Meet the New Wave of American Cider Makers | Food & Wine

PHOTO: JENNIFER CAUSEY / FOOD STYLIST MELISSA GRAY / PROP STYLIST LYDIA PURCELL

Across America, regional cider makers are riffing on classic cocktails, blending apples with fruits, hops, and herbs, and reviving tannin-rich heirloom cultivars ideal for producing elegant ciders, not for eating, such as Thomas Jefferson's favored Virginia Crab. "Apple variety matters just as much in cider as grape variety matters in wine," says Michelle McGrath, the executive director of the American Cider Association.

For Food & Wine magazine, I look at the modern state of American cider.