I’m not from Latin America and a non-expert about Mexican food, but I love it. What I do bring to the table for this pairing discussion is knowledge of pairing principles and a familiarity with a wide range of ciders. If I’m getting something wrong, teach me (kindly, please) in the comments. I want to learn!

I’ve created pairings for a variety of Mexican dishes, describing the type of cider that would go well with a number of foods and giving a few examples that I definitely recommend. Tacos aren’t the only way to invite cider to the table!

Appetizers

Even most picky eaters will try a cheese quesadilla, but if you think you’ve grown up too much for this classic appetizer, think again! I like to make a variation that has more heft and flavor, with the addition of roasted cauliflower and tomatillo salsa. Roasted cauliflower has to be one of the world’s best team players, vegetable-wise. They really take a basic cheese quesadillas to another level. Once you add tomatillo salsa, you have all the excitement you need. That’s why I like to pair these with a still tannic cider.

Eve’s Cidery makes a beautiful one, the Albee Hill Cider Still & Dry. In this pairing, I like how the structural tannins contrast with super-gooey cheese and crispy, roasted cauliflower. The cider has just enough wild and rustic characteristics to keep this course riveting.

Tacos

Thanks to “Taco Tuesdays,” lots of people less familiar with Latin cuisines think about tacos first when they think of Mexican food. Indeed, tacos do go superbly well with cider. I had fried-avocado tacos for the first time about two years ago. They were topped with cotija cheese, finely sliced cabbage and a sprinkling of hot sauce. A little spice and crunch followed by some light fruity bubbles; it makes all the sense in the world.

With my fried-avocado tacos I like a very sparkly semi-dry cider. One that works absolutely perfectly is Snowdrift Cider Cidermaker’s Reserve 2014. This champagne-style cider has bubbles to spare and just enough sweetness to contrast both the spicy and creamy elements of the delightful tacos.

Sides

Beans are a workhorse in the kitchen, but my favorite beans of all time are cider-infused black beans. The credit isn’t due to me — I’m playing off of food journalist and author Mark Bittman’s beer-braised black beans. I heat the beans slowly on the stove with garlic and add chili powder, honey and cider. Because there are lots of other strong flavors, it’s important to choose a bold cider that can stand up to them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiGFkJvHOUV/?taken-by=oldhillcider

I prefer something barrel-aged, and recently I tried Old Hill Cider Cidermaker’s Barrel, which I think fits the bill perfectly. The cider is rustic and dry with lots and lots of flavor, just perfect for this stellar side dish!

Main Event

One food that’s easier to make than it seems, and more impressive on the table than many, is a dish of enchiladas. Something about the rolled tortillas and endlessly variable fillings drenched in savory sauce is inherently satisfying. To make them as a rock-solid main dish, try enchiladas with hatch chiles and shredded chicken. For the perfect cider pairing, I like something with good fruity aromas (and just a bit of sweet to the smell) and plentiful acid.

https://www.instagram.com/p/1v5o0uurwb/?taken-by=devoto_orchards

One such pairing is Devoto Orchards Save the Gravenstein cider. It brings extremely fruity and pleasant acidity to the table and just enough sweetness to not be totally dry. The cider is light and lively, which you want with a saucy and full-bodied entree like enchiladas. Hatch chilis aren’t too hot, but do have some earthy and almost buttery notes. The match is unstoppably good!

Dessert

No meal is complete without dessert! I don’t feel quite ready for the rest of the world until after I’ve had at least a little bite of something sweet. After a Mexican meal, I love a piece of tres leches cake. Somehow this particular dessert offers up cloud-like airiness with its fluffy whipped cream and dense rich sweetness from the three milks of its name. Try a berry cider with your tres leches cake. I know that Cider Riot! Never Give an Inch Oregon Blackberry Cider, with its radical tartness and zesty berry flavors, tastes awesome with this luscious cake.

Whatever Mexican and Latin dishes you try, I do hope you’ll pair them with a cider or two. The pairing possibilities are myriad and delicious. Whether you like flaming-hot and spicy or something more smoky and sweet, cider loves Mexican food! Share your ideas in the comments!

• Avocado photo: Pexels
• All other photos: Bigstock

The post Cider Loves Food: Tacos and Mexican-Food Pairings appeared first on Cider Culture.

In our monthly column, “Cider Loves Food,” contributor Meredith Collins (blogger extraordinaire at Along Came a Cider) is looking at different cuisines and finding the perfect ciders to help take your meals to the next level.

When I don’t feel like cooking, one of my go-to dinner solutions is sushi and Japanese food. This cuisine makes for some great cider pairing, because the levels of intensity are easy to match between different ingredients and different ciders. And, as always, cider’s acidity serves as a brilliant driver for food flavors.

I love Japanese food, but I’m no expert. My expertise is cider, and I’d like to think I have something to offer in terms of pairing principles as well. But for this topic, I wanted to consult someone more familiar with Japanese food. Of course, my first thought was Lee Reeve, the brain behind InCider Japan, Japan’s only bilingual cider magazine.

When I asked Reeve about pairing cider with Japanese food, here’s what he had to say:

“What’s exciting about pairing ciders with Japanese food is much of the cuisine here is regional, so there’s always something new to find and try. Recently, I discovered a local pickled dish that pairs amazingly with dry ciders. Also, wasabi-complimented vegetables go great with other ciders. What I try to look for are very simple dishes or foods that might seem unimpressive, and then bring them to everyone’s attention with cider. Conversely, most Japanese ciders tend to be extremely dry with little apple character, so I also look for Japanese ingredients that complement or contrast with heavier apple-body ciders.”

Reeve is also extremely active spreading the word about cider through events and social media. You can find him on Instagram as @inciderjapan.

Here are a few of my own recommendations, based on some of my favorite Japanese dishes to either order at restaurants or make at home.

Edamame

For anyone who has wondered about the brilliant green pods served as appetizers at many Japanese restaurants, they are edamame: young soybeans either boiled in salt water or steamed and then salted at the table. People shell them and eat them immediately, an interactive communal starter that makes for excellent conversational accompaniment. Edamame flavor is green, grassy, herbal and mild. In terms of cider, this makes edamame very flexible to pair.

I love pairing edamame with a semi-dry hopped cider. Doc’s Dry Hopped Hard Cider makes a particularly good choice, because it’s so balanced and approachable. Though the name mentions dryness, the cider is more like a friendly semi-dry. I also think Ploughman Cider’s Lummox from Pennsylvania tastes great with Edamame. This Citra-hopped cider flaunts nice herbal, grassy and piney notes.

Okonomiyaki

My favorite dish in all of Japanese food is okonomiyaki. This cabbage pancake is fried, salty, crispy and often topped with both Japanese mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. What you taste in Japanese mayo (sometimes called Kewpie mayo) is different from what’s in the American grocery store tubs. It uses rice vinegar, more egg yolks, and a few spices. It’s the most exquisite casual street food imaginable! The flavors are strong and complex, so the pairing needs to be bold, as well.

With my okonomiyaki, I prefer a semi-dry cider, sometimes even one fermented or blended with other fruit — this dish can handle it. I had ÆppelTreow’s Bunting Berry Cider this summer, and it’s perfect for this pairing! Another excellent choice is 2 Towns Ciderhouse Made Marion with marionberries. Both of these ciders have some sweetness but lots of acidity from not just apples, but also the berries that they are blended with.

Takoyaki

Staying in the realm of delicious fried snacks, cider goes awesomely well with takoyaki, little dough balls stuffed with meat or seafood, often octopus. I prefer mine with no octopus, but instead, with smoked salmon and ginger or sweet corn and tofu (these are just a few of the ways my talented friend Danielle makes takoyaki). There are dozens of ways to make it, what’s important is using the specially-shaped cast-iron grill pan that makes takoyaki just the right size.

For the right cider, bring extra-bubbly, dry ciders to pair with this airy, rich concoction. I prefer something with a little farm and funk for this particular pairing, as well. I love the Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider. To most palates this tannic bubbly cider will be perceived as though it’s on the dry side. It has richness, sparkle and structure — everything that’s necessary to pair with a savory treat like takoyaki. Another great pairing is Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse’s dry and bubbly Wild English. This cider has enough body and presence to balance, but never overpower, this super-fun snack.

Sushi

Sushi is not just one dish, but many. I’ll describe three primary styles of sushi here that all can present a wide variety of different ingredients. Cider can work with any of the three, but the balance of textures and flavors will be very different, based on the different uses of rice and seaweed, as well as the primary ingredient.

Maki is my favorite kind of sushi. I like simple rolls with one or two ingredients, rolled in sushi rice and wrapped in seaweed. Maki works really well with a semi-dry rosé cider like Kite and String’s Rosé, with it’s blend of Cab Franc grapes and apples, or Eden’s Specialty Cider’s Imperial 11° Rosé cider. Both of these ciders are powerfully tart while still being fruit-forward and approachable.

Nigiri is fish, seafood, egg, or vegetables layered on top of sushi rice. If the nigiri uses a bolder fish, or highlights earthier flavors, it’s time to go heavier in terms of the pairing cider. The same can be said for sashimi, which is simply the thin slices of seafood or meat without any rice.

This is when I’d choose a lightly sparkling cider, with either some tannic presence or barrel aging (or both). Dunkertons’ Black Fox Organic Cider makes a fine choice, as does Tilted Shed’s Barred Rock. These two ciders are very different from one another, but I recommend you put the Dunkertons with yellowtail and the Tilted Shed with freshwater eel.

Dumplings

Dumplings can be as varied as sushi, including potstickers and gyoza. They can be served in broth, steamed, or fried, and the fillings can include minced vegetables, kimchi, shrimp, or meat. My mouth is watering just thinking about the delicious dumplings I’ve had with mushrooms, cabbage and crumbled tofu!

These are strong flavors that require similarly powerful ciders. My first recommendation is the rich and tannic Understood in Motion 03 created by Angry Orchard Cider’s Ryan Burk and Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider and Perry. It’s silky and structured, perfect for pairing with fried dumplings. If you prefer your dumplings a touch healthier — either steamed or in broth — I think choosing a fruity yet dry cider is key. Virtue Cider’s Heritage Harvest Blend is zingy and crisp, with notes of stone fruit and green apple, something to contrast hearty, soft dumplings.

There are so many options; just think of these ideas as a place to start! Here’s one last word of advice I got from Lee about his pairing process to help you. Lee says, “With any Japanese ingredient or food or dish, I first taste and try to understand what qualities make it interesting. Then I think whether I want to integrate or counter those qualities with cider.”

That makes all the sense in the world, and it makes a great reason to seek out both new Japanese dishes and new ciders. I’ll happily raise my glass to that!

Ready for more cider and food pairings? Check out our suggestions for cider and Mexican food, cider and brunch and cider and CSA veggies!

• Photos: Dish Works

The post Cider Loves Food: Sushi and Japanese Food Pairings appeared first on Cider Culture.

In our monthly column, “Cider Loves Food,” contributor Meredith Collins (blogger extraordinaire at Along Came a Cider) is looking at different cuisines and finding the perfect ciders to help take your meals to the next level.

It’s officially summer: the season of fireworks, watermelon, vacation and long evenings filled with fireflies. There are so many opportunities for activities that just aren’t possible the rest of the year, like swimming and managing the overactive garden, that sometimes I’m too busy for the kind of cooking I do the rest of the year. And sometimes the kitchen is just too hot to cook! My solution in these situations is to make sandwiches, and I’d love to share a few ways to make delightful cider and sandwich pairings. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

BLTA

My preferred version of the classic BLT is vegetarian bacon, red leaf lettuce and heirloom tomato with avocado on whole wheat toast (hence a BLTA). It’s such a great interplay of textures and flavors! Pair a BLTA with Ploughman Rosedale Cider, a super-tart dry cider made with crab apples. The high-acid profile helps lift up the richness of the avocado and cut through the salty veggie bacon. 

Falafel Pita with Feta and Roasted Carrots

Good falafel is herbal and fragrant, a perfect journey through the initial crunch, followed by a steamy, yielding center. Adding piquant feta, creamy tzatziki sauce, cool diced cucumber and roasted carrots makes a falafel pita a sandwich to be reckoned with. Making homemade falafel is a lot of work, so I recommend getting one to-go from your local falafel joint and accompanying it with Gowan’s Heirloom Cider’s Gravenstein. This cider has just a bit of sweetness, making it perfect for the bitter notes from cucumber skin and parsley.

Smoked Salmon on Rye

No one in my house craves smoked salmon like I do. I prefer its salty satisfaction on thinly sliced rye bread with sprouts and cucumbers. It’s a delicate sandwich, if you go light on the ingredients, but you can really pile them on to make this a full meal. With this sandwich, try a lightly oaked or barrel-aged cider: I like the oaked version of the Fennville AVA Series (Wyncroft & Wyncroft Aged On Oak), but you could open both and see which you prefer. There’s just something about the cider’s warm and twiggy barrel character that pairs so well with the smoked fish flavors.

Halloumi and Beets on Baguette

Ever since I visited Scotland a few years ago, Halloumi has been one of my favorite cheeses. Sometimes called “bread cheese,” Halloumi is a dense, firm Greek cheese that’s a mix of goat and/or cow and sheep’s milk; its main party trick is that you can fry it or grill it for a really cool interplay of textures.

I like Halloumi with baby spinach and sliced beets on a baguette, with either lemon tahini dressing or a zesty horseradish sauce. The beets bring mild earthiness and sweetness, which contrast beautifully with either sandwich spread. This sandwich travels well, so it’s great to pack for a picnic. Drinking Castle Hill Cider’s Celestial with this baguette sandwich is a wonderful treat. The cider reminds me of sweet oranges and green tea. The pairing works because the Celestial brings plentiful bubbles and body, while the sandwich is hearty with firm greens and an almost meaty-textured cheese. Even thinking about this makes me crave this duo!

Banh Mi

Whether you prefer a meat-filled banh mi or vegetarian version with seitan (as I do), this Vietnamese sandwich is distinctive, with pickled carrot, cucumber, chiles and cilantro layered in a beautifully crusty roll. Because of the spicy and sour toppings, try pairing banh mi with sweet ciders. I like using a keeved cider, like South Hill Cider’s 2020 Keeved, for this match. And a keeved cider is a very special way to maintain natural apple sweetness after fermentation.

Grilled Manchego and Quince Paste with Arugula on Sourdough

I couldn’t possibly make a sandwich list without including some form of grilled cheese! This version is a completely decadent one. Start by softening salty Manchego cheese on sourdough bread open-faced style, then spread the other piece of bread with quince paste and toast that, too. Once these two key ingredients are in place and warm, put them together with a small heap of peppery arugula. I pair this Spanish-inspired grilled cheese with Isastegi Sidra Natural. The logic goes, “If it grows together, it goes together.” This sandwich is forcefully flavorful, therefore it needs the high-acid refreshment of this natural Spanish cider. (If you want to try a Basque-style cider made in the US, check out this Cider Culture feature!)

Here’s wishing you a summer of wildly delicious cider and sandwich pairings! For more warm-weather pairing ideas, check out my Cider Loves Food features about Picnic Pairings, CSA Veggies and Grilled Cookout Fare.

• Photos: Dish Works

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