Cider – delicious English cult drink

In a nutshell: Cider is a lightly alcoholic beverage (usually made from fermented apple juice), which is typically carbonated by carbonation or fermentation in closed containers. The fermented apple juice is transferred to new barrels before the sugar is completely converted by the yeasts, with yeasts and suspended solids almost invariably remaining in the old barrel. The new barrel is filled without air ingress and sealed tightly. This airtight fermentation, with the help of the remaining sugar, creates carbon dioxide, which preserves the cider. Adding more sugar increases the alcohol content. British ciders have an alcohol content of up to 12% – with comparatively low carbonation. They can be categorized with the terms "dry," "fruity," "sweet," and "sparkling," which can be combined or further nuanced with "lightly" and "medium."

Regarding its origin and naming, the Greek historian Herodotus first spoke of the (now "extinct") tribe of the Side, who already produced cider around 400 BC using apple juice, and subsequently gave the drink its name. In the 13th century, the first cider recipes appeared, which went hand in hand with an expansion of the production of alcoholic apple juice for self-sufficiency. Crucial for its development, especially in the British Isles, was the 17th-century agricultural scientist John Worlidge, who successfully suggested prioritizing cider production over wine production.

Worlidge thus laid the foundation for a success story, at the end of which there are now countless different British cider brands, some of which are available worldwide. What's more, in British pubs, the cider tap is as much a standard feature as the beer tap. Mixed drinks with cider, such as the "Snake Bite," where cider is mixed with lager and sometimes a dash of blackcurrant, are also well-established. In some places, they know the "Poor Man’s Black Velvet," a mélange of cider and Guinness. And then there's "Cider Black," a glass of cider with a dash of blackcurrant syrup.

The term "cider" encompasses all forms of sparkling apple wine and apple wine. Products with very little carbonation are called "non-sparkling." "White Cider," on the other hand, stands for cheap, high-alcohol sparkling apple wines, which are industrially produced on a large scale using water and sugar and have a very pale color. However, even such a cider must now contain at least 35% apple or pear juice according to legal regulations to be sold as "cider."

However, cider is not only common on the island, as "Siideri" is also loved in Finland, Estonia, and Sweden. In these countries, where apple wine is also produced (mostly in flavored form), it is as widespread in bars and pubs as beer and is even considered an alternative to it by many.

Sparkling apple wine is now produced all over the world. The controlled cultivation regions are in France (mostly Normandy or Brittany) and Spain. The appellation "Cidre de Cornouaille" in Breton Finistère is considered the best cultivation region, as the sparkling apple wines from this region very often win coveted medals in competitions. Cidre, which is sometimes also produced in France using the traditional bottle fermentation method, is incidentally the starting product for the distillation of Calvados. Finally, a special feature should be mentioned: In Canada, since the 1990s, Ice Cider has been produced from apples frozen on the tree.

Cider and Cidre differ in the length of the fermentation process, which is very long for Cider, while for Cidre, the ripening process is stopped very early. The longer the process takes, the more fruit sugar is converted into alcohol. Therefore, the alcohol content of Cider is correspondingly higher than that of Cidre. Depending on the residual sugar content at which fermentation is stopped, either a sweet or dry product is created. This, and the selection of apple varieties, allows for distinguishing Cider and Cidre in terms of taste.

For over 250 years, "Äppelwoi" or "Ebbelwoi" has been considered the national drink of Frankfurt; it has even been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. While fizz is desired in Cidre and Cider, carbonation is allowed to escape in German apple wine. It can be mixed with mineral water and is drunk from a bulbous red wine glass.