Yesterday (Sunday) I made my way over to the New Amsterdam Market for A Hard Cider Revival, one of their fall events on top of their weekly market. Sunday also marked the start of the inaugural Cider Week here in NYC, and there will be lots of events throughout the city celebrating cider – hard and soft – and the apples behind it. A Hard Cider Revival involved cider tastings, tapas, and sampling of different kinds of apples (some rare).
About the New Amsterdam Market – it is a very neat weekly outdoor market that focuses on local, seasonal, artisanal foods. It is located down by the South Street Seaport on the east side of Manhattan. From their About page:
New Amsterdam Market is a reinvention of the Public Market, once a prevalent institution in the City of New York. Revived for our present times and needs, New Amsterdam Market will incubate a new and growing economic sector: small businesses such as butchers, grocers, mongers, and other vendors who source, produce, distribute, and sell foods made with regional ingredients as well as carefully selected imports. We are also reintroducing and developing the concept of market fare prepared with regional, seasonal ingredients.
I won tickets to A Hard Cider Revival tasting via twitter, which was very cool. I rarely win things, so I was seriously psyched at my win here! I was given two sets of 5 tickets each; each ticket equalled one drink or tapa. It was cool being able to have access to a variety of hard ciders, along with some tasty treats from Marlow & Sons (a Williamsburg restaurant that focuses on local, seasonal, organic food).
I tried a few things and really enjoyed them. My favorite of the ciders is the Northern Spy from Eve’s Cidery. It’s made from green Northern Spy apples, and I enjoyed how it tasted like a dry sparkling wine but with a distinct apple flavor. It’s what I think hard cider should taste like.
From a visual standpoint, the Redfield from West County Cider was my favorite. I loved the color, though the taste was a bit flat for my taste. Compared to the Northern Spy, it was less interesting tasting, but still good. Definitely the prettiest cider there.
Along with the ciders, tapas were available. I loved the tortilla with ham and aioli. The aioli tasted a little mustardy and I thought it went really well with the mildness of the potatoes.
The market itself was crowded but full of interesting booths. I picked up a few things, including a delicious olive bread made with natural leavening, from Sullivan Street Bakery.
We also took a walk along the East River Esplanade on our way to the Staten Island Ferry. We saw some beautiful views of Brooklyn, just over the East River. It was a wonderful afternoon, one that made me happy that I live in New York City.
