Calvados is a type of brandy. It is made from apple or apple-pear cider by distillation. But the resulting distilled drink can not be considered Calvados, until it is drawn in an oak barrel for at least 2-3 years. Elite varieties of the drink are aged for more than 5 years, some even for 12 and 15 years. The more exposure, the darker the color of the drink, the richer its bouquet and the more interesting the aftertaste. Not all winemakers have the right to label their products in an appropriate way (like Calvados), but only those in the territory of Lower Normandy (France) and producing it from fruits grown here. Despite the fact that the production of the drink is regulated by strict rules, the rules on how to drink Calvados do not exist. There are only a few recommendations for its use.
General recommendations
Calvados fans know how to drink it in order to enjoy its delicious bouquet to the maximum extent.
- Calvados retains a significant amount of the substances contained in apples. They contribute to increased appetite and better digestion of food. Ordinary varieties of Calvados are served as an aperitif. It is also common to fill in the pause between meals during lunch with this drink. Elite varieties of Calvados can be offered as a digestif, that is, after eating.
- For the tasting of Calvados, tulip-shaped glasses are best suited, the narrowed neck of which allows you to preserve the aroma of the drink. A good choice would be brandy snifters.
- Do not try to cool Calvados before use - it will prevent to feel its delicate and multifaceted flavor. The optimal temperature of the drink is 18-22 degrees. Before you sip Calvados, you need to warm his palms.
Additionally, it should be said that a noisy club or a crowded party is not the best atmosphere for tasting Calvados. It is better to drink it in a narrow circle of friends, enjoying silence and sedate conversation.
What to eat Calvados
Like most varieties of brandy, Calvados goes well with fruits and desserts: sweet pastries, ice cream, chocolate.
The taste of the drink successfully set off wheat bread and cheese.
Gourmets claim that they also approach meat dishes - provided that they are served under fruit or berry sauce.
Calvados can drink coffee.
Ordinary varieties of this type of alcohol are often used to prepare various cocktails.
Cocktail “Angel Hope”
Composition:
- Calvados - 20 ml;
- gin - 20 ml;
- orange liqueur - 20 ml;
- crushed ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Put the ingredients along with crushed ice in a shaker glass.
- Shake the shaker vigorously several times, mixing its contents.
- Strain the resulting mixture, pour into a cocktail glass.
You can decorate the drink with a slice of orange or a spiral of orange peel.
Cocktail “Pleasant Adventure”
Composition:
- Calvados - 20 ml;
- gin - 20 ml;
- grapefruit juice - 20 ml;
- ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Place the ingredients in the shaker tank.
- Add ice and mix by shaking vigorously several times.
- Strain the drink, pour it into a cocktail glass.
A lemon slice or a cocktail cherry will serve as a successful cocktail decoration.
Apple Cocktail
Composition:
- Calvados - 30 ml;
- gin - 20 ml;
- apple juice - 40 ml;
- lemon juice - 5 ml;
- crushed ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Pour gin, calvados and fruit juices into the shaker's glass.
- Add ice and whip the contents of the glass.
- Strain the cocktail into the glass.
Drink served with a straw. It has a pronounced taste and aroma of an apple.
Cocktail “Hawaiian Apple”
Composition:
- Calvados - 40 ml;
- cherry brandy - 15 ml;
- pineapple - 15 g;
- pineapple juice - 20 ml;
- ice cubes - to taste;
- cocktail cherry - 1 pc.
Method of preparation:
- Pineapple cut into small cubes, put them for 10 minutes in the freezer.
- Mix both types of brandy and juice in a shaker, add ice there, strain.
- Put pineapple pieces and ice cubes in a cocktail glass or a rox.
- Pour in the drink.
Before serving, the drink is decorated with a cocktail berry, and a swizzle stick (stirring stick) is put in a glass. You can also serve the drink in a martini glass.
Apple Blossom Cocktail
Composition:
- Calvados - 30 ml;
- apple juice - 20 ml;
- lemon juice - 10 ml;
- maple syrup - 5 ml;
- a slice of lemon - 1 pc.
Method of preparation:
- Combine two types of juice, calvados and syrup, stir in a shaker.
- Pour into a glass. Decorate the edge of the glass with a slice of lemon.
A cocktail with a sweet-sour taste and apple aftertaste is easy to drink and looks beautiful.
Cocktail “Boston”
Composition:
- Calvados - 30 ml;
- gin - 10 ml;
- Scotch whiskey - 10 ml;
- crushed ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Place the ingredients in a shaker bowl and shake well.
- Pour into a glass through a fine sieve, then fill a high stack with a cocktail.
A cocktail prepared according to this recipe is strong, but with a rich bouquet and a unique aftertaste.
Frozen Apple Cocktail
Composition:
- Calvados - 60 ml;
- lime - 1 pc .;
- chicken egg - 1 pc .;
- sugar - 10 g;
- crushed ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Lime wash, dry with a napkin, cut in half. From each half of lime, cut into a thin cup, squeeze out the rest of the fruit.
- Wash the egg with soap and, breaking, separate the yolk from the protein.
- Using a mixer, beat egg white in a thick foam. The yolk is not required, it can be used for cooking other dishes.
- Crush sugar in a coffee grinder to a state of powder.
- Combine Calvados, lime juice, beaten protein and powdered sugar in a mixer bowl, whisk.
- Add crushed ice and whisk again.
- Fill glasses with cocktail, dividing it into two portions. Glasses are decorated with lime slices.
A cocktail will look even more beautiful if you make a frost of powdered sugar along the edge of the glass. To do this, it needs to be greased with fruit juice and immersed in powdered sugar, then put on the table and filled with cooked drink. The straw here, too, will not be superfluous.
Cocktail “Creamy Calvados”
Composition:
- Calvados - 100 ml;
- cream - 50 ml;
- egg white - 1 pc .;
- pineapple syrup - 10 ml;
- crushed ice - to taste;
- white chocolate - for decoration.
Method of preparation:
- Separate the white from the yolk and whip into a thick foam.
- Combine with cream, whip ingredients together.
- Add pineapple syrup, calvados and ice. Combine with protein-cream mass, mix with a mixer.
- Rub the chocolate, getting fine chips.
It remains to fill the glasses with a cocktail, sprinkle it with chocolate chips. Cocktail served with a straw. The creamy flavor of this drink in combination with pineapple aroma and apple notes of calvados is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. In any case, the ladies like it.
Calvados was loved by many famous personalities, film characters and heroes of literary works. Everyone can appreciate the taste and aroma of this legendary drink today. Calvados can be consumed in its pure form or used to make alcoholic cocktails.
