I spent a few days recently in the hills of Vermont. Joining me were a handful of folks from NYC, Boston, even Kansas City. We were visiting Shacksbury Cider to learn about grafting apple trees, a seasonal orchard process that is used to change a large, older tree into a new apple varietal.
But we also spent our weekend enjoying the many provisions everyone brought to the table. From an amazing dinner our first night at camp, to the insane collection of beer, wine, and spirits stocking the refrigerator, it was over-the-top in all the right ways.
What you might not expect is a game of Fuck the Dealer breaking out where the main drink of choice is a 3.5% ABV spritzer made with maple water. For the sake of the group and the packed schedule that lay ahead, I guess it was a good choice in retrospect.
[Editor’s note: Shacksbury provided our writer with a ride from the airport and a warm bed on this trip. We're grateful for their help in making our growing cider coverage possible.]
