Autumn is here and, despite the aggressive push for pumpkin spice, it’s unequivocally apple — and cider — season. At its most basic definition, cider is fermented apple juice. But like wine, it can skew tart, dry, bitter, sweet, wild, acidic, sparkling with big bubbles or fine, fizzy bubbles, or not sparkling at all. Some ciders aren’t even made from apples, but pears or other pomaceous fruit.

Cider has a long history. Records of cidermaking date to the Roman Empire, and many historians believe the Romans discovered it while invading what is now modern-day England. After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the drink spread across Europe, with regions developing different production methods and traditions influenced by terroir, apple varieties and local customs.

To that end, traditional English ciders often lean dry and tannic; French cidre tends to be sweeter, lower in alcohol and light in sparkle; and Spanish sidra is frequently funky, tangy and unfiltered. While close in proximity, the northern Basque and Asturias regions produce different styles: Basque cider is typically more acidic and savory; Asturian cider fruitier.

In North America, cider was popular in the 17th century, but the drink fell out of favor amid a rising preference for beer and a move to urban development in the mid- to late-19th century. By the end of Prohibition in 1933, many of the orchards producing small, often-astringent cider apples were destroyed and replaced with sweeter apples, and the cider industry didn’t recover in the way the beer and spirits industries eventually did. But since the late 1990s, U.S. cider has moved from post-Prohibition’s candy-sweet iterations to serious bottles that employ contemporary techniques and craft ciders that range from bone dry to juicy and delightfully funky.

Enjoyable on its own as an aperitif or served alongside a meal, cider has also found its way into cocktails. Andra “AJ” Johnson, beverage director and managing partner at Serenata in Washington, D.C., and a founder of DMV Black Restaurant Week, likens its role in mixed drinks to that of sparkling wine.

With the addition of sparkling wine, she said, “you’re giving your cocktail another dimension, adding acidity, balancing the richness or sweetness of the cocktail’s base, and cleansing your palate at the same time.”

Ciders, she added, “are going to act the exact same way.” Start simple, and combine cider and vermouth in equal parts over ice. If you’re looking for something with more spirit, top a base of gin, sherry and orange liqueur with an effervescent glug of dry cider.

The best way to figure out which cider is most balancing is to taste a bunch and experiment. Johnson suggests using a richer cider to counter a more fruit-forward base. Pair a sweeter base with a drier-leaning cider, or vice versa.

Since many ciders are sold in larger-format bottles, you can start the evening with a cider-based cocktail or two, then drink the rest of the bottle alongside a meal. If you have any left over, Johnson suggests making a cider syrup by combining the remaining cider with sugar in a 1:1 ratio and gently pouring the mixture back and forth between two shakers until the sugar is fully dissolved.

The equal proportions of vermouth and cider make this cocktail especially easy to pour or batch up. Choose a cider with a bit of tartness and funk, and reach for a quality red vermouth. Sweet and slightly viscous, it stands up to and smooths out the cider’s personality. Don’t skimp on the garnish. The orange, olives and peppers should be deployed in a way that feels less like decoration and more like a snack. Drop the skewer straight into your cocktail to impart notes of citrus and brine — or lay it on top to snack on and sip at your leisure.

Basque Country

Ingredients:

• Ice

• 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth

• 1 1/2 ounces Basque or Basque-style cider

• Orange half wheels, green olives (such as m`anzanilla), guindilla peppers (also called piparras), for garnish

Directions:

Fill a lowball glass with ice.

Add sweet vermouth and cider; stir gently. Thread a skewer with an orange half wheel, olives and a guindilla pepper, and garnish.

Serves 1.

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