From scrumpy to viez
From flesh to sin
Father of Apples is not Johnny with his legendary pot cap, but long before in the valley of Alma-Ata, southeastern Kazakhstan where Malus sieversii progenitor of the modern apple grew in forests bountiful. From the empires to scrumpy and apfelwein, sargadoa and viez, yeasts consume sugars turning fruit to booze flesh to sin. Like so many other American oopsies, ‘apple cider’ spoken on US soil isn't cider, but merely juice tipped into sippy cups, or mulled for a fireside treat, while cidre du Europa relaxes the senses loosens the muscles lifts the spirits as we slip slide from our stools into the boggy, sloggy eve.
Snakebite & Black
Also known as a “Diesel,” this popular British variation that adds a fruity note to the cocktail. It will also get you drunk fast.
Ingredients
1/2 pint hard apple cider
1/2 pint lager
1–2 dashes of blackcurrant cordial (or grenadine)
Instructions
Pour the cider into a pint glass. Add the blackcurrant cordial. Top with your chosen beer and stir lightly. Don’t drink too many
Poem 13 of 31 in the series “The Liminal Season.”
Today’s word was “cider” given to my by my creative friend, Brandee. At the Warrington Hotel where I worked with Frances, Penny, Gordon, and Georgina, we served a fair number of ciders: usually Magner’s dry cider in a bottle, served with a pint glass full of ice.
Popular with “the yutes,” the aforementioned “Snakebite” was a combo of lager and cider with a splash of blackcurrant (like grenadine) to help wash it down. Very tasty and sweet, and usually 6-7% alcohol.