Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo, the authors of the comprehensive new book “American Cider,” say the drink that sustained colonial America is having a renaissance. They documented the resurgence of cider mills across the country, a 100-fold increase since 1991. Their thumbnail history of cider traces it from the Old World, around the time of Christ. This serious but easygoing book points out that ciders tend to be a local quaff unlike wine, which always had an international market. The authors discuss the many different apples (in the 19th century there were 1,000 varieties growing in the United States), which ones are suited for cider, how cider is made and even the geology of the land, as they survey ciders in eight regions across the country.
“American Cider: A Modern Guide to a Historic Beverage,” by Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo (Ballantine Books, $18).