Time flies indeed.
It was almost a year ago that Strongbow, the number one global cider brand, introduced its 3 new variants namely Strongbow Apple Ciders Gold, Strongbow Apple Ciders Honey, and Strongbow Apple Ciders Elderflower in Malaysia.
Now, to celebrate the upcoming festive season, Strongbow has unveiled the Strongbow Apple Ciders Red Berries, the latest variant to join in the ranks of its refreshing range of apple ciders.
The Strongbow Apple Ciders Red Berries is a perfect refreshing summer beverage as it finishes sweet with crisp apple blended with hints of lemon notes to stand up to the sweetness of tangy mixed berries.
Made with premium berries, the Strongbow Apple Ciders Red Berries is a full-flavoured deep Rosé apple cider that is juicy with hints of delicate berry flavours. The sweetness of the apples is well-balanced by the acidity of the red fruits as well. With an alcohol content of 4.5% ABV, it has a long finish and mild aftertaste of culinary apples.
On 4th November (Wednesday), Stongbow ignited our taste buds by inviting guests to embark on a gastronomical journey at Cantaloupe, Troika Sky Dining.
We were invited to discover and indulge in a series of exciting cuisines paired with the respective Strongbow Apple Ciders variants including Gold, Honey, Elderflower, and Red Berries.
A 4-course meal was speacially customised by Cantaloupe and it seamlessly paired well with Strongbow Apple Ciders’ luscious range.
Guests were welcomed with a round of 3 appetisers including:
- Fresh oyster paired with ginger flower and ceviche espum
- Rye blinis that is made with trout roe, cauliflower cream and layered with truffle egg foam
- Almond panna cotta topped with Avruga caviar and smoked maple syrup finish.
The Strongbow Apple Ciders’ natural fruitiness, refreshing taste, and carbonation add a little light to heavy meals and prepare the palate for a new bite.
Our gastronomic food pairing journey kicked off with the pan seared scallop diced with apple and black sesame purée that was paired with the lightest taste of Strongbow Apple Ciders, the Gold variant. The refined sweet and crisp apple bite invigorated a longer taste of the scallop’s apple dice, giving it a long finish.
Topped with mushroom custard, the 2nd dish is Hokkigai and grilled mushroom that was crowned with green peas and mixed with melon. It paired extremely well with the Gold variant as well.
The exquisite combination of the Hokkigai and the green apple note of the apple cider truly reflected the cider’s quality and taste.
Coalesced flawlessly with the Strongbow Apple Ciders Elderflower, the next food pairing course was the smoked salmon, confit potato with crème fraîche, horseradish, and salmon roe garnished with chives. With a bite of salmon and potato, the zesty infusion of fresh lime flavour and sweet floral aroma, along with hints of Muscat and fresh litchi fruits captured the freshness of the smoked salmon meat.
The 2nd dish paired with this Elderflower variant was the crab and pomelo mayo in a watermelon jalapeño pepper gazpacho. The variant exuded the fruity aroma of the pomelo, while it enhanced the texture of the crab meat.
Guests moved on the next pairing course and savoured the marriage of the Strongbow Apple Ciders Honey and hickory smoked wagyu beef tenderloin coated with balsamic glaze and tempura mushroom. The saccharine aroma of honey sealed in the flavour of the wagyu beef, while maintaining the crisp taste of apple cider.
The 2nd paired dish is the breaded organic chicken with chicken skin, date purée, chicken jus, garnished with spring onions. Not only did it harmonise perfectly with the Honey variant, the refreshing hint of rhubarb presented a fruity finish to the texture of the breaded chicken, further complementing the chicken jus and date purée.
As the evening drew to an end, the Strongbow Apple Ciders Red Berries sparked a full body taste to the afters dish while local singer Talitha Tan and her band performed to the guests.
Paired with the Nitrogen (N2) cherry cheese cake, macerated cherry, lemon crumble and mini mix fruit Pavlova with passionfruit cream, the delicate berry and strawberry juices invoked a cerise plummy blossom twist, giving it a blissful and sweet end to the night.
“To celebrate the year end festivities, Strongbow Apple Ciders has introduced the Red Berries to give consumers a wider, unique choice to complement the Gold, Honey and Elderflower variants,” said Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director of Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB).
He also said:
Through this specialised gastronomical experience, consumers are able to unlock the different layers of taste and flavours of both food and Strongbow Apple Ciders.
“The versatile, crisp and accessible taste of Strongbow Apple Ciders makes it easy to pair with any dish, be it a classic or contemporary,” he added.
With over 125 years of cider-making heritage, Strongbow has continuously retained the crisp and refreshing flavour profile that consumers crave by selecting the finest apples for their cider recipes. Being the number one cider brand in the world, it is constantly adapting and inventing newer and more exciting variants for cider lovers.
To fully enjoy Strongbow Apple Ciders, it is customary to have the bottle well-chilled at around 3° to 4°Celcius. Dubbed as “The Perfect Serve”, the following are the steps for maximum refreshment:
- Fill a Strongbow glass with approximately 1/3 of ice cubes;
- Take a chilled bottle of Strongbow and pour over ice;
- Serve on a Strongbow coaster and present the bottle alongside.
All variants of Strongbow Apple Ciders are gluten-free and are bottled in a sleek 330ml embossed pint bottle.
The Strongbow Apple Ciders Red Berries will be on sale for a limited time only at bars, restaurants, and supermarkets from mid-November 2015 to February 2016 (while stock lasts). As for the Strongbow Apple Ciders Gold, Honey and Elderflower, they are sold year-round at various outlets.
For more information, visit Strongbow’s official website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
