Sammy Hagar has Cabo Wabo tequila.  Marilyn Manson won gold in 2008 for his Mansinthe Absinthe.  Now Oxford’s The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band has Rabbit Foot Spasm Band cider. It all started last summer at the very wet Faringdon Festival where The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm band was headlining. Rory Souter, of the Cotswold Cider Company met Stuart Macbeth, the bandleader and an idea evolved to launch the band’s own cider.

They felt cider drinkers were being ‘short changed’ at the summer festivals. The fans deserved ‘real’ cider. With a second album due out this summer, the cider is perfectly timed to prep for those warm (wet) weather festivals. Why launch an album with a single when you can launch it with a cider?

The cider is a limited edition of the Cotswold Cider Co.’s ‘No Brainer 500’ with a retro label designed by Lee Hiom. Lee was tasked with creating an ‘eccentric’ looking label with vintage style that matched the band’s music.

Rory Souter makes the cider using regionally grown Dabinett and Browns apples.
The colour is pale amber. The bright apple aroma is deceptively sweet. The cider itself is dry and fresh with a bit of sparkle. It is a clean and refreshing drink.

The official launch of the cider is Saturday, 9 February 2013 at the Big Bang in the Oxford Castle Quarter, where the Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band will play a smattering of original work. Tickets are £7 from wegottickets.com/event/201546.

It promises to be a foot stomping throw down with plenty of cider to go around, however, as it warns on the bottle, ‘Beware the spasm . . . ‘

If you can’t make the launch, Rabbit Foot Spasm Band Cider can be purchased at OxFork on Magdalen Road and the Grog Shop on Walton Street.