Too parochial

During colonial times, apple cider was consumed as the main beverage with meals, because water was often unsafe for drinking.

Somewhere around the time of Prohibition, the word cider came to mean sparkling apple juice, possibly through the influence of Martinelli's sparkling apple cider, which was once touted specifically as "non-alcoholic cider". Martinelli's is sold as "cider" or "juice" depending on regional preference of the term; in other parts of the United States, the word "cider" means, simply, unfiltered, unfermented apple juice.

Despite this, alcoholic cider is produced in the United States, especially in New England and upstate New York. Woodchuck cider, from Vermont, is one of the most common brands in the northeastern US, though the most known national brand is Cider Jack.