Merchant's Daughter Hard Cider
Vendor
Merchant’s Daughter is a small New York cider producer that sources heirloom apples from family owned Hudson Valley orchards and applies a winemaker approach to create award winning ciders that have a subtle balance, pair stunningly well with food, and are immensely drinkable. They are available in three varieties: Dry, Semi-Dry, and Clara’s Reserve across multiple package formats (750ml, 12oz. bottle 4pks and sixtel kegs). Consumers have compared our ciders to Prosecco and champagne but they are still very approachable and appeal to a broad base of consumers.
Believing that New York State has the best apples and that the cream of the crop are grown in the Hudson Valley, a pair of Yorktown pals and self-described “corporate refugees” from Pepsi’s research-and-development department have set out to craft the world’s best hard cider. “New York is Napa for apples,” says Christine Sisler, CEO of Merchant’s Daughter in Purdys. “It’s just a natural to take advantage of what we have here in the Hudson Valley.” Plus, she admits, “I was a cider stalker.”
That said, Sisler knew little about how to make her beloved drink. She enlisted her friend and former colleague, Dan O’Brien — who spent a few years winemaking in New Zealand and the Napa Valley — as chief cider maker, and together they began studying local apples, taking classes, and learning the process “from the root up.” Sisler even planted a small orchard on her property, though it’ll be a few years before the trees bear fruit. “Our ciders are fresh and modern,” says O’Brien, who ferments with a “wine mentality,” resulting in a “clean and pure expression of the fruit.” Late last fall, they sold their first bottle under the name Merchant’s Daughter, which is a heartfelt nod to the succession of young women who ran the 1850s general store in Purdys that they renovated into their headquarters and taproom. Today, three varieties of premium hard cider are produced: Dry, Semi-Dry, and Clara’s Reserve, which yields a creamy, sweet-er finish, each is a hearty 7% alcohol.
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