The Pilgrims drank cider as they sailed to America aboard the Mayflower. John Adams had a tankard of cider every morning at breakfast. After a long day on safari, Ernest Hemingway liked to kick back beside the campfire with a glass of cider. And Robert Frost saluted his favorite beverage with a poem titled ?In A Glass of Cider.? Neck and neck with brewing beer at home is the resurgence of making cider. Whether sweet, hard, blended, or sparkling, trend watchers say cider, once the preferred beverage of early America, could very well become the drink of the future. (Hard cider is the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry.) Keeping pace with the commercial cider producers are small-scale and individual cider makers who have discovered how easy it is to make their own. After all, the only ingredient you need is an apple. In this updated edition of Cider, Annie Proulx and Lew Nichols take you step-by-step through the process that renders fruit into a refreshing drink. In addition to learning about the equipment you?ll need to make a glorious cider, Proulx and Nichols also discuss the pros and cons of various types of apple presses ? from traditional heavy grinders to sleek hydraulic presses. You?ll also learn about the glass bottles vs. wooden barrels debate; how to filter, fine, and rack your cider; and where and how to store it. Proulx and Nichols provide detailed recipes for making six types of cider: still, sparkling, champagne, barrel, French, and flavored, with advice on which apples to use to achieve a tart, aromatic, astringent, or neutral quality in your cider. In fact, this book is brimming with expert advice on cidermaking. If you want to plant your own apple orchard, this book has an entire chapter that lists which cultivars of apples thrive in which parts of the United States and Canada, along with each cultivar's characteristics and when it is ready for harvesting. Another chapter explains how to care for an orchard, from improving the soil to pruning and thinning the trees to fighting off pests and wildlife. Once a cidermaker has learned how to make excellent cider, he or she is likely to look for further fields t o explore. With that in mind, the authors include a chapter on making cider vinegars and brandy and using cider in cooking.

Finally, Proulx and Nichols walk you through the latest federal regulations covering the production and sale of homemade cider in the United States and Canada, and they familiarize you with the kind of impact state and provincial laws can make.The clear, simple language, numerous illustrations, and detailed step-by-step directions make it easy for even novices to become skilled cidermakers. This revised edition of the classic handbook is a complete guide for anyone who wants to discover the pleasure of making ? and drinking ? fresh cider.

The perfect way to spend an afternoon! When the occasion calls for a drink, but not getting drunk, mix up a batch of day drinks - creative, low-alcohol cocktails that are festive, delicious, and easy on the booze. Using beer, wine, cider, sake, sherry, and vermouth, plus a variety of amari and other liqueurs, here are 50 light drinks for hot days, warm drinks for cool days, and an abundance of classic - and reimagined - spritzers, sangrias, micheladas, and so much more.

Kosher wines have been winning prestigious international competitions and creating a buzz among wine connoisseurs, yet most kosher consumers still opt for traditional sweet stuff. Irving Langer used to be one of those people. A man with a zest for living life to the fullest, Irving embarked on an exploration of the subtleties of fine wine and now he s ready to share his knowledge with you. With wit as dry as his favorite Merlot, Irving guides you on a fascinating, often whimsical journey, teaching you all you need to know: the differences between red, white, and sparkling wines; the ten steps of wine tasting; how to navigate a restaurant wine menu. He takes the mystery out of pairing wine with food, and provides solid lists of resources including wineries, critics, and helpful websites. Taking it to the next level, Irving probes the highly significant role of this spiritually charged drink in Jewish culture and history. Bursting with facts, folklore, and humor, The Kosher Grapevine will transform you from ho-hum Kiddush sipper to savvy wine aficionado.

The Two Thirsty Gardeners show that brewing your own delicious alcoholic drinks can be surprisingly quick, easy and inexpensive. Taking their two great loves - alcohol and gardening - Nick Hood and Richard Moylewill provide you with home brewing recipes to inspire you to turn a surplus harvest, a visit to a fruit farm or a delivery from a supermarket into a fantastic variety of drinks. Brew it Yourself is a collection of more than 75 home brewing recipes, sure to put a fizz back into this popular pastime by adding a modern twist to some old favourites and introducing whole new range of drinks to tantalise the taste buds. With drinks ranging from a classic elderflower sparkle to homemade absinthe, Richard and Nick bring the art of home brewing back to earth.They'll tell you how to turn surplus fruit harvests into amazing wines and liqueurs; introduce you to the ancient arts of mead and cider making; guide you through some easy beer recipes, from hop packed IPAs to a striking Viking ale; use surprising ingredients such as lavender and nettles for some fun sparkling drink recipes; and take you on a world booze cruise that includes a Mexican pineapple tepache, Scandinavian mulled glogg and Finnish lemon sima. Brew it Yourself also debunks the myths around home brewing, celebrates experimentation and takes the fear out of the science of fermentation. It proves that creating your own tasty alcoholic drinks doesn't need to be complicated, doesn't need to be costly and, most importantly, can be a whole lot of fun!