Calvados

Calvados is the apple and pear brandy of Normandy, distilled from fermented cider and perry and named after the department of that name. Its appellations are AOC Calvados, AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge and AOC Calvados Domfrontais, each with its own rules for fruit, distillation and ageing. It is carried by the farm distillers and the négociant houses of Normandy, within the wider tradition of French fruit eaux-de-vie that are drunk after the meal and used in the kitchen.

Calvados is a brandy distilled from cider made of apples, with pears admitted in varying proportion according to the appellation. The Domfrontais appellation requires a high share of perry pears (Pyrus communis), while the Pays d'Auge appellation is distilled twice in the pot still, the alembic à repasse. The AOC Calvados is generally distilled once in the column still, and the Domfrontais continuously. After distillation the spirit is aged in oak, and the age statements, such as Fine, Vieux, VSOP, Hors d'âge and the vintage-dated bottlings, follow the minimum years spent in wood. The colour runs from pale straw to deep amber, and the nose from fresh apple to baked fruit, spice and leather.

Calvados is served after the meal with coffee, with apple tarts and with strong cheeses such as Livarot, Pont-l'Évêque and Camembert de Normandie AOP. In the kitchen it flames and deglazes sautés of chicken, veal, pork and rabbit à la normande, finished with cream and apples. Its structure explains the pairings: the alcohol and fruit acidity cut through butter, cream and fat, while the apple aroma echoes the fruit in the dish. The trou normand, a small glass taken between courses, relies on the same cleansing effect.