1. WINTER 2016
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2. There’s an emerging player on the NYC
beverage scene – from its beginnings on
Colonial American tables to its presence in
the city’s trendy establishments today, cider
is making its mark. BY CHRIS CHAGARIS
N
ew York City is, of course, known for
its diverse array of establishments
offering an endless assortment of wine,
beer, spirits, and cocktails. There is a
player among these beverages that is
quickly gaining popularity with the city’s residents
and visitors; that player is cider. The drink’s roots
in the United States stretch back to Colonial times,
when the original English settlers imported apple
seeds from England to plant apple trees in place
of the crab apples that were unfit to be eaten.
These apple trees flourished in the New England
climate, and cider quickly became a beverage of
choice. However, the Temperance and Prohibition
movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries
FOOD & TRAVEL DISCOVER
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36 Food & Travel | Winter 2016

3. TOP: Honeycrisp apples
at Eden Orchard, a little
corner of paradise.
ABOVE: Albert & Eleanor
Leger are the proud
owners of Eden Orchards
and the Eden Ice Cider
Company in Newport,
Vermont. [Eleanor
pictured above at Cider
Week NYC].
ABOVE LEFT: One of
more than 100 bottled
ciders available at Wassail.
banned the manufacturing and sale of cider.
Prohibition ended in the 1930’s, but it would be
many years before cider’s revival. In the years that
followed, the revival became an all-out movement,
especially in New York City. Each fall for the past five
years the city has hosted Cider Week New York City,
a testament to the libation’s increasing popularity.
More than 50 events take place throughout the 10
day festival with over 100 restaurants and shops
ready to share the very best craft ciders.
There are many different types of cider, such as
still or sparkling and hard or soft. Table and dessert
apples are among the many kinds of apples used
to produce the drink, and some ciders are aged in
oak barrels with juice added for extra flavor. Cider
FOOD & TRAVEL DISCOVER
makers abound in New York, the second largest
apple producing state in the country, second only to
Washington state.
“We are representing 22 different cider makers
at Cider Week this year, mostly from New York
State producers, but also three from out of state:
Farnum Hill from New Hampshire, Eden Ice Cider
from Vermont, and Foggy Ridge from Virginia,” said
Jenn Smith, lead producer of Cider Week. “Cider is
a food-flattering beverage, and that’s why partnering
with restaurants is important. It also has all the
qualities that we’ve sought in wine, such as texture
and tannins. Consequently, cider appeals to wine and
beer enthusiasts. Cider Week increases the visibility
of the drink, and helps connect consumers with it.”
TOPRIGHTPHOTO:ELEANORLEGER/EDENICECIDERCOMPANY;
LOWERPHOTO:CHRISCHAGARIS
Winter 2016 | Food & Travel 37

4. FOOD & TRAVEL DISCOVER
The food connection has been one of the keys to
cider’s New York City popularity. “The city especially
has seen a surge of interest in local food, farming,
and the food culture connected to local farms
diversifying,” said Sara Grady, VP of Programs at
Glynwood – the organization based in New York’s
Hudson Valley that created and produces Cider
Week. “New York, being an apple producing state,
strongly identifies with this fruit, and cider is
emblematic of that. Also, I think that New Yorkers
are very adventurous and open to new experiences.
New York City is one of the main epicenters for
culture and tastes, and I think that’s a great driver of
cider’s growing popularity.”
One New York City restaurant helping to lead the
cider charge is the Lower East Side establishment
Wassail. “There’s a certain romanticism about the
cider tradition,” said Benjamin Sandler, who along
with wife Jennifer Lim and Sabine Hrechdakian own
Wassail. “It was America’s first table wine of sorts,
and it’s a really great choice between wine and beer.
Not filling like beer and not high in alcohol like wine.”
One of the city’s premiere cider establishments,
Wassail also serves beer, wine, and liquor and
boasts a diverse food menu. It offers 12 draft ciders,
upwards of 100 bottles, and four to six ciders by the
glass. The restaurant’s name is derived from the old
English term “waes hail,” which means “be well,” and
is associated with the English tradition cider makers
abound of bestowing good health on apple trees for
a bountiful, healthy harvest.
Sandler and Lim also own The Queens Kickshaw
in Astoria, Queens, which offers 30 ciders. That
establishment opened in late March 2011; Wassail
in March 2015. Wassail has a rustic, intimate feel
complete with wood plank floors, booths, and tables
and a long bar with ball-shaped lights. A place where
one would be very comfortable lifting a glass of cider
and making a warm toast.
“We started with ciders at the Kickshaw,” said Lim.
“Cider wasn’t something that you could readily get.
We went to a pre-Cider Week event and it opened
our eyes to the potential of the beverage.” Wassail
carries ciders from regions as diverse as Spain and
its Basque region, the U.K., Chile, and Switzerland.
However, its most popular ciders are from the U.S.,
especially New York State cider. “The market in the
U.S. is new,” explained Sandler. “Many of the New
York ciders come from the Hudson Valley and the
Finger Lakes region.” Wassail also features cider
from New York City’s only cidery, Descendant Cider
of Queens. “I think the thing that draws customers to
cider is that it tastes good and there is such a variety
to pick from,” Lim added. The restaurant is gearing to
add ciders from Australia and New Zealand, as well
as from Japan and Canada.
“Most cider is bottled in the spring,” said Sandler.
“Cider is really a year-round beverage. The longer
the apples ferment, the more time cider has
to develop its complex structure.” Ciders from
different regions have very disparate tastes, as Lim
pointed out. “American cider is clean, dry and crisp;
a very balanced taste,” she said. “Spanish ciders are
very tart and refreshing, so they go well with rich
food. French ciders are high in tannins, and pair with
earthy dishes such as eggs.”
Hearthisanotherrestaurantthatpridesitselfonits
BELOW: A sampling of
Wassail’s cider selection.
BELOW RIGHT: Owners
Ben Sandler & Jennifer
Lim at The Queens
Kickshaw. The couple are
also co-owners of Wassail,
a premier NYC cider
establishment.
BOTTOM: Wassail’s
seasonal cuisine highlights
the exceptional pairing
qualities of cider.
TOPLEFTPHOTO:CHRISCHAGARIS;TOPRIGHTPHOTO:CAITLINALLEN;LOWERPHOTO:COURTESYOFSTARCHEFS.COM
38 Food & Travel | Winter 2016

5. cider menu and food pairings with the drink. Located
in Manhattan’s East Village, this winter the restaurant
will be offering 11 bottled and canned ciders instead
of its usual eight. Hearth’s East Village sister bar, Fifty
Paces, serves the same ciders as Hearth, plus one
draft cider in winter. “Like our beverage program that
evolves with the seasons, Hearth’s food is seasonally
based,” said Josh Allen, Hearth’s beverage director.
“Starting in the fall, really good cider and food
pairings come out, so you can pair a certain cider
with meat and fish dishes. It’s similar to pairing food
with certain wines, where you take into account
sugar, acid, and tannin levels to best match the wine
to a certain dish.” Allen’s suggestions for cider-food
pairings off of Hearth’s menu include Long Island
Fluke with Villacubera Traditional cider from Spain;
Berkshire Pork Chop with Weidemann and Groh,
Speireling cider from Germany and Roasted Market
Peppers with Uncle John’s Cider from Michigan.
TOP & ABOVE:
A sampling of beverages
and cuisine from Wassail.
ABOVE LEFT: Inside
Hearth, owned by
chef, restaurateur, and
cookbook author, Marco
Canora.
“We also have a great charcuterie board, which
includes rabbit ballotine, duck, ham, and pigs head
terrine; which all go very well with cider,” he added.
“The last two years, cider has become very popular in
New York City. It’s a delicious drink, and is a beverage
that was forgotten for a long time. Manhattanites in
particular are very interested in ordering specialty
ciders, and more people have found out about our
cider program as a result.”
Cheese and cider also go hand in hand. “Ideally,
cider and cheese should be in balance,” said
Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray’s Cheese in New York
City at a recent pre-Cider Week event. “You don’t
want one to overwhelm the other.” Cheese, with its
notes and texture, can influence the sweetness or
bitterness of a cider.
It seems only fitting that cider, an apple-based
drink, is having a well-deserved renaissance in the one
and only Big Apple. Raise a glass, it’s here to stay. 
FOOD & TRAVEL DISCOVER
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Winter 2016 | Food & Travel 39