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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/537558
www.cheersonline.com 33 July/August 2015 • "We smoked the apples over apple wood before pressing. The fl avor was like that of Scotch." Cooks & Soldiers, a Basque Tapas restaurant in Atlanta, imports Spanish ciders. It offers Basa Juan in a 750-ml. bottle for $44, and Isastegi Sagardo in a 750-ml. bottle for $25 or glass for $9. "They're made open-barrel and with all-natural yeast, giving them a dry, yeasty, almost peaty taste," says Stewart Barnes, Cooks & Soldiers' front-of-house manager. "Not everyone loves that, of course. So as an alternative, we keep Crispin on tap, and also offer Foggy Ridge Cider." Two fl avors of the Dugspar, VA-based craft brand are available at Cooks & Soldiers: Foggy Ridge Serious Cider, $40 per 750-ml. bottle, and Foggy Ridge Sweet Stayman, $35 per bottle, $12 per glass. Other bars and restaurants may want to consider being more proactive in promoting cider. "In those accounts where cider is already available, the on-premise channel could benefi t from a greater opportunity by specifi cally calling out the cider category on menus," says de Obeso. "There is an immense upside to selling cider in the on-premise, just considering distribution alone." The tide does appear to be turning. Most bars with at least six to eight taps now feature at least one type of cider, especially if it's a local brand; some operators are offering even more. TEACHING AND TASTING So how can cider take the fi nal step, from budding alternative to mainstream beverage? The key will be consumer education, which has already helped the category progress this far. Continued advancement of cider requires a "strong investment in category education," says de Obeso. "The biggest challenges cider faces are expanding consumer awareness, providing enough variety, and encouraging trial." Boston Beer takes a similar approach. "Drinker education and awareness-building are critical," says Sipes. "That's where we place a lot of focus—whether that's through waitstaff education at a bar or restaurant, or walking drinkers through the ingredients of Angry Orchard ciders in stores or at tasting events—asking them to try cider, learn about how it's made and its history." Angry Orchard is now the top-selling cider brand in the U.S. The company in April announced a new home for research and development at a 60-acre historic apple orchard in Walden, NY. There's still quite a way to go from a cider education perspective, "but the good news is we're seeing a tremendous shift," says Sipes. "Now, stores are carrying almost twice the amount of cider options than they did only a few years ago." MIXING IT UP The craft movement has reinvigorated cider and allowed it to once again fl ourish. New York got its fi rst cider bar when Wassail opened this past March. So what's next for the category? Beyond mirroring beer and wine in terms of styles, cider is also broadening its appeal through versatility. "Cider lends itself to being used in cocktails," notes Wirtz Beverage's Kuhl. "It's an alternative to getting acid into a drink, or a sparkling wine," he says. "We're seeing drinkers start to experiment with hard cider much like they did with craft beer years ago, through using cider as an ingredient in cooking, pairing cider with foods, in cocktail recipes, and even people making cider at home," says Sipes. "As the U.S. drinker's palate for cider expands, we'll see new styles and ingredients." Cooks & Soldiers is preparing for a six-course, cider-pairing dinner ($95 per person). The meal will include fi ve Basque ciders and one by Foggy Ridge. "Cider is such a prevalent thing in Basque country that it was something we wanted to incorporate into a tasting," Barnes says. It can challenge the palate "to see it if it can pick up on nuances in something and run with it." Angry Orchard owns a 60-acre historic apple orchard and cider research and development center in Walden, NY. "We're seeing drinkers start to experiment with hard cider much like they did with craft beer years ago." — Phil Kuhl, a certifi ed cicerone and craft beer specialist for distributor Wirtz Beverage Wisconsin