For those who know me well, you’ll know that I love my cider. And I am an equal opportunity lover of cider, meaning I love sparkling ciders and still ciders and I love classical apple ciders and almost all other fruit ciders.
And Cranes cranberry ciders are no exception. In fact, I would put them near the top of my ‘I love cider’ scale. Why?
Well, I have always been a great cranberry fan, ever since I went cranberry & blueberry picking with my parents back in the 1960s and 70s. I loved those sunny afternoons in the late summers of my childhood, roaming the local heath, having a picnic and coming home with our bounty and turning them into jams, sauces and preserves.
Also, Cranes cranberry ciders are very fruity without being too sweet and they are lighter than other ciders, which I often prefer, especially when I have a drink at lunchtime or on a hot afternoon and I want to go easy on the alcohol. Using the natural sweetness of the fruit, Cranes ciders have about 30% less calories than similar brands.
There are three flavours of Cranes cranberry ciders:
Cranberry & Lime
Blueberry & Apple
Raspberry & Pomegranate
I like them all, but out of the three Cranberry & Lime is my personal favourite as the cranberry taste is more pronounced and I also like the extra tartness the lime provides. For me it’s the perfect summer drink, especially with lots of ice. Lovely!
Cranes cranberry ciders are also excellent mixers for fruity, sparkling summer cocktails.
Here’s the recipe for my ‘Summer Garden Cranes’:
1/2 shot glass of Chambord raspberry liqueur
1/2 shot glass rhubarb syrup
fill up with ice cold Cranes Cranberry & Lime Cider
decorate with fresh raspberries
Cranes’ other product is Cranes Liqueur, a cranberry & blood orange liqueur, which I haven’t tried yet, but can’t wait to sample! Definitely one for my cocktail cupboard.
Cranes cranberry cider is the brainchild of twin brothers Dan and Ben , who, after attending university (Ben in Exeter, Dan in Leeds) and doing a lot of ‘research’ on alcoholic drinks, decided to join forces to create a cranberry cider. After 8 months of experimenting with fermenting cranberries in 5 litre demijohns, they had found the recipe and with their dad providing them with the perfect name (cranberries were originally called crane-berries because their white flowers resemble the bird’s head), the brothers were good to go.
London-Olios 