Serious Cocktails: Rediscovering Calvados and Other Apple Brandies
Since the autumn transition is now official, I’m taking a seasonal approach to my liquor cabinet. The white booze, like the white shoes, has been packed away until the warm months roll around again.
OK, that’s not entirely true. Good gin is a year-round pleasure, and sometimes you need a daiquiri or two during the winter to remind you that summer does indeed exist. But now that the nights are cooler and the leaves are starting to change, I’m looking at aged spirits with renewed enthusiasm, and one style of spirit in particular: Calvados.
In today’s Washington Post, drink columnist Jason Wilson touches on a theme he started last fall: the often-overlooked apple brandy from Normandy. He recounts how he first discovered the spirit in a noisy airport restaurant during a lackluster business trip to France.
Suddenly, I felt warm and happy and laughed at myself for being down; I mean, please, I was on a business trip to France, not Des Moines. I must have spent the entire second half of the soccer game [on the restaurant’s TV] with that glass, and I went back to my room a little less lonely.
While my introduction to Calvados occurred under more prosaic circumstances, I’m no less fond of the spirit. But as Wilson notes, this love of the rich apple brandy is not yet shared by many American restaurants. He writes:
Where else are people supposed to learn to taste fine, top-end spirits? Yet there frequently is a lack of creativity or even thought put into these offerings. We hear so much about Scotch and cognac, and rightly so. But Calvados provides a similarly sophisticated and complex experience.
Fortunately, some restaurants and an increasing number of bars are rediscovering the charms of Calvados and other apple brandies. Are you a fan of Calvados? Which brands and styles do you like?
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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10 Comments:
I am a big fan. I've been drinking it since high school (just small sips back then). I first had it at home, then again when I was on a high school exchange trip in Bretagne, France. I went to a crepe restaurant there (well, galette, really) and my dessert crepe was doused in Calvado and lit on fire. But mostly the alcohol didn't burn off and my 16 year old self got drunk on a crepe. I just bought a bottle last weekend and man was it expensive! But I opened it up last night and it is very good (aged only 6 years). I do prefer it to Calvados or Scotch for its enigmatic fragrance and gentle burn.
laurelie at 5:38PM on 09/23/09
sorry. I meant I prefer Calvados to Cognac or Scotch.
laurelie at 5:47PM on 09/23/09
also a big fan... especially of several American versions... Germain Robin and St. George Spirits both make wonderful brandies that exceed most of the calvados that I can find retail out here in CA.
armstrks at 6:11PM on 09/23/09
I love Calvados during the winter. It nursed me through a bad period two winters ago (or I guess I should say that I nursed it...). It's probably not the most sophisticated way to drink it, but I used to have hot toddies made with it. Very comforting.
firni at 9:50PM on 09/23/09
don't forget about Pommeau! it's super yummy.
if people don't know what it is, it's apple cider with Calvados added.
it's analogous to Pineau des Charentes, the grape version. which is also super yummy and a lot more common.
dbisping at 10:22PM on 09/23/09
I bought a bottle in my late teens when I read about it an article in Esquire (or some similar mag). I brought it to my brother as a housewarming present, and we cracked it open. Way too potent for me back then. For all I know, I bought a lousy brand.
I'm still intrigued by it, and though I'm not much of a drinker, I have since developed a sometimes taste for Courvoisier, I'd be really interested to hear from others what I should look for next time I'm in the liquor store.
DaveFaris at 11:50PM on 09/23/09
I was introduced to apple brandy this spring. My favorite is from Foggy Ridge Ciders in Virginia. Nothing like seeing where what you drink is made!
ohnofullmoon at 2:51AM on 09/24/09
I've got a nice bottle of calvados from some monastery in Normandy. I love the stuff, but my wife is no fan. Oh well-- just means more for me. And as the nights turn cooler, I'm looking forward to fires in the backyard with a pommeau or three.
MarvinDog at 12:44PM on 09/24/09
When deglazing a pan of onions while making french onion soup, this is an excellent choice as is applejack.
Pavlov at 10:12PM on 09/24/09
too strong for me...
MadelynRodriguez at 1:51AM on 09/25/09