Cider Week Blogs

As a part of the team interns at Heritage Radio Network, we were asked to write blog posts to promote NYC Cider Week. Below, find my work from the posts.

It’s fall in New York City. For us, that means the Chelsea boots and knit scarves are out, neighborhood rats have agreed to make themselves scarce, and beverages have gone from cold-brewed, rose-colored, and light, to warming, spirituous, and – dare we say it – pumpkin spiced. Meanwhile, outside the urban sprawl, lucky Northeasterners enjoy changing leaves, long hikes, and apple picking at picturesque orchards. Pastoral heaven.

While we can’t all get out of the city to enjoy the bounty of fall in the country, New Yorkers may still win the game of autumn. To combat the fall-in-the-city blues, we get Cider Week. Beginning this Friday, October 21st, and continuing through Sunday, October 30th, New York City bars and restaurants will be taken over by the best in the cider business. Events range from cider releases to family-style feasts to cider and cheese pairings.

Here at Heritage Radio Network, we’ve been known to geek out about food and beverage festivals. To celebrate our passions, we’ve asked the intern team what has them fired up for Cider Week and where to tune in to learn more about the fermented beverage taking fall by storm. Move over pumpkin spice… we’ve got cider to drink.

Shacksbury:

What do deer hunters in Vermont, Basque culture, and axe-wielding woodsmen of Prohibition have in common? They all play a key role in the story of Shacksbury cider.

I tried Shacksbury for the first time last week while out with friends at Lower East Side cider bar Wassail. I chose their 2014 Arlo for its enticing description (“Aromatic, grapefruit, lightly sparkling, and dry; Complex and assertive with a vibrant acidity,” …yum) and approachable price tag. Funky and clean, it made me think of unfiltered orange wine, but fresher. It was the clear winner of the ciders we tried. But I have to admit, when I ordered it I had never heard of Shacksbury.

Little did I know, just a few hours before Shacksbury Cider co-founder David Galingow was interviewed on The Food Seen. Giddy from my serendipitous choice, I listened to Galingow discuss the Basque tradition of cider throwing, the foraged apples they find with help from local hunters, and their partnerships with orchards in England and Spain. Shacksbury blends the best of historic European practices with the abundance and freedom of producing in the States. I was thrilled to see they’ll be in New York for Cider Week. Next Wednesday, October 26th, Basque restaurant Huertas in the East Village is hosting Shacksbury for family-style feast, and the unveiling of limited edition Huertas x Shacksbury Collaboration Cider.