Occasionally it’s true that “less is more.” Take the organic apples in The Hatchet: the smaller the fruit, the bigger the flavor. But picking the smallest, most intensely-flavored apples is the easy part. It’s what happens next that matters, the blending and balancing, pairing sweet and tart varietals to yield a refreshing cider with noticeable complexity and a crisp, clean finish.  It’s the hard cider equivalent of alchemy: turning little organic apples into great big flavor.     

The recipe for this elixir is an old family secret, but thankully Sonoma Cider is willing to share it with friends. Here it is: apples. Yep, that’s all there is to it. But of course it isn’t. Because the art is in the apples they pick—variety, maturity, size, color, about as many variables as you have fingers, and each one has to be just right to create the perfect blend of sweet, tart, crisp, dry, tangy, smooth, and refreshing.