Hard cider is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the juice of fruit, usually apples. The addition of "hard" in its name is used to distinguish this drink from its non-alcoholic counterpart, apple cider, which is made by pressing apples to produce juice.
In many parts of Europe and America, hard cider is known as simply "cider." Until the 20th century, the term "cider" referred to the alcoholic drink. Juice companies began using "cider" to label freshly pressed apple juice, and as a result, the term "hard cider" was adopted by some to highlight the difference between the two beverages.
