Saturday, January 12

Cider Rules

Long ago, in another life, when we were Happy Young Publican Husband, aka, HYPH, & Meggie, we would quite often be invited to attend various functions to launch new products or beverages in our line of Liquor dispensation. Often these were fun filled affairs, with the sampling of many of the products offered in generous oversupply.

One such occasion was for the launching of a new Cider, released on the market in a fresh attempt to attract the monied, & foolishfashionable, young guzzlers of sippers of alcoholic beverages.

Cider had never known much popularity as a drink in New Zealand, & in fact I had never tasted it in my life, & I doubt HYPH had ever tried it either. We had English friends who said they had had it, but didn't drink it now.
Perhaps I know why, now.

This launch party for the New Cider, Strongbow, was to be held at a very new venue, called the Old Orchard, which had recently opened, & was being touted as a lovely function centre.

I did not particularly care about the idea of Cider. I had my favourite alcohol, & safely limited myself to only that particular drink, & left it at that.

Hyph was not fussed about going to this launch, but we had some friends in another Hotel who were going, & I was eager to see this beautiful new "Old Orchard".

Off we went. It was indeed a very nice venue, all tastefully decorated for the launch of Strongbow. There were 2 varieties of cider- I can't even remember the names of them now. Plentiful food in the form of nibbly small things were on offer, & everyone was encouraged to help themselves to large cold glasses of cider.

It seemed to taste very nice, this new Cider drink. The four of us began to find it was in fact increasingly pleasant, as the evening wore on. It was a very warm evening, & the atmosphere was very romantic & convivial somehow. The food was delicious, & the Cider got better with each tasting.

The launch came to close, we all bade each other farewell. Strolling out into the night air the first hint swept over me. I suddenly felt a great deal less than sober! HYPH amitted he felt strange. Our friends were finding they had lost their vehicle. In fact they had lost all sense of direction! Another party had stumbled, fallen down, & couldn't even seem to find which direction was up!
Much laughter was heard all about the carpark.

It is a terrible thought now, but in those days it was almost acceptable to drive after functions such as those. Luckily we all made it home, but it taught me a few valuable lessons. One, was to never ever under any circumstances drink cider of any type again!
I can see why it is called StrongBow! It has the kick of a mule. The resultant hangover was what it must feel like after going 12 rounds of boxing!

Who would think that a drink made from the humble & innocent apple could wreak such havoc on a person's well being the next day! Monumental is how I would decribe the hangover. Not just my own hangover either. Comparing notes it was discovered a lot of us had been cured of the Cider light, forever.
Cider Rules for me, are Dont Ever Touch It!!
It didn't dampen my admiration for the Old Orchard, though, & I did attend another function there, & still enjoyed the atmosphere & ambience of the place again. I do believe it is still running today.
************************
It is another hot day here, & alarmingly 'bright'. In fact it is glaring!
We went out to some excellent garage sales, & I had a great day, with very generous finds.
I took this photo from the car, as I waited for my daughter. Just look at that blue sky.. blindingly beautiful, I would imagine, if you are in the northern grim grip of winter. It is very hot so the colours refect that fact, I rather feel.
I bought a brand new pair of sweet modern, leather shoes for my granddaughter, for $3. The girl they had been purchased for, refused to even try them on! Incredible. My DGD loves them, & my daughter wished they had been her size.
I found a wonderful small electronic 'computer' for our Grandson. He was so happy with it, & loves the fact it has a screen & a keyboard just like a laptop computer. That cost me $4.
Daughter J had been lamenting the fact that she didn't own a gravy boat, & I chanced upon one with a saucer for $1.
Gom found a novelty lamp he fell in love with, & I found a paper shredder, & some great books for both of us, for next to nothing. It was one of our better days.
I love meeting the people too, & saw the work of a woman who engraves glass. Just spectacular. She also paints so she is a very talented lady. Her husband is immensely proud of her art, he told us.

Aren't these trees lovely. That is a Eucalpyt, -Gum tree- to the left with a palm underneath. I don't know what the lime/yellow tree is, but I love them, & they are so fresh looking all summer.
Our daughter currently has no car, due to major breakdown of the damn thing..
I went & visited to deliver the treasures I had found, & stayed while she took the car, & did her shopping. Gom stayed home, & had a leisurely brunch, & kept the dogs company.
Now it is drowsily steamy & we are slumped about, trying to keep cool.
We won't be using Cider as a cool aid!!
The Yardbirds, Heart full of Soul.



27 comments:

Mary said...

When I was at Uni and had no money I had a night on the cider once.

ONCE.

I believe I drove the porcelain bus.

The Sagittarian said...

Haha, priceless! I guess the term "pacing oneself" is rather new then? Mind you, the ol' cider has been likened to an evil temptress...and those warm winds of an evening can certainly knock you one here in Canterbury! Thanks, Meggie, I will still indulge in Scrumpy but I do stop after the one bottle otherwise the result for me may well be the same as it was for you!!

meggie said...

BMM, And yawning the 'Technicolour Yawn", & "tossing the cookies", &
"Having the Rainbow Spout".
OMG, never again!
Or for very ancient Kiwis, "Consulting with Nordy" which involved hawking down the porcelain piece/phone, supposedly talking to a politician named Nordmeyer, who I think, may have been the Minister for Finance.

Sagi, I looked it up on Google, & see it is still there! It was so magical & dreamy back then. Had a sort of dreamy, 'Great Gatsby' feel to it.
And yes, it is the same one you know, at the foot of the Port Hills.

Anonymous said...

Meggie , Mary and I used brew Cider from the scrumptious apples off that huge tree in back yard -- Barry D. once got into several bottles with me ( despite my warning him of the dangers of overindulgence ) and fell asleep when he was supposed to be picking his beloved Sheryl up.He spent the night on our couch and various other places too !! He had several " Technicolour Yawns" over the course of the night . Strangely , Mary and I were never caught out -- caution overcame thirst , I guess !! It was a potent drop .

Anonymous said...

haha yeah a lesson we Brits learn before we reach the legal age for drinking. Cider used to be the tipple of choice in my teens and I soon learnt (the hard way) its power to convert my legs to jelly and make me feel like having a snog with anyone of any age, or gender within reach - they didnt' even need to be human - I once spent a happy five minutes kissing a postbox!

I haven't touched it (the cider that is, not the postbox!) in a very long time.

Joyce said...

Funny story. I get a headache with any alcohol so I won't be trying cider any time soon. Lol. Your scenery with the blue sky is amazing. We get very bright blue skies here in the winter but no green. One friend who had just arrived from Equador asked "Why is the sun shining, but there is no heat from it?" That's winter here.

ancient one said...

Glad you had a good yard sale trip. I actually went to a flea market on Thursday and came home with 4 books. I have told myself that I do not have room for anything more in this house, bargain or not! LOL

Tanya Brown said...

You have the most remarkable luck at yard sales and the like! I suppose one has to go fairly often and keep one's eyes open.

As for me, I'll be steering clear of the hard cider.

Linda G. said...

Obviously not the apple a day that keeps the doctor away! I've never tried hard cider and now, will never do so:) The establishment sounds like a wonderful place though..

Yard sales here are pretty much done in by winter weather, but the urge to hop in the car and search one out almost overcame me when reading of your finds..it is saturday morning here.

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Hahaha! I LOVE Cider. My drink of choice when I studied in UK. Not easy to get or cheap in Malaysia so I haven't really had much over the years but it's good stuff.

Mike said...

I have a friend who regularly makes homemade cider. It is good, but boy, does it ever have a kick. It kind of sneaks up on you too.

Ali Honey said...

Oh Meggie, You and your stories ( not to mention other's comments ) have a ring of the familair about them! That was NZ in the 60's and early 70s.

The beverage may have been different and the venue too but the behaviour sounds typical.The driving part sounds really scary now . Maybe I should write about Teacher's College Student parties some time. I think Nurses were worse and Massey Students certainly the most indulgent!

Sheila said...

I grew up in the part of England where cider is made...!
We used to go to one place out in the country and that was all they sold. But...you had to buy tickets, and they only allowed you two drinks.
I guess we all learn about cider the hard way...lol.

Andrea said...

My friends and I used to drink something called a red witch - consisting of blackcurrant juice, cider and pernod. Absolutely lethal - a couple of them and we didn't know what day of the week it was - lol ! Hangover from hell the next day. Oh - the joys of being 18.

Leslie: said...

Oh you WIMPS!!! LOL - cider is good on the rocks. That way it gets sort of diluted and you can sip away on one glass for a whole afternoon and just feel kind of laid back relaxed. Seriously, it's like drinking apple juice when you're thirsty and don't realize you've had too much until suddenly...oh-oh! :D

Pauline said...

Such lovely pictures of warmth and color are indeed welcome to those of us in the grim grip of winter.

And shopping garage sales is one of my favorite activities, too! This past summer I found a barely used popover pan in the free box. I'd been coveting just the same thing in an expensive kitchen catalog for years - my best deal yet!

Anonymous said...

A highly successful day of garage sale fossicking!

smilnsigh said...

"Now it is drowsily steamy & we are slumped about, trying to keep cool"

-smile- Another entry from a blog from 'down under.' Yes it does sound so different from us. Where it's cold and more snow predicted for Sunday night into Monday. :-)

Mmmmmm... I guess too much of any alcoholic drink, can do one in, hu? :-)

Mari-Nanci

Kelli said...

Ooo a wonderful day of shopping! How I love a bagain! Lucky you! The cider story was hilarious. I remember drinking Strongbow (on the odd occasion) as a uni student...yes it certainly lived up to it's name!
Have a great day,
Kelleigh

Lucy said...

Funny how different types of alcohol induce different types of drunkenness. Before the advent of alcopops it was indeed what Brits learned to get drunk on.
Popular country drink in Northern France too, and making it from all kinds of manky old apples about the last activity the old farmers give up. Much of it gets turned into Calva, of course, which fries the brain even more quickly!

riseoutofme said...

A misspent youth quafing bottles of cider has cured me of any desire to partake in the devil's brew ever again!

But maybe if the weather was warm and steamy here I might be tempted just a little!

Oh to feel the hot sun on the ancient bones!

Thimbleanna said...

Haha! I hope my youngest doesn't find that cider when he comes to Oz next month! Your skies look just beautiful -- especially when contrasted with our dreary gray winter skies.

Tanya said...

I'll remember your warning especially since I live in the apple country of the prefecture. NO Cider! (Actually I've never heard of the alcohol cider being made here. Lots of apple juice though.)

Q said...

Thank you for the cider story! I laughed and laughed.
Your trees are so pretty and your sky is bright! Bright and cold at my house. In six months it will be hotter than Hades.
Stay cool and I will stay warm!
Iced tea for you and hot tea for me.
Do you ever have butterflies in your gardens? I would enjoy seeing them. I also would love to know about your birds.
Hugs,
Sherry

Granny J said...

The best, actually, is cider that has just turned very slightly alcoholic, bubbly, with a bit of a zing. Not enough to really give you a hard time. Of course, we in the USA are Protected from such events by pasteurization of any cider one buys at the supermarket. The only ciders that can turn are those direct from the orchard.

Little Penpen said...

Good luck with the dog whisperer's advice. I think I need a dog whisperer sometimes. Our dogs seem to have the run of the house... we are trained, not them!

LBA said...

that's funny ?!

.. for some reason, which seems to have no basis in fact or truth or heresay or anything ... I always thought Cider was a popular drink in NZ !