Apples and pears.

[Mikkanjazza]

What the hell is pear cider? Is it just another name for perry? And surely by definition cider has to be made from apples?

[heathfield]

Actually, Perry is another name for pear cider, thought up, it would seem, to disguise what it really is. Pear ciders have been produced for hundreds of years, using not just any old pears, but varieties called ''perry pears''. Some ciders can taste remarkably like champagne, and Babycham was a ''champagne perry'' that took advantage of this until the name Champagne was granted geographic certification.

[Mikkanjazza]

The point I was trying to make (badly perhaps) is that the dictionary definition of cider is an alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice - so if you use pears, it can't be cider.

[heathfield]

Yep. by definition it can't be ''cider'', but it can be legitimately called ''pear cider''. The production process is identical - the only difference is the fruit used. Have a look at Wikipedia on Perry

[spudqueen]

Last week when out with some friends, when it was my round one of the girls asked for a bottle of pear cider. When I was at the bar I said that I'd been asked for a bottle of pear cider but I was going to ask for a bottle of perry as that's what I thought it was, and the landlord agreed with me. So you're not the only one.

[bushbaby_de]

I assumed perry was rebranded as pear cider to appeal to the chavs who didn't know what perry was!