Drink: Crispin apple cider

It's apple season now - both in the local orchards my family loves to frequent, and also in my glass. So the timing couldn't be better for Crispin, a bright new hard cider from Colfax, Calif., that debuted this month in local bars and bottle shops.

Unlike many big-label competitors, Crispin is made from 100 percent pressed juice apples, with no added sugar or concentrate. And it's noticeably lighter in color. That doesn't mean weak flavor, though. This cider may have a lightness of weight, but it delivers a vivid apple sweetness on the nose, and a long dry finish of real fruit and skin-peel tannins, lingering even above the recommended glass of ice.

Even more intriguing, though, is Crispin's potential as a cocktail mixer. Go for a cider Mimosa, or experiment with various beers, using it to soften a hoppy I.P.A., or add the extra-complexity of bright fruit and levity to a rich imperial stout, like the Ten Fidy from Oskar Blues that I layered like ganache on top. Not a bad way at all to keep apple season alive all year.

- Craig LaBan
Crispin apple cider, $5-$6 a pint in better local bars (like London, P.O.P.E., or McGillin's), or $9-$10 for a four-pack in bottle stores such as Monde Market (100 S. 21st St., just south of Chestnut.)