Calvados

. . . The Calvados slid down her throat like buttery apple cider. She tasted a hint of vanilla and rum raisin and started to smack her lips. Then the brandy hit her belly!

‘Whoa!’ Breathing fire, she fanned the air and regarded her empty shot glass with awe. ‘That is some potent stuff!’”

Stranded with a Spy by Merline Lovelace, 2007.

 

Do you remember Tim Meadows as "The Ladies Man" and his Courvosier?

French brandy has always had sort of “snooty” air, maybe because it's always the British upper class you imagine drinking it. You imagine older men wearing smoking jackets and holding snifters and cigars. It's especially true of Cognac, the most famous of French brandies, and increasingly so of Armagnac, Cognac's former country cousin. But what about Calvados, the apple brandy from Normandy?

Some producers have tried to transform Calvados into an elegant sophisticated drink, but the best versions keep a rustic character. It's the difference between wine, from which Cognac and Armagnac are distilled, and cider, from which Calvados is distilled.And of course, Calvados has historically been a drink of the French workingman. It’s always been the sort of 7:00 am eye-opener that would make a The Ladies Man shudder.

What is Calvados?

Calvados is a variety of brandy made from apples (and sometimes pears). Like Champagne, the fruit must be grown in Normandy in northern France to be called Calvados. 

Calvados starts as an apple cider, made by fermenting apples. It’s then distilled and aged in oak casks, where it is required to remain for at least two years to be properly classified as Calvados under the AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée). There are around 400 producers in the region, each of whom has their own special combination of apple varieties and ageing processes.

How is it different than Cognac?

The ingredients are different. Cognac is made from distilling white wine (and therefore grapes), while Calvados is made from cider and therefore apples. You might not be able to tell from tasting it that Cognac originates from wine, it's impossible to miss the apple in Calvados, which gives people a sense of familiarity with the product.

According to the AOC, Cognac must be made from 90% Ugni Blanc grapes (known as Trebbiano in Italy) and a small selection of others can make up the rest. Calvados, however, is much more diverse. There are around 300 different varieties of apples available under the Calvados AOC, and the list is constantly growing. You just need to prove that the apples you are using are native to the Normandy region. Therefore, distillers can use dozens of different varieties of apples to make just one expression of Calvados.

You’ll never be surprised by Cognac. You’ll never find that small farmer that makes his own Cognac. That doesn't exist because the market is too mature. Around six million bottles of Calvados are produced each year, compared to 200 million bottles of Cognac.

The divide between Cognac and Calvados production goes beyond ingredients and production methods and into the early modern era. During the 18th century, King Louis XIV passed a law that forbade people from Normandy from exporting Calvados outside the region because one of his ministers was from Cognac. Because of his actions, investment and therefore production of Calvados stagnated while Cognac exports went through the roof.

Also, a lot of the great Cognac houses were created by British owners who loved the taste of traditional French eau de vie (clear, colorless fruit brandy). The founder of Martell, for example, was a merchant from Jersey in the British Channel Islands and the founder of Hennesy was an Irish military officer. Calvados, though, was a very local product for local people, so it was never very intense in terms of business.

How do you serve Calvados?

Calvados makes a good apéritif or digéstif. The traditional way to enjoy Calvados is as an after-dinner drink. But, you can enjoy it like you would a good whiskey. You can enjoy it after dinner but also before a meal. Serve it in a tulip-shaped glass to trap the aromas and drink it neat without ice for maximum flavor. Small wine glasses are also fine.

However, after-dinner drinks aren't exactly a trend with young people these days. Hipsters prefer aperitifs or spritz-type drinks. Calvados goes great in cocktails, though. It's one of the spirits in classic cocktails like the Jack Rose, which you can find in any good classical cocktail bar.

What do you eat with it, and what is the 'Trou Normand'?

Drinking Calvados during a meal is very traditional. People in Normandy used to drink it during meals because it would renew their appetite. It's what they call a Trou Normand or 'Norman hole' because it creates a new hole in your belly!

So what food pairs with the apple liquor? Calvados can be drunk with an entire meal. A few small sips are enough to stimulate the palate and bring out the flavor of many dishes. It’s excellent with meat dishes (roast pork with apples, leg of lamb, duckling with honey), seafood (skate, trout with almonds, scallops) and served with a fruit plate filled with apples and pears (obviously), peaches, prunes, grapes and apricots.