You’ve hopefully heard by now that we wrote a book. Fingers-crossed “Tasting Cider: The CIDERCRAFT Guide to the Distinctive Flavors of North American Hard Cider” has long since been in your Amazon order history and you are counting down the days until you can read about your favorite cidermakers, shake up cocktails written by master mixologists featuring your choice ciders and follow user-friendly recipes to cider-cooking success. We know we are.
“This whole process has been a little surreal,” says Erin James, CIDERCRAFT magazine editor-in-chief and author of “Tasting Cider.” “The book publishing realm is a completely different world than magazine publishing and we couldn’t have asked for a more fitting partner in this than Storey Publishing.” Those who are excited about their foray into the publishing world should be armed with all the knowledge they can get their hands on to make their first publication as good as it can be – this includes learning about copy editing, proofreading, and design services they can make use of to polish their final product.
A complete guide to North America’s oldest beverage, “Tasting Cider” celebrates cider’s rich history and its modern makers, as well as its deliciously diverse possibilities. Flavor profiles and tasting guidelines highlight 100 selections of cider – including single varietal, dessert, hopped, barrel-aged and more – plus perry, cider’s pear-based cousin. A perfect addition to any meal, cider pairings are featured in 30 food recipes, from Brussels sprouts salad to salmon chowder, brined quail and poached pear frangipane. An additional 30 cocktail recipes include creative combinations such as Maple Basil Ciderita and Pear-fect Rye Fizz.
“Food and cider fit hand-in-hand better than most beverages, yet few people know how heavenly this match is,” James says of the pairings recipes in the book. “We featured some of our favorite cooking-with-cider recipes from the magazine, alongside original recipes created just for this book, and paired them all with suitable cider counterparts. I can’t say that portion of the ‘research’ was a rough time!”
James admits that narrowing the list of makers down to a set of 26 was an actual challenge. “North America has such an impeccable spread of producers, we could have written 20 books featuring each and every one of them,” she says. “There are so many standout individuals in the industry, but this group of makers really spoke to us and we are thrilled to share their stories and ciders.”
No better time to buy than now: pre-order your copy of “Tasting Cider” here and celebrate during Washington Cider Week with James and the CIDERCRAFT team on Thursday, September 14 at The Woods in Seattle. Stay tuned for more 2017 book tour events to be announced soon, with stops in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Massachusetts.
