Halloween Candy & Portland Cider Pairings
Halloween is one of our favorite holidays because it’s at the peak of our favorite season - Autumn. Give us all the scary movies and rainy nights in, cozying up by the fire with a blanket and cold (or hot!) pint of cider.
This Halloweekend, don’t be afraid to pair your Portland Cider Co. favorites with your sweet treats! Balance your sweet tooth with a nice and dry cider, bring out the fruity and tart cider characteristics with some of your favorite trick-or-treat goodies, or just have fun with making your own cider and candy pairing to share with friends (or not - we don’t judge).
Mounds: Pineapple Rosé
We’ll be honest - this blog post and all its pairings are inspired by a blog written a couple of years ago by our friends at Ciderculture: How to Pair Cider with Halloween Candy. They made this pairing recommendation first, back when our Pineapple Rosé was just a straight-forward Pineapple cider (hold the blueberries/rosé hue). They said it best: “If you love coconut and chocolate together, you’re going to love this pairing.” Mounds’ cousin - the Almond Joy - will also do the trick, but the dark chocolate really does sing with the juicy, fresh pineapple juice.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: Perfect 10
A crew favorite, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are a go-to around here for Halloween. The sugary, peanut butter filling requires a stiff drink to hold up to it. With lots of body, bold tannins, and an off-dry sweetness profile, our Perfect 10 cider is the perfect pairing. ;)
Caramel Apple: Pumpkin Spice
As a child, owner Jeff’s favorite trick-or-treating neighborhood had one house that always served up caramel apples. They’re a tradition in the Parrish family every Halloween, enjoyed best with a mug of hot mulled cider, which is of course made with our Pumpkin Spice cider for the adults.
Sour Patch Kids: Sangria
A fruit punch for grown-ups, our Sangria cider is full of all the fruits you find in Sour Patch Kids. With the perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the acidity of this tart treat, this combination works well together. Each bite and sip elevates the flavors! Also works well with SweetTarts.
Babe Ruth: Concord Grape
PB&J lovers - this one is for you! Kick it up a notch with the well-loved Peanut Butter Whiskey cider cocktail created by our fans, made with our Concord Grape cider and Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey.
Twizzlers: PDX Community Cider
The subtle cherry notes in the PDX Community Cider explode on your tongue with this pairing! Every year, we collect backyard apples, pears, and other fruits to make up our annual PDX Community Cider release. The flavor varies from batch to batch, but it’s always wild and fruit-forward, lending itself well to pairings with fruity candies like Twizzlers or other gummies.
Kinda Dry and Kit Kat
You can’t go wrong with a classic! Give your taste buds a break from all the sweetness and finish the night with our flagship Kinda Dry cider. At almost zero residual sugars, our Kinda Dry is more “dry” than “kinda,” which is just what you’re gonna need if you attempt this whole list.
So while the kids may get the trick-or-treating fun, this 21+ hard cider and candy pairing is just what your Halloween weekend calls for. Have fun!