Cider

Cider has different meanings in the United Kingdom and the United States. Both meanings refer to a product containing the juice of apples.

In the US, cider is unfermented apple juice, a drink popular with children.

In the UK, cider is an alcoholic drink brewed from apple juice. It is predominantly (but by no means exclusively) brewed in the south west of the country. Cider is often stronger than beer, and will frequently be over 6% alcohol by volume.

As with other drinks, ciders comes in a variety of tastes, from sweet to dry. As with other sweet drinks, sweet cider tends to be popular with young people. As such cider is often the drink of choice for teenagers in the UK (along with alcopops?).

An old practice with cider is the making of Applejack?, where a barrel of cider is left outside during the winter. When the temperature is low enough the water in the cider will start to freeze. If the ice is removed, the (now more concentrated) alcoholic solution is left behind in the barrel. If the process is repeated often enough, and the temperature is low enough, you can make some very strong spirit indeed.

Famous brands of cider

• Thatchers?
  
• Strongbow?