West Avenue – The Jensen Negroni Cider

Cider Profile:

Name: West Avenue – The Jensen Negroni Cider
Sampled February 2025

Brand: West Avenue Cider House Type: Flavoured – Cocktail Location of Brewing: Flamborough, ON ABV: 6.5% Website Link: westavenue.ca Ingredients: N/A Gluten Free: Yes Sugar Content: N/A Size(s) available: 355ml (can) Availability: West Avenue retail and online stores Flavour: N/A Colour: Transparent orange-apricot Carbonation: Fine streaming bubbles.

---

Cider Crate Tasting Notes:

Smell: Strong aroma. Earthy, rustic, smoky apples. Some burnt notes.  Boozy.
Initial Taste: Light bite from carbonation. Thick boozy notes and astringency. Bruised apples that are caramelized and woodsy. Slight botanical and bitter notes, with a hint of torched citrus. Aperol-like bitterness.
After Taste: Becomes a bit more dry in the aftertaste where the apple itself does not linger. Some red grape/vermouth notes emerge and linger, longer than the apples or citrus.
On ice: Reduced elements

Additional Notes: West Avenue’s The Jensen, is a cider take on the Negroni cocktail.  It’s boozy, thick, slightly burnt and smoky apples that have some tannic notes.  Some bitter and botanical notes.  Playing off the blend of Gin/Red Wine Vermouth/Campari in the original cocktail, there are some elements of each, including a red wine-like finish in the aftertaste.  Thick and bold, a lot in this unique offering. 

Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 2
Sour – 3.5
Crisp – 2
Dry – 4
Fruity – 4

Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Niagara Cider – Beekeepers Botanical
More Sour – 
More Dry – East Street – Apres Rhubarb + Orange Apero Cider Spritzer
More Crisp – 1818 – Boys Brunch Cider

Links to Other Stories
Links to Pairings
Links to Cocktails
Links to Comparisons