Calvados is a noble and courageous drink, without a hint of delicacy and sweetness. In fact, it is a brandy, the same as cognac.
France has given the world of gluttony and gourmand many delicious drinks. If we leave aside the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, then perhaps the most famous are champagne and cognac. These drinks are named after the provinces in which they are produced. But there are no less worthy ones - Armagnac of Gasconand and Calvados from Normandy.
Calvados - the drink is noble and courageous, without a hint of delicacy and sweetness. In fact, this is a brandy, the same as cognac, only from apples, not grapes.
Calvados, cavesdenormandie.com
Experts understand the name brandy as a product obtained by distilling mash, made from grapes or fruits without aromatic and flavoring additives.
To get a liter of Calvados with a strength of 70 degrees, you need 18 kilograms of apples. The production of this drink takes half of the Normandy apple harvest every year.
Harvesting apples in Normandy, vineandtable.com
Normans and Bretons have long driven and drank apple brandy. There is a legend that the name of the Calvados region comes from the warped El Salvador … This was the name of a ship from the Spanish Armada that crashed off the rocky shores of Normandy during a campaign against Protestant England in 1588. It is said that local residents celebrated this event without sparing the apple moonshine. It was drunk young and tart, right after the first distillation.
Wine shop in Normandy, holidaym.ru
Basically, Calvados is drunk after a meal as a digestif - it is believed to aid digestion. However, Normandy also has a long tradition of serving calvados between courses, which helps to cope with a hearty meal. This custom, which originated in times of abundant feasts, is called "Le trou normand" (Norman hole).
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Calvados came to Paris, was liked by the people of the capital, and the technology of its production was improved. In 1942, he was awarded the mark "Appellation d'origine controlee" (controlled appellation of origin), as well as cognac and armagnac before. The French have come up with a special regulatory system that controls the product by territory of origin and manufacturing technology.
For example, only a drink made in one of the three zones of Normandy from 48 certain varieties of apples, double distillation, spent in an oak barrel for at least a year, can be called Calvados. Cider (apple mash) intended for distillation should contain 40% sweet, 40% bitter and 20% sour apples.
Experts claim that the best Calvados do in the area Pays d'Auge, not far from Deauville. They are more aromatic, thicker and more oily.
Calvados at Pays d'Auge, lesommelier.com
If you don't manage to find yourself in France, then you can try Calvados in a cafe in your homeland. It is unlikely that it will turn out to be something really rare, but you will probably be served a quite decent drink, for example, produced Pere Magloire or Boulard.
In Calvados, you can feel the aroma of apples, the spice of cloves, and the smack of bog oak. Champagne reminds us of a romantic date, cognac reminds us of a respectable meeting with business partners. Calvados disposes to a leisurely friendly conversation by the fireplace on a cold autumn day.
