One of the best things about summertime is the return of fresh & bright salads, bursting with flavor. But what drink pairs with a summer salad? Cider is an inspired choice.
Cider has the flexibility and range to pair with everything from a light and delicate salad to those rich in strong flavors. Here are our favorites.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Summer is the moment to dive into fresh fruit and bring it into salads. The contrast of sweet fruit and a savory salad is always zingy and satisfying. We love the pop of strawberries with blue cheese and walnuts on a bed of spinach, a deliciously familiar match up. The opulent floral and fruit notes in Slyboro's La Sainte Terre make it a great pairing choice to bring out the ripe, juicy flavors of fresh summer strawberries here.
Watermelon Salad
What about visually stunning summer salads, like jewels of watermelon chunks with thin slices of Daikon radish and salty feta cheese? It's the perfect salad after a long sultry day - bright but cooling. Pair this salad with a cider that’s bubbly and has a little sweetness to keep playing with that sweet-salty thing. Try Snowdrift's Orchard Select Cider, which is distinctly bright and full of summer fruit flavors.
Vegetable Soba Noodle Salad
Once it really starts to heat up, chilled salads are addictive. What could be easier that pulling a cold soba noodle salad straight from your fridge? The buckwheat noodle texture has more tooth and excitement than your average pasta salad, especially when loaded up with julienned red peppers, carrots, zucchini and homemade dressing from rice vinegar and sesame oil. Top it off with fresh cilantro for a zesty note. We love pairing this with a dry sparkling cider, like South Hill's Packbasket Sparkling, to really savor the zing and the crunch.
Caprese Salad
We can’t forget a classic cider & salad pairing: caprese salad and an off-dry crisp petillant cider. Nothing captures summer more than the combination of luscious heirloom tomatoes (that are finally available!) and fresh mozzarella. It’s sheer perfection with a healthy drizzle of good olive oil, fresh basil, and a crackling of salt and pepper. All those acid and umami flavors really burst and shine when paired with a zesty cider, like Orchard Hill's Verde. The bright pop of flavors is perfect for an al fresco meal.
Mmmmm…. We’re off to the farmer’s market!
