Commercial hard cider is now appearing in the Lakes Region, with Hermit Woods Winery, at 72 Main Street, Meredith, offering its Hermit Hard Apple Cider, Crabapple Hard Cider, Hard Blueberry Cider, and Hard Cranberry Apple Cider. Crucial 10 Craft Cider, at 2913 US-3, Thornton, also produces cider on-site and offers it in its taproom and outdoor cider garden.
Making authentic apple cider at home is another option, and doing so is easier than one might think. It ensures you will have a refreshing drink in the summer, and it can be used for mulled cider and casseroles during the winter.
Sweet cider is easiest to make because it is not fermented, so it can be drunk immediately or refrigerated for a short period. To determine what apples to use, a simple test is to use those you like to eat. They generally are sweeter than other apples; however, almost any apple can be made into cider. Tannic apples, however, are generally not used for sweet cider.
Hard cider is best made with a combination of tannic, low-tannin/low-acid, and acidic apples. Instead of relying on a single tree, mixing roughly 70 percent dessert apples and 30 percent cooking apples will provide the perfect equilibrium of natural sugar and acid.
Whether sweet or hard cider is the goal, a blend of apple varieties will enhance the flavor. A rule-of-thumb is that it will take 20 - 30 pounds of apples to produce one gallon of the pure juice that will become cider.