Wassail NYC – A Cider Bar

It is easy to find a cocktail bar, a wine bar and even a brewery in just about any town these days. What about a cider bar? In New York there is one - Wassail. Cider was once the primary drink in colonial America. But after industrialization and then Prohibition, apples were left for eating and if it was made into drinking form, it was for apple juice or non-alcoholic ciders. While cider has been popular in the UK, Spain and France for years, it is only recently that cider has had a renaissance in the United States. And personally, I think that is a good thing. Wassail NYC is celebrating this renaissance. As they explain on their website, "Cidermakers are fermenting juice again to create a diverse array of dry, still, and flavored ciders; orchardists are planting heirlooms and "spitters," the highly tannic and bitter apples suitable only for fermenting; foragers are finding abandoned trees and reviving long forgotten varieties; urban homesteaders are making cider in their apartments and backyards." At Wassail, they feature 90+ ciders on draught and by-the- bottle, as well as apple-based cocktails. They also have wine, beer and cocktails.