Ciders...
 

Since moving to England, I've tried to find something to drink on social occasions. I don't like beer, wine is so-so, and I never got a taste for hard alcohol. I tried some cider a few months ago, and found it quite good. I prefer Strongbow and Magner's, but Bullmer's isn't bad either.

Any Cider (Cyder) fans out there?

Oh yes!

And if those are the only ciders you have had so far, be reassured you've only scratched the surface.

There are some pretty grim ones available (Diamond White is a particularly foul example) but hunt around a bit and you can uncover some corkers. The drinks section in Waitrose makes a fine start.

I like:
Sheppy's Apple Cider
Westons Cider (Special Vintage)

I've had beautiful ciders in the North of France which I never noted the names of.

Similarly, in Asturias and the Basque region of Spain there are some magical ciders there, the best are 'flat' and require an escanciador like this or like this to 'aerate' it. Even the 'champagne styles' are nice, I like Champañera de Villaviciosa and even have a fondness for El Gaitero (perhaps, Spain's most popular cider)

Welcome to Europe! Your cider journey has only barely begun.

Magners is my personal favorite!

I don't like Blackthorn at all. There was one I bought at M&S foods that wasn't good either. There was another one I had at Brown's restaurant that was served only in a bottle. It was also very good. At 5% alcohol, a liter of the stuff will get you a-buzzin. :p

When I was in Dublin I was looking for a cheap 6 pack of cider to take to a friends.. picked up Druid Cider which was (what I assume) the bud of ciders.. it was cheap and did the trick!

Love Apple Ciders! ^

I like mine with blackcurrent... called a snakebite, if I'm not mistaken.

I had a very good French one that was extremely dry in a restaurant in London a couple years ago. It wouldnt have been good on its own but it went wonderfully with food.

I'm afraid you are - snakebite is a mixture of cider and lager beer much favoured by greasy-haired bikers and ladies with tight jeans and loose morals.:D

Snakebites are also more commonly these days cider with a shot of blackcurrent in them, generally the cider is the cheapest available and smells absolutley disgusting and tastes about the same. I think the half lager half cider option is illegal isn't it?

I like Bulmers, but I am a huge fan of Kopperberg Swedish cider, you can get it in some Tesco's and Waitrose and some pubs have it. If you see it order the pear you won't look back;)

I thought Bulmer's and Magner's were the same thing?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magners

We had the pleasure of having quite a few Bulmer's during our last trip to Ireland, unfortunately it appears to be nearly impossible to find any Bulmer's/Magner's in the US, and especially here in Georgia.

There are some pretty grim ones available (Diamond White is a particularly foul example) but hunt around a bit and you can uncover some corkers. The drinks section in Waitrose makes a fine start.


Ahh...Diamond White! Reminds me of the summer of '92 when I was 16 and spent 3 weeks in England visiting relatives. It was my first time in pubs, and I mostly drank Diamond White (Ice, I think?) and shandy's as I hadn't developed a taste for beer yet.

liking blended cider is like saying that Bells is a good whisky!
There are plenty of decent ciders but I dont think Bulmers or strongbow are in that category, try Thatchers single varietal ciders, this year there is Katy, Coxs and Dabinett which are all good

I used to drink cider as my cheap student drink, having drunk diamond white and diamond blush at school :o

Had my first cider in years the other week, and was pleasantly surprised at how non-artificial it tasted. Pear cider is a definite yum too :)

I had a pear cider in a bar somewhere outside of Anaheim years ago that was tot fabu! ^ I'm a fan of apple cider, as well.