Apple a day

Those stories of Johnny Appleseed were about cider apples: sour ones that people used to grow specifically for the juice. It was made into fresh and hard cider that people drank instead of beer, wine and even water. At farmers markets and Apple Hill, you can find plenty of sweet nonalcoholic cider, which is fantastic warmed up with cinnamon or stirred with brandy, Cointreau, simple syrup and club soda for an old-fashioned Cider Cup. It’s also good mixed with butter and rum for a sauce on gingerbread or—let’s be honest—almost anything.