October 3, 2012
Filed under Opinion
Hot Apple Cider
Autumn has officially set in. The nights are cool, the sweaters are out of storage, and the trees have turned from the vibrant green of summer to the red, orange and gold of fall. There are so many sensations that coincide with the transition between summer and fall. There’s the crunching of the leaves beneath your feet and their unmistakable smell, freshly raked and waiting to be bagged. There’s that first night when you need to put an extra blanket on your bed.
We all have our own favorite fall sensations and Eric is going to try to convince you that hot cocoa deserves a place among them, with the likes of pumpkin seeds and candy corn. But he’s wrong.
Imagine the sun creeping close to the horizon line on a typical October day. It’s warm, but the slow, steady fall breeze is cool and as it swirls around you, pushing the layers of golden-orange leaves back and forth, you’re glad to be wearing your favorite sweater.
You’ve just returned from a day at the apple orchard with your friends. Maybe you took a hayride or visited the corn maze. Perhaps you made a stop at the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving that night. It was the perfect fall day. The natural companion for these classic fall activities is the tangy-sweet concoction known as hot apple cider. It’s light, crisp and refreshing, just like the cool
autumn wind.
Hot cocoa is a winter drink. It belongs under the Christmas tree, right along with peanut brittle and egg nog. It can wait. Wisconsin winters are long.
For now, before the snow falls, enjoy some hot apple cider.
— Andy Hildebrand
Hot Cocoa
Ugh, are you really that interested in suffering through a disgustingly hot mug of microwaved apple juice? Andy seems to think so.
But he’ll say, “No! Once you add the cinnamon stick it makes it into a sweet delicacy.” Did you know that in legend, birds used cinnamon sticks to build their nests? Where they poop and give birth and cough up disgusting food into each others’ mouths? Oh yeah, please put that in my apple juice; sounds delicious!
But try to picture something better: You’ve just been outside in the cold with your friends and the sun has set. It’s getting a little chilly. You walk back home with a sweetheart, and when you get in, both of you are cold all the way to your bones. You say, “Hey baby, would you like something a bird has probably thrown up on? Or would you like something hot, sweet, creamy and delicious?”
Unless he/she/Andy is a total weirdo, he’ll/she’ll say that he/she wants some hot cocoa.And why wouldn’t he/she? It’s chocolate-y, you can put marshmallows in it and it warms your heart. That’s really what autumn is all about. Plus, if you put peppermint schnapps in apple cider, you’ll probably throw up just like those disgusting, disease ridden birds did on those cinnamon sticks.
So take heart, friends! Warm up with hot cocoa all through the cold months and you’ll be better off because of it.
— Eric Christenson
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