Of course, cider in those days was probably real cider. That is, fermented apples. True cider has an alcohol content similar to most beers today. Cider was a staple drink here in New England during colonial times and for many years thereafter.
During the 20th century, as Prohibition picked up steam, apple juice began to be marketed as "cider" and nowadays, most people assume that apple cider and apple juice are the same thing.
We press REAL cider on the Farm. Under our own label and custom labels too. Sometimes preservatives are added for supermarket chains, (argh!)
Fermented "real" cider has quite a KICK to it! &;-)