Calvados and the joy of apples in cocktails.

Apples. One of those sort of fruits I take for granted. Not the biggest fan, they're just sort of ... there.. ubiquitous... everywhere.. can sort of just grab one anytime but... why for?

However, what if you could take apples and make something good... I mean REALLY good with them?

When I first had Tom's Foolery Applejack it was very exciting. Then I needed to compare it to a classic drink from France called Calvados, which is apple brandy made in Normandy. This particular producer I have here is Coeur de Lion from Christian Drouin and their Sélection grade. Now there were going to be obvious differences (one is more like whiskey the other is a brandy) but this is what tasting is all about!

Calvados has several grades of quality. This sélection grade is the lowest, and it is highly recommended for cocktails but is still a great drink on its own! From there the grades go from Fine, Reserve, VSOP, Hors d'Age, and then get into vintage year productions just like wines. Also... the prices of these really start climbing on top of it too!

To make things even more fun, I threw in some Eau de Vie de Pomme from Clear Creek distillery, aged 8 years in Limousin casks. Throw in how to make a Calvados cocktail, and you have a recipe for some great win. Watch the video below to learn and see more imbibing goodness!

Cheers!