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Apple Cider Day

Drink · November 18

Apple cider, the cloudy, unfiltered apple juice Americans pour cold or warm with spices, and how people enjoy a glass or a steaming mug.

Apple Cider Day falls on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. That is 22 days away.

In the United States, apple cider usually means cloudy, unfiltered apple juice. It is pressed from whole apples and left with the fine bits of fruit that clear juice has strained out. That is why it looks hazy and tastes fuller, a little tart, and more like biting into an apple than drinking from a carton.

The flavor depends on the apples. Orchards often blend several varieties, mixing sweet ones with sharper ones, so cider from one farm can taste quite different from cider down the road. Some batches lean honeyed, others bright and puckery.

Most cider sold in stores is pasteurized, which means it has been heated to kill bacteria. Fresh-pressed cider from farm stands and orchards is sometimes unpasteurized, and unpasteurized cider can carry harmful bacteria. Labels usually say which kind you have. Bringing unpasteurized cider to a boil before drinking makes it safer, and warming it is a fine idea anyway.

Warm cider is where a lot of people end up. A pot on the stove with a cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a strip of orange peel fills a kitchen with a smell that does most of the work before anyone takes a sip. Cold cider has its own fans, especially alongside a plate of sharp cheese or a slice of pie.

Cider also cooks well. A splash can go into a pan sauce for pork, a pot of oatmeal or a batch of doughnuts, adding apple flavor without peeling a single apple.

Ways to celebrate

• Simmer pasteurized cider with cinnamon, cloves and orange peel on the stove.
• Taste ciders from two different orchards side by side.
• Check a cider label to see whether it is pasteurized.
• Add a splash of cider to a pan sauce or oatmeal.
• Pair a cold glass of cider with sharp cheddar.

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Dates

All national days on November 18

Also on November 18

• Mickey Mouse Day
• National Princess Day
• National Vichyssoise Day

Categories: Drink days