Distinct, succinct and spicy—ginger ciders are a style of sipper hard to fit into a category other than its own. A New World cider fashion originating from the innovative cidermakers of the Pacific Northwest, the piquant ginger root brings powerful spice flavors to the palate along with additional health benefits and therapeutic properties. Pop a top on these six ciders and take in all the goodness ginger and apple combined provide.
Eaglemount Wine & Cider Ginger | 8% ABV | $14/750ml | The first ever ginger cider, this tipple is made from organic heirloom apples and certified organic fresh ginger root. Semi-sweet, semi-sparkling and certainly spicy, the marriage of fleshy, tangy apple and piquant ginger seems only natural.
Finnriver Farm & Cidery Elijah K. Swan’s Forest Ginger | 6.5% ABV | $10/500ml | From the seasonal botanical cider line, this sipper is an alloy of organic heirloom apples, fir tips from the forest at Finnriver and organic ginger. The result tastes like sunshine piercing through thickets of forest branches.
2 Towns Ciderhouse Ginja Ninja | 6% ABV | $5/500ml | Pouring like viscous Riesling from the bottle, this cider is rich and robust, exhibiting aromas of freshly sliced ginger root and juicy apple. The finish pleasantly stings with spice and heat, soothed by crunchy apple.
Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider Deliverance Ginger Tonic | 6.1% ABV | $7/500ml | The amiable, sweet side of ginger is revealed in this medley of fresh ginger juice, lemongrass stalks, lime zest and hand-extracted quinine. Defined by its aromas of the great outdoors (bark, evergreen, earth), Meyer lemon yogurt smells tie into the apple base for a delicate and refreshing cider.
Sixknot Cider Gingerella | 6.5% ABV | $9/500ml | From the heart of Washington’s Methow Valley, this family-run cidery blends organic ginger root with its flagship Goldilocks cider. Not too sweet or too dry, this base is balanced out with the sharp shock of ginger that is softened by the fruity and honeyed palate.
NV Neigel Vintners Ginger Pear | 5.3% ABV | $5/500ml | Raw ginger meets delicate pears and releases aromas of earth, mushroom, lemon thyme and sage. Juicy citrus and ginger meld together on the palate and finish with a nod to pear, something NV knows well as perry is its sole focus.
This story originally ran in the 2016 winter print issue of Sip Northwest. To find more stories like this, click here to subscribe.
