Sauce from the Apple

Adam and eve notwithstanding, apple aficionados insist there are more tempting ways with the piquant pomme than eating it out of hand. What they have in mind is cider, hard cider in the United States, a crisp, tart-sweet, low-alcohol potable, often, though not always, effervescent. It is made by fermenting the juice of apples, just as wine is made by fermenting grapes and beer by fermenting grain. While there are similarities, cider--with its unmistakable orchard tang--is quite distinctive. Devotees contend it's lighter than wine and more refreshing than beer. Alcohol content generally ranges between the two, though Devon scrumpy, known to turn the legs into spaghetti, can go 15 percent or more alcohol.

At one time, cider referred to any strong drink. Etymologists trace the word back to the Hebrew shekar, meaning strong drink. Cider has been celebrated in literature and lauded by statesmen, and it's part of our national heritage--even more American than apple pie. It was esteemed by the colonists as both beverage and medicine, the standard remedy for every ailment known on the frontier, and even fed to children. Like other farmers, a Virginian named George Washington fermented cider from apples grown in his orchards. John Adams, reputedly a cider connoisseur, downed a tankard of the stuff every morning at breakfast.

When more potent spirits were called for, New Englanders didn't mess with distillation; they sank a cask of cider in a snowbank, knowing the alcohol would remain liquid but the water fraction would freeze. A hot poker pushed through the bunghole cleared an opening, releasing the high-proof "jack." Cider remained in favor during the 19th Century. In fact, early temperance militants didn't march on saloons, they leveled apple orchards--and the phrase "on the wagon" derives from an American harvest custom. After several hours of haying in the hot sun, the hands would hop off the wagon for a cider break. At the call "Everyone back on the wagon," guzzling ceased and work was resumed.

Considering this lusty tradition, it's incredible that virtually no commercial cider is produced here today. The root problem is the morass of terminology that has everyone from the Feds to farmers and consumers confused. Everywhere else, cider is an alcoholic beverage. In the United States, it is nonalcoholic and synonymous with apple juice, whether it's called sweet cider, farm cider, country cider or old-fashioned cider. Fermented ciders are usually labeled hard cider, while the term apple wine is reserved for cider with ten percent or more alcohol. The high-proof apple sips, applejack and calvados, are distillates of hard cider--technically, apple brandy, with as much clout as whiskey. A uniform standard of identity fixing a range of 3.2 percent to 7 percent alcohol for cider has been introduced in Congress. When it is enacted, we should see an enthusiastic resumption of cider making in America.

Meanwhile, the English, French and Canadians are manfully shouldering the task of assuaging our growing cider thirst. Since soils, apple strains, yeasts and, to an extent, methods differ, ciders from each country exhibit distinctive national styles. English cider, the prototype, is on the dry side, lightly tannic, with an apple tang and aroma. McCartney's is fairly dry and quite yeasty. Bulmer's Woodpecker is a bit sweeter and smoother, with more body and a touch of tannin. French cidre is fairly sweet and heavy, with modest alcohol and a pronounced apple smack. Purpom, number one in France, is rich and fruity. The Canadians are light-bodied, pleasantly appley and not as aggressive as the French nor as woody as the English. To some, they're reminiscent of fragrant white wines. Double Six is clean, crisp and lightly yeasty, with a nice balance of acids, tannins and sweetness.

Supplementing its other virtues, cider is versatile--a refreshing sip any time and a natural companion to food. It complements pork, veal, sausages and most fish. Paired with a corned-beef or tuna sandwich, it makes an agreeable light lunch. In Normandy, cider is served with cheese, even pungent ones such as pont I'évêque. And, on the word of David Bullard, president of the North American Cider Association, "It's the cat's pajamas with fried chicken." Of course, cider is a perfect foil for the Thanksgiving cornucopia of roast turkey, sweet potatoes and stuffing. Serve it well chilled, opening bottles as needed, since the carbonation dissipates quickly.

If cider is your dinner beverage, why not stay with the apple all the way? Apple juice and hard cider are both amiable mixers, blending gracefully with the popular spirits. The drinks given below, based on the apple, are guaranteed to launch your celebration in good style.

[recipe_title]Apple Snap[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. whiskey or brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. apple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. (approximately) 7-Up or other lemon soda, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon wedge[/drinkRecipe]

Pour liquor and apple juice over ice in highball glass. Stir. Add lemon soda, to taste. Squeeze lemon wedge over glass; add peel. Stir quickly.

[recipe_title]New Mexico Sunrise[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. tequila[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. apple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 teaspoons grenadine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon slice[/drinkRecipe]

Pour tequila over ice in highball glass. Add apple juice and stir well. Trickle grenadine in slowly; don't stir. Hang lemon slice on rim of glass.

[recipe_title]Black Snake[/recipe_title]

A drink known better in England than in the U.S.

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. blackberry-flavored brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. hard cider[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon twist[/drinkRecipe]

Shake blackberry-flavored brandy and cider with ice. Strain into cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over, then add to glass.

[recipe_title]Apple Knocker[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]11/2 ozs. bourbon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. apple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash Angostura bitters[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Garnish: apple wedge (unpeeled), orange wedge, lime wedge[/drinkRecipe]

Pour bourbon and apple juice over ice in large old fashioned glass. Add bitters; stir. Fix garnishes around side of glass, with peels facing out, so colors show.

[recipe_title]Stonewall[/recipe_title]

Popular quencher in Colonial America. It was prepared in quantity, jugged and taken out to field hands. Proportions may be varied to taste.

[drinkRecipe]11/2 ozs. dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. apple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Slice lemon, half slice orange[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Shake rum and apple juice with ice.[/drinkRecipe]

Strain into goblet or large sour glass. Decorate with fruit.

Note: For a Stone Fence, substitute applejack or calvados for dark rum.

[recipe_title]Apple Sling[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]11/4 ozs. gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. cherry cordial[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon benedictine (optional)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Apple juice, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Strip lemon peel[/drinkRecipe]

Shake gin, cordials, lemon juice and sugar briskly with cracked ice. Strain over fresh ice in old fashioned glass. Add generous splash apple juice; stir. Twist lemon peel over glass, then drop in.

[recipe_title]Buzz Saw[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. créme de menthe[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. apple juice, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup crushed ice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Strip cucumber rind[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon slice (optional)[/drinkRecipe]

Prechill blender container. Buzz all ingredients, except cucumber rind and lemon slice, in blender just until smooth. Pour into chilled wineglass. Plant cucumber strip in glass, vertically. Add lemon slice, if you like.

[recipe_title]Merton College Cider Cup[/recipe_title]

(Serves ten)

Merton College is a venerable institution, one of the oldest in the Oxford University complex.

[drinkRecipe]1 bottle hard cider, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 pint dry sherry, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Sugar or simple syrup, to taste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Sprinkle nutmeg[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 lemon, in thin slices[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Mint sprigs (optional)[/drinkRecipe]

In 2-quart bowl, with ice, combine cider, sherry and brandy. Taste and sweeten, if desired. Taste and sweeten, if desired. Stir quickly. Add light sprinkle nutmeg; float lemon slices and garnish bowl with mint or borage, if you like. Serve at once.

Note: Ciders vary from fairly dry to fairly sweet, so it's wise to taste before sweetening. Simple syrup blends more easily and is kinder to the bubbles.

Borrow an idea from Canada--have a cider tasting. A bottle each from England, France and Canada is a representative sampling, broad enough to clue you in to your cider preference. Great excuse for a get-together, too!