In the 17th and 18th centuries, hard cider (or fermented apple cider) was more popular in America than beer. But then it basically died after prohibition was repealed in 1933.

Now, some 73 years later, a 38-year-old entrepreneurial spirit, Gidon Coll, is pounding the sidewalks of New York City about six to eight hours a day in an effort to entice bars, restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, gourmet garages – and practically anyone who will listen – that hard cider is in again. And more specifically, they should sell Original Sin Cider, a concoction of Granny Smith apples and champagne yeast. The cider, devoid of artificial colors or flavors, has a 6% alcoholic content and sells for $9.99 a six-pack.

Mr. Coll’s company, which bears the same name as the cider, was started in February 1999. Pounding the pavement has really paid off. Original Sin, launched in the city five years ago, is now sold in more than 400 outlets in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Included are Gristedes; the White Horse Tavern, one of the city’s best saloons; Whole Foods; Balducci’s; the Ginger Man, and Key Foods. Fresh Direct also sells the product.

To be successful in the city’s fiercely competitive beverage industry normally requires a great deal of financing, hype, and considerable backup. Original Sin has none of these. Mr. Coll, Israeli-born and one of three sons of Dr. Raymond Coll, a prominent Big Apple neurologist, has beaten the odds. He’s a one-employee business, having started it with minimal finances. “I do everything,” he says, “answer the phone, salesman, and participate in the manufacturing.” The cider is produced in a plant in Middlebury, Vt., and is distributed by a Budweiser distributor. His promotional activity is also pretty modest, confined to posters and T-shirts.

Mr. Coll, described admiringly by one of his major customers as the “sin cider kid,” figures he’s got terrific growth prospects, in good part because hard cider sales in America are basically miniscule compared to overseas. For example, he notes that hard cider sales this year will approach $1 billion in England, versus only about $60 million in America. The beverage is also popular in such countries as France, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, and is increasing its foreign base by penetrating other countries such as Germany, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

“Hard cider could easily be a $500 million a year category in America,” Mr. Coll says. That’s a far cry from Original Sin’s volume, which he estimates should run this year about $500,000 to $600,000, versus $300,000 last year.

Why a possible doubling of sales growth? “Because hard cider tastes good, everybody likes it, it’s made from a natural product, and apples go with the current lifestyle,” he says. He notes, too, that one city newspaper rated Original Sin the top American cider in a blind taste test of 21 ciders. Mr. Coll, who attended Cornell University, developed the recipe in conjunction with the college’s food services division.

About 60% of Original Sin’s 2005 sales came from New York City, but that number is expected to drop to about 50% this year, given expansion of the product into such states as Ohio, Florida, Georgia, and Maine. Last year, Original Sin added six new states to its base, among them New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Virginia.

About 40 companies produce hard cider domestically, with the fragmented industry dominated by eight brands, mostly regional.

Interestingly, Mr. Coll’s entry into the hard cider business is his third career. His first was on Wall Street, where he was a biotechnology analyst. After that, he joined the ranks of the city’s apparel makers, producing caps and T-shirts under the corporate name Modern Blues.

His goal: “I’d like cider nationally to increase 10-fold and have a significant niche within it.”

How come he picked hard cider as a business career since he’s no big consumer of the product personally? “It came to me one day when I was in a downtown bar,” Mr. Coll recalls. “I realized malt beverages were dying out and thought that could spur renewed interest in hard cider.” As for the name, he says, “The first thing that came to my mind was the first or original sin, as in Adam and Eve.”

To make it in New York with a new beverage, some food experts say, a miracle is required. Mr. Coll has proved miracles are still alive and well in the Big Apple. Or put another way, the sin cider kid is on a roll.