The Cider Diaries-13/1/09
Yesterday Sian decided it was time that she bit the bullet and tried a pint of cider. It's been eight years since she last had a whole pint of the stuff, way back when she was fourteen and ever since she says that cider 'tastes of hangover'.
So after work a few of us went to the local Weatherspoons pub for dinner and drinking. Sian had been enthusastic all day but when we got to the pub she had begun to lose her nerve. "It doesn't have to be tonight, we've got all year," I told her, secretly hoping that tonight would be the night. I tried to suggest a couple of different approaches. Maybe she could ease her way in with a pear cider first? Or perhaps a Snakebite and Black would be the way to go? But no, Sian thought it was best to go straight for the appley stuff.
I tried to select a decent bottle from Weatherspoon's modest selection of ciders but Sian felt that if she was gonna do it, she should have a pint. Which limited us to Strongbow. I was dubious if I'm honest. It might've been wiser to get Sian back to mine or Fog's place and introduce her to a bottle of something really delicious like Frome Valley Henny's. Still, I didn't want to discourage her while she was enthusiastic and sometimes you have to seize the moment. I decided to go for the same thing in solidarity. Afraid that the cider would leave her a drunken mess, Sian insisted I bought myself two shots to make sure I wasn't falling behind in the drunken states. It's better to be drunk in drunken company after all.
When I returned with the drinks Sian plunged right in, her forehead crinkling with displeasure as she took a large swig. It was a good effort. None of the dubious sniffing and cowardly sipping which would've been my approach to the task. Unsuprisingly she wasn't very impressed on first taste but a few swigs later she said, "It tastes like apple juice doesn't it? It's actually quite nice!" "Yes," I beamed, "It is isn't it?"
My joy at making a cider convert was short lived. Perhaps I should have snatched the pint away, left her wanting more? By the time she was about half way down the glass she'd reverted to her previous standpoint and was clearly not enjoying it at all. To be honest I can't say I blame her. Usually I drink a fair amount of Strongbow but this was only my second pint of the stuff in 2009 and I wasn't enjoying it that much myself. I think I've been spoiled by all the more interesting ciders I've been drinking of late. I wonder if I'll go back to drinking it regularly once the challenge is complete?
Sian text a friend to say she was drinking a pint of cider and got the reply, "Be Careful!" Clearly the memories of fourteen year old Sian's cider odyssey live long in the memory. Sian drained her pint and it felt like she'd really achieved something. I was proud of her. She made me take a photograph of the empty glass as proof, despite my protestations that an empty glass isn't proof of anything. Hopefully I'll be able to get hold of the photos and stick them in this blog shortly.
Anyway, congratulations are in order Sian has managed to drink her first and, she thinks, last cider of the year. (Her facebook status currently reads, 'Sian is not a cider drinker, despite all best efforts!) We shall see...
Still,
So after work a few of us went to the local Weatherspoons pub for dinner and drinking. Sian had been enthusastic all day but when we got to the pub she had begun to lose her nerve. "It doesn't have to be tonight, we've got all year," I told her, secretly hoping that tonight would be the night. I tried to suggest a couple of different approaches. Maybe she could ease her way in with a pear cider first? Or perhaps a Snakebite and Black would be the way to go? But no, Sian thought it was best to go straight for the appley stuff.
I tried to select a decent bottle from Weatherspoon's modest selection of ciders but Sian felt that if she was gonna do it, she should have a pint. Which limited us to Strongbow. I was dubious if I'm honest. It might've been wiser to get Sian back to mine or Fog's place and introduce her to a bottle of something really delicious like Frome Valley Henny's. Still, I didn't want to discourage her while she was enthusiastic and sometimes you have to seize the moment. I decided to go for the same thing in solidarity. Afraid that the cider would leave her a drunken mess, Sian insisted I bought myself two shots to make sure I wasn't falling behind in the drunken states. It's better to be drunk in drunken company after all.
When I returned with the drinks Sian plunged right in, her forehead crinkling with displeasure as she took a large swig. It was a good effort. None of the dubious sniffing and cowardly sipping which would've been my approach to the task. Unsuprisingly she wasn't very impressed on first taste but a few swigs later she said, "It tastes like apple juice doesn't it? It's actually quite nice!" "Yes," I beamed, "It is isn't it?"
My joy at making a cider convert was short lived. Perhaps I should have snatched the pint away, left her wanting more? By the time she was about half way down the glass she'd reverted to her previous standpoint and was clearly not enjoying it at all. To be honest I can't say I blame her. Usually I drink a fair amount of Strongbow but this was only my second pint of the stuff in 2009 and I wasn't enjoying it that much myself. I think I've been spoiled by all the more interesting ciders I've been drinking of late. I wonder if I'll go back to drinking it regularly once the challenge is complete?
Sian text a friend to say she was drinking a pint of cider and got the reply, "Be Careful!" Clearly the memories of fourteen year old Sian's cider odyssey live long in the memory. Sian drained her pint and it felt like she'd really achieved something. I was proud of her. She made me take a photograph of the empty glass as proof, despite my protestations that an empty glass isn't proof of anything. Hopefully I'll be able to get hold of the photos and stick them in this blog shortly.
Anyway, congratulations are in order Sian has managed to drink her first and, she thinks, last cider of the year. (Her facebook status currently reads, 'Sian is not a cider drinker, despite all best efforts!) We shall see...
Still,
posted by Chris Chopping @ 3:53 AM
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