Last time I asked what ciders were behind the bar I got a surprise - a local cider on tap! Half a carbonated, medium, appley pint later we headed to the restaurant with great expectations. The meal was to be a fine dining experience, with local ingredients coaxed and charmed into mousses and quenelles. A symphony of colours, textures and flavours that make the palate sing. The kind of meal accompanied by a carefully curated drinks menu. Made up entirely of wine.

Preconceptions of real cider may be shrouded in obscure mystery and curiosity or the pariah created by unquenchable teenage thirst. Seen as simple drinks produced from a simple process, presented with limp antiquated marketing. Knowledge of the broader scene is a niche specialist subject for devoted fans.

Though the UK holds its ground as the largest consumer of cider in the world, the share of pub wet sales sits below 10 per cent from the latest Heineken report (even lower by value). That real cider and perry represent less than 1.5 per cent of the on-trade market share comes as no surprise when the craft processes of fermentation in this category are all but impossible at the scale that the industrialised products occupy. Contractual obligation firmly closes the door in the face of this 1.5 per cent at many venues.

How do drinks that have been in our history, heritage and culture for centuries experience such meagre uptake? Guilty as charged that 10 years ago I would not have ordered a cider or perry at the bar. Given the uninspiring standard of what’s largely on offer I’m still unlikely to. There is a geographical tendency for the appreciation of fruit ferments in agricultural heartlands but why is it such a challenge in integrating more widely into consumers’ preferences beyond the growth in adulterated juice? Or is adulteration the attraction in a society where trending flavours must all now be in hyphenated coalescence?

The lack of market share for real cider isn’t surprising. Pubs are tied and most consumers aren’t visiting pubs to explore what ciders are available and learn about the orchards, the fruit and the makers behind them in the same way that wine or beer enthusiasts might. Add the small scale, higher wholesale cost and time limitations of the producers of real cider and we see the tip of the iceberg of the challenges of pubs selling real cider.

The Heineken report suggests that offering a premium cider to customers with meals is an opportunity for expanding sales. The twinkle of hope fades against the accompanying image of a fruit flavoured, from concentrate, commercial cider. It is with the 1.5 per cent minority that the potential for premium offering and food pairings exists. Where drinks have a complex aroma and profile that can grasp the palate of the diner and showcase the incredible spectrum of a fruit whose ferments share so many properties with wine.

Cider and perry may be a harder sell and we frequently ponder the question of how to engage people in what they’re drinking, produced locally and from unmithered ingredients. If there’s no offering of real, premium cider at the bar; how can people make the choice?

Pubs have to diversify their offering in their battle to survive this economic climate and many embrace delicious plates to entice and grow their customer base. Some do this incredibly well though it’s all too common that when the drinks menu is offered (if there is one), there is a noticeable lack of a premium cider or perry to choose from. As makers we engage with restaurant owners and landlords, offering guided tastings for their staff; for artisans can’t spread the word alone and customers look their hosts in the eye for guidance. 

Tied pubs have legal restrictions that curb the prospect of artisan cider listings, but a nationwide guest beer agreement implementation would offer the opportunity for pubs to work with local drinks producers much more easily. With an obvious bias, I struggle to fathom the lack of investment by untied pubs in local drinks pairings when the ethos of provenance is proudly proclaimed. Customers vainly searching for a premium cider or perry as an offering in an untied gastropub or restaurant is a great shame given the strengths that they have in independent choice.

No doubt there are challenges to customers having broader choice (beyond the eternal foundations of time and money) but that those can be overcome with meaningful collaborative vision. The premiumisation of cider won’t happen in a tidal wave of tannic juice but in gentle waves as venues carefully selecting bottles that showcase what premium really means – an expertly crafted drink that opens eyes and broadens minds. That way opportunity lies for maker, landlord and drinker alike.