Ice cider

Ice cider was originally created in Quebec, made possible by the region's naturally cold temperatures.

[1] The first bottle sold under the official designation ice cider, from La Cidrerie St-Nicholas, appeared in a Quebec government-run liquor store, the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) in 1999.

This has inspired producers elsewhere, and ice cider production can now be found in the Western Canada, Europe, and the United States.

Expansion initially occurred in regions bordering Quebec, including the province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Vermont.

[2] Ice cider can be made from two processes that concentrate the natural sugars within an apple through the use of cold temperatures: cryoconcentration and cryoextraction.

Slowly, the water freezes and the sugar separates, and the must is harvested by gravity as the ice crystals rest on the surface due to their lower density.

[5] In this method, frozen apples are left on the branch until the middle of winter, where they are dried out by the cold, the sun and the wind.

[7] It is also important to note that because this method relies heavily upon the weather cooperating, in some years production is not possible if temperatures do not go low enough.

In addition, these specifics must be met:[1] The purpose of these regulations are to protect true ice cider from cheaper replicas that do not follow as rigorous a production process.

It is described as being "rich in apple flavours" but the taste can vary greatly depending on the origin of the cider and the method of production used.