Looking for something festive and non-alcoholic to drink for Holiday dinners?

Something that’s a bit more special than Heineken 0.0 or fruit juice sparked with seltzer? And not ready to break out the CBD sparkling water (my favorite is Untitled Art) because of cost and, you know, Aunt Edna and her new boyfriend, Father Tim?

Martinelli’s Gold Medal Cider to the rescue!

Martinelli’s turned out to be a delightful surprise for Thanksgiving dinner. I’d ordered it from Amazon Fresh on a whim, expecting standard sparkling sweet apple juice. To my surprise, this really DID taste like hard cider, with a sweet-tart-sour flavor and aggressive carbonation.

One of my guests kept asking, “Are you SURE there is no alcohol in this?”

Yep, the only ingredients are – drumroll – carbonated apple juice and Vitamin C. No water, no alcohol, no concentrates, no sweeteners, no preservatives except for Vitamin C.

Martinelli’s notes that “some natural sedimentation may occur”. Indeed it does, which also adds to the illusion you’re drinking “real” stuff.

Martinelli’s has several other flavors, including Sparkling Blush and Sparkling Pomegranate, which are next on my list to try.

BE AWARE that they also make regular apple juice and sparkling apple juice. The sparkling apple juice is a fun little drink – especially for the wee ones – but it won’t give you the adult party taste of the sparkling cider. Don’t confuse the two.

ARE ALL CIDERS VEGAN FRIENDLY?

Some are, some aren’t. Here’s what to consider.

Sedimentation

Sedimentation is traditionally considered desirable in cider. If you see sedimentation, that’s a good thing – it means the cider was not filtered. If the cider is very clear, it may have been filtered with an animal product such as isinglass. (Mostly an issue with hard ciders.)

Honey

Read the ingredients on hard cider, and you’ll be amazed at how many varieties have honey. This is for a reason – ciders are a bit tart and sour compared to apple juice, and the sourness becomes more pronounced with fermentation. Honey brings everything back into balance. (Of course, they could always use sweeter apples – but I digress.)

Barnivore

Most hard ciders can be found at Barnivore labeled as vegan friendly or not vegan friendly. You can even find many soft ciders and alcohol-free items listed there – even if that particular company doesn’t sell alcoholic beverages.

Customer Service

Never forget, you can always go to the “Contact Us” page on a website and ask if the product is vegan friendly!

BONUS CIDER READ

Looking for a winter read? The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman is the first in a series of books about female exorcist Reverend Merrily Watkins, set near the Welsh border in northeast Herefordshire, England. These thrillers are compulsive page turners, which appear to be about the supernatural but are (mostly) rationally explained, except for a few things that leave you wondering. The Wine of Angels begins on a chilly 12th Night and features apples, cider, and the Apple Tree Man. Wrap yourself in a blanket, make a cup of hot mulled cider (what else?) and enjoy the read.

Cheers!