A Colonial Drink Makes a Comeback

Yet another old American tradition has been revitalized in Harvard Square.

Hard cider, once the number one beverage consumed in America, is making its way back into bars and taverns throughout the Northeast, including those around the Harvard area.

"Since we introduced it, hundreds of locations all over the Northeast have started serving it, resulting in the sale of over 50,000 gallons," said Ned Flynn, president and founder of the American Hard Cider Company, the only corporation to produce cider in the United States.

"In Harvard Square, more than a half a dozen places started selling it within two weeks of its release," he added.

Hard cider has been popular since colonial times, but consumption of it dropped to almost nothing during Prohibition, according to a release put out by the company.

But the company came out with its product, Cider Jack, in May, and since then the popularity of the drink has increased tremendously, Flynn said.

Matt Kline, manager of the Crimson Sports Grille, said this new alcoholic beverage is gaining tremendous popularity among Harvard students.

"We serve two brands of hard cider here, Cider Jack and Woodpecker," Kline said. "Students really like the hard cider because they can get messed up faster from it than from beer."

Reasons for the prevalence of hard cider include its high alcohol content (about six percent), its sweet taste and the fact that it is all natural and has less calories than beer, he said.

Kline said the stronger apple-flavored "Cider Jack" is preferred by most patrons, especially students at the Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School.

John M. Toomey '94, a bartender at another local pub, The Boathouse, agreed that more and more hard cider is being poured. He said "the popular way to serve hard cider is to mix it with beer, which is called a Snakebite."

Toomey said the cider has one drawback: its price. "We don't pour as much hard cider to students as we do beer because the cider is pretty expensive," he said. "$3.50 a pint."