Episode 178

American Cider

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American Cider

Episode 178

What’s shakin, cocktail fans?

Welcome to episode 178 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

This time around, we’re expanding our scope to include fermented beverages – in particular, cider. We chat with authors and cider buffs Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo who are about to release a book called American Cider.” It traces fermented apple beverages through the temporal and physical landscape of our nation and alerts us to cider trends and production legacies that are right here in our own backyards just waiting to be discovered.

In this fruity, fermented conversation with Crag Cavallo and Dan Pucci, some of the topics we discuss include:

How each of these gentlemen fell in love with apples and cider through their shared experiences in the New York hospitality scene and their happy proximity to the Hudson Valley – one of our nation’s most prolific apple hubs
Why cider developed differently in America than it did in Europe, and how different geographic, cultural, and economic factors contributed to various dark ages and revivals in the apple world.
Of course, we talk about different exciting apple varietals with cool names like “Northern Spy” and “Black Twig,” as well as the four different categories that all cider apples can be placed into.
We explain the different decisions that cider makers encounter on their way to delicious ferments, including yeast, terroir, and naming conventions.
We offer tips for sourcing excellent cider for your home bar and even how to start experimenting with making your own cider,
And much, much more.

You can purchase American Cider by visiting the pre-order page, which lists a bunch of convenient options for securing the book. Follow @american_cider on Instagram for photo and video content related to this book.

Featured Cocktail: The Bicicleta

his episode’s featured cocktail is the Bicicleta, which we talk about during the lightning round for this interview. To make it, you’ll need:

- 2 oz Campari
- 2 oz of a dry, white Italian wine (like a pinot grigio or a Verdicchio)
- And some soda water to top it all off

The nice thing about the Bicicleta is that it’s a built drink. You take your Campari and wine, pour them into a highball glass, add ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with half an orange wheel. Simple, delicious, and to the point.

According to PUNCH, this spritz variation was named after the old Italian men on bikes who might have a hard time riding in a straight line as they return home from a few drinks at the bar in the afternoon. And, although we might still be in winter’s grasp here on the East Coast of the US, there’s no rule out there that says you can’t fantasize about summer spritzes all year round.

Show Notes

American Cider was written with the intention of providing cultural and historical context for what’s happening in today’s cider industry. Dan’s background in the wine world, paired with Craig’s experience as a food journalist, yields a text that considers our nation’s cidermaking traditions and apples region-by-region. The book also contains hand-illustrated maps by wine expert and artist James Sligh that add texture and a sense of place to the book.

Some of the books and online resources mentioned by Dan and Craig include:

The New Cider Maker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers – Claud Jolicoeur
Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own – Ben Watson
ShopCiders.com

This episode was produced by Edie Frederick, with editing and sound design by Samantha Reed, apple and cider insights courtesy of Craig Cavallo and Dan Pucci This is a Modern Bar Cart production, copyright 2021.

American Cider

Featured Cocktail: The Bicicleta

Show Notes

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