We've got it on good authority that cider is best enjoyed with friends.
Photo / 123RF
We visit New Zealand's largest dedicated cidery in Nelson to find out the best things about this beverage which is slowly catching up to beer as the preferred alcohol of choice this summer.
1. We're making some of the best stuff locally
Head down to sunny Nelson and you can check out the apple trees blossoming, ready to sprout the beautiful fruits for the next season of apple cider. We were down there just last week and the bees were buzzing around the flowers
keen to get the process going. New Zealand's most popular local cider, Old Mout (rhyming with fruit and named after the nearby Moutere Valley, FYI) boasts an apple brew made up solely of Nelson produce. These guys take the juice from a variety of apples which don't make the cut for exports - that's about 4 million litres of sweet, sweet juice - from two main orchards in this region just a stone's throw from their cidery. It feels good knowing it's all home-grown goodness.
2. It sings of summer
Splashing your favourite flavoured cider into a tall glass over ice on a sunny summer afternoon is probably one of the most refreshing things you could sipple. We reckon Passionfruit & Cider Old Mout is the very best locally brewed, and the experts agree, awarding this drop one of the world's highest honours of Best Fruit Cider at The International Brewing Awards. You could also get creative and add a handful of mint to a pitcher of cider or combo of fruits and turn it in to a fizzy punch. We've got it on good authority that this kind of drink is best enjoyed with friends, so says expert chief cidermaker David Sax from Redwood Cider Co. So get the gang together for a barbie, beach or camping trip.
3. Cider can jazz up your food
Cider is often overlooked as an accompaniment to a meal, but we are going to shake that up this summer. You've had apple sauce with your roast pork, why not serve with a side of apple scrumpy? Or even try glazing your chops in the stuff. Try poaching some seafood like salmon or scallops in a simmering cider cream. Of course there are also oodles of dessert options incorporating cider - give it a Google or experiment yourself.
