New York City Cider Week
Cider Week in New York City actually takes place over nine days and consists of a number of great events with names like “Applepalooza 2014” and “Cider & Cheese of the Northeast.” Students attending international culinary schools can take away a lot of information about the alcoholic offerings of apples and pears during this festival, learning from lectures lead by various cider artisans and chefs throughout the Big Apple. According to the festival’s website, the majority of the events take place in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as a couple in Queens. Take advantage of this week-long celebration to learn more about this delicious autumn libation and support New York orchards.
About Cider Week
Cider Week serves as an opportunity for cideries around the state of New York, along with invited out-of-state cider makers, to network and share their yearly offerings. One of the festival’s goals is to revive varieties of heirloom apples, and the celebration benefits local orchards by providing a forum for them to share their products. Furthermore, Cider Week offers food industry workers an opportunity to learn more about cider so the drink can be sold and marketed effectively in restaurants, bars and other drinking establishments. To do so, a number of the events focus on pairing cider with cheese, and there are sessions devoted to pairing it with oysters and dinner as well.
According to Food Republic, Applepalooza is the festival’s signature event and promises the most opportunities to sample varieties of cider as well as other fruit-based spirits such as brandy and applejack. Applepalooza takes place on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014, and is listed on the website as an “autumnal tasting extravaganza.” Other major events include the Cidermakers Dinner and the Rowan Imports Guided Cider Tasting.
Food Republic also notes that drinkers won’t find mass-produced ciders at this event. While well-known ciders are poured from the tap across the nation, well-crafted local options are more akin to wine. In fact, cider is not actually brewed. In reality, the best cider is essentially pressed and fermented apple juice. In the U.S., cider fell out of fashion for some time, but thanks to hardworking artisans and a rise in gluten-free dieting, this beverage has again become popular in American culinary culture. For those on the East Coast, NYC Cider Week is a great opportunity to learn more about this lost beverage and become part of the cider revival of today.
