Cider in the Catskills

Hard cider is having a moment. Across New York State, which is the second largest producer of apples in the U.S., orchards and cider mills are cranking out complex pints that rival the best craft beers and wines. Though you can find hard cider on the menu at many restaurants upstate, including Prospect at Scribner’s (look out for Kings Highway Fine Cider), the best way to sample this golden delicious good stuff is to go straight to the source. 

Plan a road trip to these year-round cideries in the Hudson Valley and experience the hard cider craze the way it was meant to be experienced — with farm-fresh food in bucolic settings. And, if you still think all hard cider tastes like Angry Orchard, these cideries offer a change of taste that will leave you pleasantly surprised.

WAYSIDE CIDER: ANDES

This cult-favorite cidery, designed by Sean Scherer of local antique shop Kabinett & Kammer, recalls a cider tavern of old, and is a treat for the senses. Pull up to the marble-topped bar inside the stylishly refurbished barn and choose among a variety of local beers, wines, spirits, and ciders. The house ciders, which flow from the cidery next door, are an obvious choice. If you’re feeling peckish, there’s a full menu of seasonal comfort food classics, a few of which are made with ingredients from Wayside’s own farm and orchard in East Delhi. Once you’re settled, stay awhile; head out back to the beer-hall-style courtyard, huddle around a fire pit, and take in some live music.

ORCHARD HILL CIDER MILL: NEW HAMPTON

Here’s a story you don’t hear every day: An actor, a trumpet player, and farmer/lawyer open a cidery on an apple orchard dating back to 1910 and produce delicious, European-inspired cider, apple brandy, and pommeau (a classic French cordial). Their dry ciders are best paired with farm-fresh plates, served in Orchard Hill’s New England-style tasting room, which features wood from the orchard and architectural accents salvaged from the local area.

HARDSCRABBLE CIDER: NORTH SALEM

Need a break from the road? The closest cidery to the city is Hard- scrabble Cider, making it a great pit stop on your drive to/from the Hudson Valley. Drop in on a Friday or Saturday night for live music, pizza, food truck fare, and flights of cider made from ten varieties of apples that are grown, processed, pressed, and bottled on site.

BAD SEED CIDER: HIGHLAND

When it comes to sampling Bad Seed’s thirst-quenching, deliciously dry hard cider, you’ve got options. If you’re stuck in New York City, head to their tap room in Crown Heights, Brooklyn for a refreshing pint. If you find yourself in the Hudson Valley from September - October, pull up to Bad Seed’s farm bar in Highland, NY to snack on food truck fare, pick apples, and taste your way through twelve taps of freshly fermented hard cider. Be sure to stop by their cidery and 22-tap tasting room so you can try everything Bad Seed has to offer.

WARWICK VALLEY WINERY & DISTILLERY: WARWICK

You can (and should) spend an entire day at Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery. This distillery was the first in New York State to open after Prohibition, and today is home to the award-winning Doc’s Cider. Warwick Valley is also a purveyor of applejack, gin, bourbon, wine, and fortified fruit wine, all of which are made on site. The grounds are a lovely 120 acres of gardens and orchards (go ahead, pick the apples before you drink them) with a cafe, farm-to-table restaurant and live music on the weekends.

FISHKILL FARMS

HOPEWELL JUNCTION

Fishkill Farm’s hard cider, the Treasury Cider, is named after founder Henry Morgenthau Jr., who was a frequent visitor of the farm, and the former secretary of the treasury under Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The cider resembles a crisp, stately, white wine. Sip it in the garden overlooking the orchard with food from the grill when the weather’s good, or grab it to go year-round at the farm store, where you can also pick up fruits and vegetables, artisanal foods, and some doughy, delicious apple cider donuts for the road.

STONE RIDGE ORCHARD

STONE RIDGE

Cider master Elizabeth Ryan’s Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider has been making waves across the pond — she recently took home medals at the Royal Bath and West International Cider Competition in Bath, England. Try her ciders, which toe the line between new and old world flavor profiles, at the farm stand or alongside a wood-fired pizza and some live music at her orchard’s lovely farm bar, open on Fridays and Saturdays. Just beware: You might walk away with a bushel of berries, a glorious fruit pie, a bag of homemade pasta, or a bottle of their 1857 potato vodka.

WESTWIND ORCHARD

ACCORD

Whiling away an afternoon is easy at this hip, bucolic cidery and orchard. The contemporary tasting room, which has a similar look and feel to something you’d find in the city, offers wood-fired pizzas, pastas, giant salads, and other locally sourced, Italian-inspired plates that complement its selection of very agreeable ciders (local beer, wine, coffee, and cocktails are also on offer). The on-site shop sells enviable home goods from local artisans, and the lawn is packed with games like corn hole and ping pong to keep the kids (and the young at heart) occupied.

By: Daniel Schwartz