flipSweet Orchard Cider
Sweet Orchard Cider
Why this dish? Lincoln was known for his love of apples, which he would happily crunch. In the Indiana and Illinois of his youth, every farm had an orchard, and cider — sweet or turning hard — was the common frontier drink, on the table and at evening gatherings.
Freshly pressed apple juice, cloudy and fragrant, drunk sweet from the press or left to slightly ferment. A seasonal drink present at every autumn table.
A good crisp apple, to my mind, is worth all the complicated dishes in the world. In autumn, when the orchard bends low, we carry the fruit to the press and collect that cloudy, sweet juice they call sweet cider. Fresh-drawn, it quenches a man coming in from the fields; left a few days, it gains a bite and loosens conversation by the fireside. Serve it simply, that's how it's best.
- •Ripe orchard apples (tart varieties) — a full basket (base ingredient)
- •Sweet spices (cinnamon, clove) — optional (flavoring, hot version)
Sweet Orchard Cider
Freshly pressed apple juice, cloudy and fragrant, drunk sweet from the press or left to slightly ferment. A seasonal drink present at every autumn table.
Why this dish? Lincoln was known for his love of apples, which he would happily crunch. In the Indiana and Illinois of his youth, every farm had an orchard, and cider — sweet or turning hard — was the common frontier drink, on the table and at evening gatherings.
A good crisp apple, to my mind, is worth all the complicated dishes in the world. In autumn, when the orchard bends low, we carry the fruit to the press and collect that cloudy, sweet juice they call sweet cider. Fresh-drawn, it quenches a man coming in from the fields; left a few days, it gains a bite and loosens conversation by the fireside. Serve it simply, that's how it's best.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe orchard apples (tart varieties) — a full basket (base ingredient)
- Sweet spices (cinnamon, clove) — optional (flavoring, hot version)
Ingredients
- Pure, unfiltered cloudy apple juice — 1 liter (base)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (flavoring (hot version))
- Cloves — 2 or 3 (flavoring)
- Orange slice — 1 (freshness (optional))
Method
- For a hot autumn version: pour cloudy apple juice into a saucepan.
- Add cinnamon, cloves, and orange slice.
- Heat gently without boiling for 15 min to infuse spices.
- Strain and serve in mugs, hot; or serve the juice simply chilled for the summer 'sweet' version.
- For a slightly sparkling cider, let fresh juice sit in a cool place for 2-3 days in a loosely covered container (it begins to ferment naturally).
How it was made : In the 19th century, 'cider' usually meant pressed apple juice, consumed at all stages: 'sweet cider' freshly pressed, then 'hard cider' once fermented into alcohol, very common due to unreliable water. Farm presses were the heart of autumn harvests.
The contemporary twist : Serve hot sweet cider in a tin cup with a cinnamon stick, American autumn market style.
Sources : Rae Katherine Eighmey, Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen, Smithsonian Books, 2014
Abraham Lincoln · Charactorium