The history of cider is somewhat murky. Apparently Julius Caesar and the Romans first tasted it when they conquered the British Isles. Apparently it became very popular among the Romans, and later spread to France.
Cider arrived in America with the Europeans. That part of the historical record is clear. The first apple trees planted in the colonies were intended for hard cider.
Champlain and his men depended upon supplies of cider and other essentials that arrived from France. He wrote, "On the twelfth a pinnace arrived bringing some puncheons of cider, biscuits, peas and dried plums..."
The history of cider is tied intimately with that of New England. Ciderday is held every fall in Colrain, Massachusetts.
In autumn, visitors can see how cider is made at Old Sturbridge Village's circa 1835 cider mill. It begins with the Old Sturbridge Village's Agricultural Fair, and then is done on weekends through October. A horse-powered mill at the Village first crushes the apples. After this material sets overnight, the juice is pressed from the ground apples. When this is bottled, it naturally ferments to become hard or alcoholic cider.
The alcoholic content of the hard cider can be anywhere from four to seven per cent. But, usually it will be around four per cent.
Elsewhere in the world, about the only kind of cider you see is the hard version. In America sweet or fresh cider is very common. During the fall months, it is often available at orchards around the country. Sweet cider is bottled and refrigerated so it doesn't have a chance to ferment. For long-term storage, it must be frozen. Fermentation is what gives hard cider its alcoholic content.
As a result of Prohibition and the temperance movement, hard cider fell out of favor in the U.S. Despite that, the historical traditions were kept alive in New England where farmers refused to give up this noble drink. Now hard cider is making a comeback.
Alcoholic cider is available at various sources. It can be found along the different wine trails here in the Finger Lake region of New York. The drink is so popular that Bellwether Hard Cider, one of the wineries on the Cayuga Wine Trail, is expanding its orchards.
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