Book Review: The Art of Calvados, Christian Drouin, American Distilling Institute
- andychalk
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
by Andrew Chalk
TL;DR
To every beverage manager, bar staffer, sommelier, or drinks enthusiast, this to-the-point book is a bible on Calvados. Just about every conceivable question worth asking about Calvados is answered in its 100-odd pages.
A bonus is the placement of Calvados in its geographical and cultural context of Normandy. Without consciously attempting to be a tourist guide book, it will entice you to want to visit.
What is Calvados?
Calvados would be described by most aficionados of spirits as apple brandy. For legal reasons the European Union (EU) defines it as a distilled spirit based predominantly on apples (the remainder is distilled from pears). At the behest of Spanish brandy producers the EU does not want just any distilled apple drink to have the right to call itself brandy. It is a protected name for apple brandy made only in three appellations (designated areas) in the Normandy area of northern France: Calvados AOC, Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC, and Calvados Domfrontais AOC.
There are different rules regarding the specifics of Calvados production in each AOC.but it helps to get an idea of the product if we describe it as a hypothetical generic process.
Calvados is made from over 100 varieties of apples. These are overwhelmingly not table apples, they are bitter and sour. These apples are fermented into cider (the equivalent stage to wine in grape brandy making). This cider is fermented from its (around) 7% ABV into a spirit at around 55% ABV (this is reduced to around 40%-43% ABV for bottling). This spirit is then aged according to law and custom in oak. After the designated aging period it can be sold as Calvados.
The details, which this book uncovers so thoroughly, are things like what type of apples? How is fermentation carried out? What type of still is used for distillation, and how long and what type of oak is used for aging.
The final act is drinking the stuff. Should it be neat, or in cocktails? And what about its use in cooking? The book has a chapter on each.
The Author
Author Christian Drouin is the proprietor of Calvados Christian Drouin, a Calvados producer near Pont-L’Evéque. He has been something of a Calvados entrepreneur, buying other producers seeking to exit the industry and paying others for their stocks of old Calvados to sell on the international market. Penning this book (his third), and promoting its English-language version, should be seen as just one instance of his intimate contact with the English speaking world while ceaselessly promoting his product.
Other apple brandies
While a man of France, Drouin is knowledgeable of the world when it comes to cider and apple brandy. He relates his trips to the USA and discovering such quirks as cider referring to apple juice, as told to him by stallholders in New York City’s Central Park. The term hard cider being reserved for the alcoholic apple fermentation expected by Europeans.
Also, trips to the USA led him to discover that apple brandy preceded bourbon by a century, only being displaced because of its cost. Further, the commonplace American term ‘applejack’ was not a synonym for apple brandy but a product created by blending apple brandy with neutral grain spirits. Marketing imperatives drove the process. Applejack was a lighter color than apple brandy
and when consumer tastes veered away from dark spirits applejack supported sales.
Drouin discusses apple spirits elsewhere from one UK farmer's battle with the EU to get the right to use the term “brandy”, back to the earliest documentation of apple distillation (in Kazakhstan, no less).
The Appellation
Normandy is too far north for grape vines but the cold, humid climate is ideal for apples and pears. North American and UK students of history may have seen it on maps while studying the Normandy landings in world war two. The broadest AOC (Calvados) runs up to the beaches and comprises most of the hinterland the allies crossed in the early days of the campaign.
Referring to the map, note that the Calvados AOC is large, and non-contiguous. Part of it is off to the northeast near Dieppe. Another part almost touches Cherbourg-En-Cotentin in the west. The distance is almost 200 miles by road and over 3 hours to drive. Such a distance almost of necessity implies changes in terroir affecting which varieties of apples and pears grow best. Over 103 varieties of apples and 30 varieties of pear are permissible in Calvados. This was acknowledged by the INAO in 1998 when it created two sub AOCs, Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC and Calvados Domfrontais AOC) reflecting areas of special quality.
Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC: Currently 59 producers. Fruit must come entirely from Pays d’Auge and may consist of up to 30% pears. The cider is distilled twice in copper pot stills and then aged in oak for at least two years.
Calvados Domfrontais AOC: Currently 52 producers. Here, among the complex of regulations, 30% of Calvados must consist of pears.and aging in oak barrels must be for at least three years. Distillation is usually in a column still and only performed once, with apples (cider) and pears (poiré) mixed together. The result is a Calvados with a distinct nose of pears and a vibrancy on the palate.
Calvados AOC: 337 producers. 70% of total Calvados production. Represents the more general area with the least strict regulations (although it is far from ‘anything goes’. For example, 70% of the apples must be bitter or bittersweet varieties). Either type of still may be used, at least two years aging in oak.
All AOC types name these longer aging regimens:
VS or Trois Étoiles (Three Stars): minimum 2 years
Vieux or Réserve: minimum 3 years
VO, VSOP, or Vieille Réserve: minimum 4 years
XO, Napoléon, Hors d’Âge, or Extra: minimum 6 years (often aged much longer)
Also, post-bottling, Calvados may be kept for a long time.
When, and How, to Drink Calvados
While most people think of Calvados as a digestif. Drouin has a zeal to show how versatile it is. Young Calvados makes a great aperitif. Calvados and cigars are a popular pairing in certain parts. The Trou Normand (Norman hole) is a shot of Calvados between courses in a large meal. And here is his recipe for Norman Coffee:
NORMAN COFFEE
1 1/2 ounce Calvados
3 ounces strong, hot coffee
2-3 spoonfuls of simple syrup or cane syrup
1 ½ ounce light cream
Cinnamon powder
Freeze the cream for 20 minutes before whipping it. Mix the simple syrup and Calvados and heat gently before pouring into a glass. Pour the hot coffee onto the mix very delicately to keep layers separate. Top with whipped cream, using the back of a coffee spoon to float the cream gently on top of the coffee and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Calvados in Cuisine
While making no pretense to being a chef, I suspect Drouin knows more about cooking than he lets on. He takes a technique approach to illustrate Calvados taking several classic roles: Flambé, deglaze, as well as direct addition. The latter he would do in paté and terrines, in whipped cream to top apples, as the flavor for ice cream, or in salad dressing. Thoughtfully, for the non-spontaneous chef, he provides full recipes. In fact, this may be the most comprehensive selection of Normandy recipes with Calvados that I have seen.
Calvados in Cocktails
Calvados has historically had a central role in cocktails, and Drouin sees no reason not to revive that. Consequently, he furnishes a whole chapter of cocktail recipes. Although small-production spirits like Calvados have lacked the budget to promote themselves in the past, he is optimistic with the advent of the Internet and the formation of online communities that the costs of entry are much lower. I agree. I would argue that the best location for an extra E100,000 in EU grant money would be in online site creation.
Calvados Producers
The final chapter is a much needed scroll of producers. Each one gets several hundred words of description (including his own firm). This will be invaluable for the trade professional looking for hard samples for a bar or retail program.
The Bottom Line on Calvados and This Book
Calvados is a relatively unknown brandy ready, in terms of quality, to take a much bigger part in the bar scene (think of the market position of Cognac). To do that, the information in this book represents a howto manual. To successfully incorporate Calvados in your business, or to just enjoy it more as a consumer, take this book to heart.
