When travel season arrives, a mandatory item to a well-curated packing list — outside of which drinks you are bringing — is a book to read while chillaxing. And what a coincidence is this: our sister publication, CIDERCRAFT, North America’s first print publication dedicated to hard cider, has a book coming out next month, just in time for your vacation.
Introducing “Tasting Cider: The CIDERCRAFT Guide to the Distinctive Flavors of North American Hard Cider.” This complete guide to North America’s oldest beverage celebrates hard cider’s rich history and its modern makers, as well as its deliciously diverse possibilities.
Penned by Sip Northwest and CIDERCRAFT editor-in-chief Erin James, the Sip Publishing team is thrilled to push into another world of print and share the love of cider. The book includes maker profiles and tasting guidelines that highlight over 100 selections of cider — including single varietal, dessert, hopped and barrel-aged — plus perry, cider’s pear-based cousin. A perfect addition to any meal, cider pairings are featured in 30 food recipes, from Brussels sprouts salad to salmon chowder, brined quail and poached pear frangipane. An additional 30 cocktail recipes include creative combinations such as Maple Basil Ciderita and Pear-fect Rye Fizz.
“Food and cider fit hand-in-hand better than most beverages, yet few people know how heavenly this match is,” James says of the pairings recipes in the book. “We featured some of our favorite cooking-with-cider recipes from the magazine, alongside original recipes created just for this book, and paired them all with suitable cider counterparts. I can’t say that portion of the ‘research’ was a rough time!”
James admits that narrowing the list of makers down to a set of 26 was an actual challenge. “North America has such an impeccable spread of producers, we could have written 20 books featuring each and every one of them,” she says. “There are so many standout individuals in the industry, but this group of makers really spoke to us and we are very excited to share their stories and ciders.”
No better time to buy than now: pre-order your copy of “Tasting Cider” here and celebrate during Washington Cider Week with James and the CIDERCRAFT team on Thursday, September 14 at The Woods in Seattle. Stay tuned for more 2017 book tour events to be announced soon, with stops around the Pacific Northwest.
