Cideries seek inspiration from their cocktail cousins.
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Try the award-winning Sangria at Coyote Hole.
Thinking outside the apple, craft cideries across the Commonwealth have been riffing on cocktails recently. Coyote Hole Ciderworks in Lake Anna won a gold medal at the 2019 U.S. Open Cider Championship for its sangria. Owner Chris Denkers says, “We love to experiment and almost always have something for our customers to try at our tasting room, which is where our sangrias were born.” Using cider as a base, Coyote Hole blends in wine and fruit to make “a true sangria, but with a cider flare.”
One of the mainstays at Sly Clyde Ciderworks in Hampton is Inkjet, which co-owner Doug Smith describes as “like a blackberry mojito masquerading as a cider.” Sly Clyde plays with spicy paloma flavors in its Man O’War, made with jalapeños and grapefruit juice; offers cider mimosas for brunch; and makes margarita-inspired cider for special occasions. Says Smith, “Sly Clyde draws its inspirations from fusion cooking, cocktails, and even kombucha to elevate the central idea that people who share interesting ciders share interesting lives.”
Mojito Light is just one of the unusual flavors you can try at Buskey Cider.
Buskey Cider in Richmond has “an extensive cocktail-inspired menu,” says co-owner Elle Correll. Buskey’s Mojito Light is made with cider, mint leaves, and lime zest, while its Bourbon Aged Old Fashioned Cider is crafted with cherries and orange zest, and aged in bourbon barrels. Buskey has also made Piña Colada Cider and is experimenting with gin-like botanicals for its Blackberry Juniper Cider. Adds Correll, Buskey has “bourbon, rum, brandy, tequila, and sherry barrels already aging in our warehouse for future projects.”
