Fourteen years of Prohibition in the early 20th century caused a booze brain drain as hordes of American bartenders closed their watering holes and moved overseas.America left with them. golden age of cocktails. reasonPeter Suderman did an excellent job explaining the backstory behind how the federal government moved forward with its policies in 2017. almost killed the cocktail. But the government's anti-alcohol tantrum has also nearly wiped out another product further up the alcohol supply chain: the plain apple.
American Apple exceptionalism
Today, the produce section of the average American grocery store is dominated by a handful of commercial apples. Only five to 10 varieties dominate the country's apple market, including the widely popular Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. In my humble opinion, the flavorful Honeycrisps ( Mating at the University of Minnesota (in the 1960s), these varieties were mostly bland, flavorless, and unappealing.
It wasn't always like this. From the 18th century to his 19th century, America was home to far more people. 10,000 varieties of applesthan others nations on earth. The names are as extensive and astounding as the variety of species, with other names such as Yarlington He Mill, Spitzenberg He He, Northern He Spy, and Winter He He Banana.
American apple exceptionalism has arrived long ago The Department of Agriculture was providing millions of dollars a year in subsidies to farmers even before land-grant universities were established to improve the nation's agricultural knowledge. Rather, it was an almost entirely bottom-up, grassroots movement that cemented the country's apple supremacy. all farms Early America had apple orchards, and almost every American (9 out of 10) live on a farm.
To understand the story of apples, you must first understand the story of cider. These days it's called „hard cider,“ but ironically American cider's authenticity far outweighs that. About apple pie—The roots of alcoholic cider go back to the very birth of our country. It is promoted by some people as „''.fuel for revolution” Cider was not only said to have been distributed to both colonial and British troops. pause the action At the Battle of Concord, however, it helped propel George Washington to victory. first election contributed to the Virginia House of Burgesses by ensuring his voters were well lubricated.John Adams drank a glass of cider for breakfast Thomas Jefferson made cider at home before his daily five-mile walk. monticello orchardand Ben Franklin is famous made a joke: “He who drinks cider alone, let him catch his horse alone.”
Apples were born along with cider as an irreplaceable raw material for cider. absolute condition Early American Life. Needless to say, cider is only as good as the apples used in it. That's why the nearly endless variety of apples discovered in 18th and 19th century America created the most unique and flavorful cider the world has ever known.inside words According to Cicerone's Michael Agnew, these early apples were „cultivated for their tannins and acidity, (and) produced a complex quaff with a flavor comparable to fine wine, a sweet alcoholic beverage. or non-alcoholic jug of juice.'' Today I'm passing on cider. ”
The early Americans average 35 gallons Annual amount of cider. much safer Absorbs more than water. „Until Prohibition, apples grown in America were far less likely to be eaten than to be stuffed into cider barrels,“ says author Michael Pollan. I got it.. ”In the countryside, cider replaced not only wine and beer, but also coffee, tea, juice, and even water. ”
Proverbs 27 Tone: „If you take care of the orchard, you will enjoy its fruit.“ But America didn't care about orchards. The moment cider and apples started to become a staple of Americana, everything started to change. First, the European Revolution of 1848 triggered the wave German immigration to the United States. Naturally, more Germans meant more beer, and a ready challenger for cider's heavyweight title as America's alcoholic beverage. Around the same time, the Industrial Revolution created America's first great industry. urbanization And German immigrants themselves joined this trend, choosing to settle in Upper Midwest cities like Milwaukee.
This gave beer a natural competitive advantage over cider. grains For example, barley and wheat were cheaper to grow, easier to transport to urban areas, and less perishable than apples. “Beer was made in breweries that looked like factories, but it’s modern.” William Kerriganauthor of Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard: A Cultural History, It pointed out. “Beer seemed like a cleaner, more efficient, modern drink.”
The emergence of prohibitions
As cider became less well-known, bucolic country apple orchards became less important to the American lifestyle. But the apple was already in decline across the nation's cultural landscape, and it was the U.S. government that made it happen. coup d'etat To this noble fruit.
When Prohibition went into effect in 1920, not only alcohol but also the raw materials used to make alcohol became the people's worst enemy. smithsonian magazine FBI agents conducted a recount. cut down He planted acres of apple orchards in the hinterlands, „effectively erasing cider from American life.“
Even if they escaped the attacks of the G-Men, orchard owners had little incentive to maintain their orchards in the absence of Cider. „[Prohibition]forced orchards to completely stop growing apple cider, dealing a fatal blow to our cider tradition and to the apple tree itself.“ write Jonathan Froschzwag modern farmer.
Whether at the foot of the ax or through the visceral backlash of the apple's temperance, which saw it at its highest and best economical use as a cider progenitor, American apples will never be the same. „Among the causes that contributed to the demise of cider in the United States, the temperance movement is undoubtedly near the top of the list.“ according to To David R. Williams of George Mason University.
By the time Prohibition ended, nearly 14 years later, America's cider and apple culture had been destroyed. Part of this is due to the fact that mechanized urban breweries were better. positioned Given that the factory setup allowed for an easier transition to other product lines, such as selling soft drinks and ice, during the country's dry season to survive Prohibition.
Additional elements are specific to the apple itself.Because barley and wheat are grown as annual crops, production can be reduced or increased in a relatively short period of time, allowing brewers to bounce back We will take action as soon as Prohibition ends.In contrast, plant a new orchard means A 25-year investment commitment. This literally takes at least 3-6 years to bear fruit. “When Prohibition ended in the 1930s, there was no desire or means to revive the cider industry.” Note Williams.
As long as apples continue to bear America's name today, most popular fruits, it only exists in the form of the aforementioned, depressingly bland grocery store variety. These homogeneous and boring modern apples are poor substitutes for the apples of their pre-Prohibition ancestors. By the 1990s, commercial orchards grow up There are fewer than 100 varieties of apples, and just 11 varieties account for 90 percent of grocery sales. More than 10,000 apple varieties are thought to be extinct extinct Since Prohibition.
the apple bounces
If the story ended there, we'd be forever sent to the endless conveyor belt of glass and Granny Smiths in the produce aisle. But just as the apple collapses the moment it reaches its peak, its rebirth begins only when it reaches its peak. Because while the government nearly killed the apples, the free market saved them.
As America's modern craft cider boom took hold in recent decades, so too did cider makers. refinement In the countryside, you'll find ancient, unique, flavorful, and brilliantly named apple varieties. Sometimes called „spitter apples“ because they are less sweet than the ones sold at standard grocery stores, thousands of heirloom apple varieties thought to have been lost have turned into American cider. It has been rediscovered and is being preserved by its manufacturer.
Appalachian apples have many stories. mania who has It has been saved There are thousands of „lost“ apple varieties and we now work closely with craft cider makers. Diane Flint, the famous cider maker of Foggy Ridge Cider, is considered by many to be the founder of today's craft cider movement. credited The modern rise of cider is „made on the back of these old-fashioned apples…If it weren't for these apples, my cider wouldn't be as good.“
Flint, who won a James Beard Award in 2018, recently took things even further by closing Foggy Ridge. Concentrate only on apple cultivation. Other Virginia ciders include Blue Bee Cider and Albemarle Ciderworks. Helped save money Hughes Crabapple, a favorite of Washington and Jefferson. Fuse crabs were thought to be extinct a long time ago. lonely tree It was discovered near Williamsburg in the 1990s.I enjoy other heirlooms as well renaissanceand Arkansas Black, another popular cider-making apple.
Slowly but surely, epic name Bitter Buckingham, White Winter John, Royal Lemon, Candy Stripe, and Black Winesap are making their way back into the American lexicon. For that, we can thank Adam Smith's invisible hand. After 100 years, the hand is finally in the hands of the government's apple axe.
American '76 Recipes
A patriotic take on the French 75, this libation celebrates cider's irreplaceable role in American history.
craft cider 3 oz
2 ounces of bourbon
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce maple syrup
heirloom apple slices
Add bourbon, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain twice into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Pour in the cider and give it a quick stir. Garnish with slices of your favorite heirloom apple, reserving the Red Delicious for the fruit salad.
Recipe based on Give me freedom and give me a drink! Written by Jarrett Dieterle.