History

Cider is the West Country's oldest industry and Bristol has always been its city tap. Somerset orchards supplied the port for centuries, and the tradition never gentrified away: The Coronation Tap has poured cider in Clifton for generations, The Apple turned a Dutch barge into a floating cider bar, and a new wave of makers now ferments in the city itself at arch taprooms like The Cider Box.

Common allergens: Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 10 minTotal 25 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 litre still, dry farmhouse cider
  • 2 strips of orange peel
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 thumb of fresh ginger, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons honey or soft brown sugar, to taste

Method

  1. Pour the cider into a pan with the orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
  2. Warm gently over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes without letting it boil, which would drive off the alcohol and dull the apple flavour.
  3. Stir in honey or sugar a spoon at a time, tasting as you go; farmhouse cider is drier than supermarket versions and needs less than you think.
  4. Strain into mugs and serve hot.

Tip from the editors. Use a proper still cider rather than a fizzy commercial one; carbonation turns bitter when heated and the mull loses its orchard character.

Where to eat somerset farmhouse cider

Somerset farmhouse cider in Bristol

The Apple ★ 4.5

Cocktail barCider bar£Old CityMon-Sat 12:00-00:00; Sun 12:00-22:30

The Apple pours dozens of farmhouse ciders from a converted Dutch barge on Welsh Back, the floating heart of Bristol's cider drinking culture.

Signature drink: A pint of still farmhouse cider on the top deck

Food: Bar snacks and sharing boards

Tip: Start with a half of something still and cloudy rather than a fizzy pint; deck seats go first on sunny evenings.

Welsh Back, Bristol BS1 4SB

The Coronation Tap ★ 4.4

Cocktail barCider house£Clifton VillageMon-Fri 17:30-23:30; Sat-Sun 19:00-23:30

The Coronation Tap is Clifton's centuries-old cider house near the Suspension Bridge, pouring its exclusive Exhibition cider by the half in Bristol.

Signature drink: Exhibition cider, served in halves only

Food: Bar snacks

Tip: Exhibition is strong enough that the house serves it only in halves; treat that as a warning, not a challenge.

8 Sion Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4AX

The Orchard Inn ★ 4.2

Cocktail bar£HarboursideDaily lunchtime until 23:00; ciders chalked on the board

The Orchard Inn pours a wall of boxed farmhouse ciders in a Spike Island backstreet local, a few minutes from Bristol's SS Great Britain and its crowds.

Why locals love it: A Spike Island backstreet cider pub the harbour crowds never find, five minutes from the SS Great Britain.

Tip: Order a filled roll and a cloudy half, then drink it on the pavement bench with the shipyard crowd.

12 Hanover Place, Bristol BS1 6XT

The Cider Box ★ 4.2

Cocktail barCider taproom££St PhilipsFri 16:30-22:30; Sat 13:00-22:30

The Cider Box ferments and pours craft cider under a railway arch on Silverthorne Lane in Bristol, the weekend-only taproom for the orchard-curious.

Signature drink: A tasting flight of craft and traditional ciders

Food: Cheese pairings and events

Tip: It only opens Friday and Saturday; book a tasting flight or cheese pairing session rather than just turning up thirsty.

Arch 5, Silverthorne Lane, Bristol BS2 0QD

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