Newtown Pippin And Cherry Tree Hard Cider Launch

Queens, we know thee as a sprawling borough with endless neighborhoods full of ever-changing culinary discovery.

The borough is also the birthplace of the legendary Newton Pippin apple, the star of Original Sin Cider's brand-new single-varietal cider ($12 for 750 ml).

The grassy-green Newton Pippin, originally discovered in 1740 in what is now Elmhurst, Queens, caused Thomas Jefferson to declare from France, "They have no apples here to compare with our Newtown Pippin."

Now, Original Sin Cider's Gidon Coll has harnessed the apple's distinctive character for his Newton Pippin Hard Cider, which is available in New York this week for the first time.

Fermented to dryness, the tart cider's light fizz strikes a balance with the yeastiness of Champagne yeast and a low residual sugar content. Clean and tasting faintly of lemons, it cuts through fish or even Indian takeout.

Coll is launching Cherry Tree Hard Cider this week as well ($12 for 750 ml). Golden and Russet apples are blended with the juice of tart cherries for a heavier, richer cider. The sweet, rosy pink cider is beautiful in the glass and an ideal match with a hunk of cheddar or served alongside a duck breast. We're nominating it as our rosé of fall.

Available at Whole Foods Bowery, Spuyten Duyvil Grocery, Good Beer and Blind Tiger Ale House