World Cider Day Date in the current year: June 3, 2024

Cider is a tangy alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice. One of the most ancient drinks, it is produced in many countries, from Canada and the United States to England and France to Australia and New Zealand. The United Kingdom has the world’s largest consumption of cider per capita.

Cider can be produced from the juice of most apple varieties, but there are apple cultivars that are considered the best for this purpose. They are referred to as cider apples. Cider apples include, but are not limited to, Brown Snout, Cap of Liberty, Chisel Jersey, Crimson King, Dabinett, Foxwhelp, Hangdown, Kingston Black, Tom Putt, Slack-ma-Girdle, and Yarlington Mill.

Cider can be bottled after three months of fermentation, but it is more often left to mature in the vats for up to three years. Expensive ciders are sometimes produced using the champagne method. Flavored ciders can be made by adding fruit juices or purees to the apple juice. Apple cider can be further distilled to produce applejack or calvados.

An interesting variation of apple cider called ice cider (cidre de glace) was invented in Quebec. Inspired by ice wine, it is made from the juice of frozen apples. Due to a higher concentration of natural sugars in frozen apples, it has a higher alcohol content than traditional cider.

Cider is usually drunk in the same way as beer, but it can also be used to make cocktails. Popular cider-based cocktails include snakebite (a mixed drink consisting of equal parts of cider and lager) and Cidre Royal (a variation of Kir consisting of cider and blackcurrant liqueur). Cider Royal made with Breton cider is called Kir Breton, and a variation with Normandy cider is named Kir Normand.

World Cider Day was launched to give an international platform for all apple cider nations, provide information about apple cider to the general public, highlight the importance of apple cider production for nature conservation, and promote the drink through various fun activities and events.

Although World Cider Day originated in Germany, today it is celebrated in every country of the world where people drink and love cider. The holiday is supported by multiple cider houses, apple orchard owners, bars and restaurants, trade and marketing associations, retailers, and other organizations and businesses that want to promote apple cider.

There are many ways to celebrate World Cider Day. You can throw a cider party for your friends, go out to a bar that offers different kinds of cider or serves cocktails with cider, splurge for a bottle or a pack of expensive cider you’ve been wanting to try, or visit a cider house near you if there is one (most cider houses offer guided tours and tastings to promote their ciders and engage with customers).