Our Top 5 Ciders for a Festive Cinco de Mayo 2021
Mexico is a wondrous country of great beauty and great people who are kind, friendly and with a good sense of humour. Cinco de Mayo is only one of their colourful celebrations every year and any observance of it must be respectful to the culture and country.
We rounded up our top 5 ciders we feel embrace commonly used Mexican ingredients well so you can enjoy a festive – and respectful – day.
Kings Mill – Jalapeño
Jalapeño peppers are commonly used in Mexican cooking and while they do add some spice to dishes, they are still more on the tame side. Kings Mill made a cider with jalapeño’s grown in their own garden, and the cider does not skimp on natural pepper flavour. With some spice, it still isn’t too overpowering so we feel most people could tolerate this cider.
Our review: https://staging2.thecidercrate.com/cider-type/kings-mill-jalapeno/
Buy it: https://kingsmillcider.company.site/JALAPE%C3%91O-Carbonated-355mL-Six-Pack-p300752425
Hard Way – Loco Blanco
Naturally a list about Mexico wouldn’t be complete with mention of tequila! Hard Way Cider Co has a strong focus on barrel-aged ciders and many include aging in spirit barrels. Their tequila aged offering, Loco Blanco, is bone dry and has a considerable amount of pure tequila flavour to it. Its a strong one with a bunch of astringency from the tequila but its a very strong representation of the spirit itself.
Our review: https://staging2.thecidercrate.com/cider-type/hardway-loco-blanco-dos/
Buy it: https://www.hardwaycider.com/collections/cider-1/products/cider-loco-blanco
Steel Town – Vay Kay
Steel Town also has a tequila barrel-aged offering called Vay Kay and its a tropical Caribbean escape in a can! With a strong tequila flavour and astringency that comes through in the aftertaste, you are pleasantly greeted with forceful pineapple, mango and coconut flavours to start. These fruit notes are very juicy and reminiscent of the agua fresca drinks beloved by Mexicans. There is also some lime and sea salt in this to give it a margarita flair.
Our review: https://staging2.thecidercrate.com/cider-type/steel-town-vay-kay/
Buy it: https://www.steeltowncider.com/
Slabtown – Honey Habanero
Another pepper commonly used in Mexican cuisine is the habanero, and it sure does deliver a lot more punch and spice than a jalapeño! Slabtown used this pepper in their cider and added some soothing honey to balance the elements out. Its a bit spicy but its more about the pepper flavour here. A fun treat that is very smooth and refreshing overall!
Our review: https://staging2.thecidercrate.com/cider-type/slabtown-honey-habanero/
Buy it: https://www.slabtowncider.com/store
Brickworks – Lime Margarita
Of course, many associate Cinco de Mayo and Mexico with the classic margarita and Brickworks has attempted to recreate the experience here with their Lime Margarita cider that can be found within their 2021 Summer Mixpack at the LCBO. This is a very crisp cider with a decent amount of tartness from the limes coming through. You also get a bit of cooling mint and of course the anticipated salt comes through in the finish and lingers a bit. It’s a light interpretation of the cocktail but overall very refreshing for a sunny day.
Our review: https://staging2.thecidercrate.com/cider-type/brickworks-lime-margarita/
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