Cider
Cider is an ancient beverage. No-one knows when or where it was first made, because the native distribution of its principal component, the apple, is so widespread, from the Near East to Northwestern Europe. In the cider market, ciders can be broken down into two main styles, standard and specialty. The first group consists of modern ciders and heritage ciders. Modern ciders are produced from culinary apples such as Gala. Heritage ciders are produced from heritage, cider specific, crab or wild apples, like Golden Russet. Historically, cider was made from the only resources available to make it, so style wasn't a large factor when considering the production process. Apples were historically confined to the cooler climates of Western Europe and Britain where civilization was slow to develop record keeping. Cider was first made from crab apples, ancestors of the bittersweet and bittersharp apples used by today's English cider makers.
Ice cider
Ice cider is typically served as an apéritif before a meal or along with a cheese plate or dessert after a meal. Its higher alcohol content and more expensive production process lead to it typically being sold in 375mL bottles (half the size of a typical wine bottle), but 200mL bottles are growing in popularity. It is described as being "rich in apple flavors" but the taste can vary greatly depending on the origin of the cider and the method of production used. Cryoextraction in particular, being the more expensive of the two produces a cider with a more complex flavor, including "caramel and spice notes" among others.