Good point.
Is there a way to get it to attenuate less? The solution for mead is add more sugar than the yeast can handle. But it also means the beverage is higher abv. Swimbo has been hinting at ciders for a while now so it behooves me to take an interest.
It's tough with straight cider since most yeasts will dry it out even if extra sugar is added.
I do not know of a way to have the yeast attenuate less.
There are 4 ways to drink carbonated sweet cider.
1 - Ferment to dry, sweeten to taste, add priming sugar, carb in bottle and stove-top pasteurize.
2 - Ferment to desired sweetness. Cold crash and clear in fridge, then add priming sugar, carb in bottle and stove-top pasteurize.
3 - Ferment to dry, clear for a while to drop most yeast, stabilize, sweeten to taste, then force carb in keg. You can bottle forced carbed drinks; if the keg is very cold you lose little fizz.
4 - Ferment to dry, add priming sugar, bottle carb, then when drinking sweeten to taste with, sugar, sugar substitute, apple juice, or apple concentrate.
I prefer the 4th method as I can adjust the sweetness depending on my mood. Sometimes I want a dry, sometimes a little sweet. Some guests may even want sweeter cider. I can cover all individual tastes when I pour. Either method is about the same total effort.