The Cider Maker’s Manual

A Practical Hand-Book

By Jonathan Buell

This volume in the American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection was published in Buffalo in 1869. In early America, cider was the alcoholic beverage of choice—more popular than beer—and many people brewed it at home. This manual for making homemade hard cider was a complete guide to the entire process, from growing the apples to pressing the fruit and creating various drinks.

For most of its early history, America was awash in cider, the most popular drink of the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally a farmer’s drink, it was a staple on farms and plantations in the colonies and an intimate part of everyday life for all citizens from Revolutionary War soldiers to elite landowners and officials. John Adams drank it every morning to settle his stomach, and politicians gave it away at rallies to gain popularity. Although not much is know about the author, Jonathan Buell’s guide includes everything you need to know about homemade cider from growing the apples to building cider mills and presses, fermenting and refining the cider, converting it to wine and champagne, and creating summer beverages and fancy vinegars.

This edition of The Cider Maker’s Manual was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the Society is a research library documenting the life of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The Society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection includes approximately 1,100 volumes.