Since I had all this Calvados lying around from last week I have been playing around with it a little. Here is something that I think came out pretty good.
Calvados Collins:
-2 oz. Genever
-1 oz. Apple Juice
-2 Barspoons Calvados
-1 Barspoon Maraschino
Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Serve on the rocks in a highball glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
I have a friend who likes to do shots of Calvados. Not really my thing, but I wanted to come up with something that features the taste of the Brandy itself a little more. So I came up with this Vodka punch that features Calvados, the recipe should yield about 30 drinks.
Fall Punch:
-1 Liter vodka
-1/3 Liter Calvados
-2 Liters Apple Juice
-1 Liter Seltzer
-1/6 Liter Simple Syrup
It’s always fun to remix classics and the Sidecar is a Brandy classic and Calvados is Brandy.
The Calvados Sidecar
-1 1/2 oz Calvados
-1/2 oz Triple Sec
-1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
-Sugar to rim glass
Rim a chilled cocktail glass with sugar. Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Strain into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
The Calvados Cocktail is like the Normandy in that it is a famous Calvados cocktail with a less then clever moniker.
Calvados Cocktail
-1 1/2 oz Calvados
-1 oz Orange Juice
-1/4 oz Cointreau
-1 Dash Orange Bitters
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Lots of apple based cocktails are heavy and plenty of them are served hot; Hot Toddies, Eggnogs. But since I’m focusing on Sall or Fummer I wanted to stay away from those more wintry drinks. So, the Normandy is a great choice for a couple reasons; one because it has Cider and two because it gives me a chance to talk about the origins a little.
Calvados is a region in Normandy, France where they grow apples, so they make cider and they make Apple Brandy. While cider can be made from any old apples real Calvados is treated like a French wine. The region has a designation from the government, so to label Apple Brandy Calvados it must be from selected orchards in the region. Distillation first appears in print in the 1550’s and the distillation guild was formed in 1606. Calvados experienced it’s “Golden Age” in the late 1800’s when the Phylloxera outbreak devastated European vineyards. Calvados, like most fruit based Brandies, is flexible and works as an aperitif, a digestif, in cocktails and in Normandy it is customary to drink it between courses in a long meal.
Normandy Cocktail
-3/4 oz Brandy
-1/2 oz Calvados
-1/4 oz Gin
-1 oz Apple Cider
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Summer officially ends after labor, but Fall doesn’t begin until the Autumnal Equinox which is not until next week. So, what season is it now; Sall or Fummer?
At any rate Fall in the Northeast means fresh Apples. Since they are on my mind, but not available quite yet I’m going to replace them with Calvados all week.
Atlas Cocktail:
-1 oz Calvados
-1 oz Dark Rum
-1/2 oz Cointreau
-1 Dash Angostura Bitters
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
In addition to fortification Vermouth really gets it’s flavor from the infusion of herbs and spices. Vermouths are made from closely guarded recipes and each brand has it’s own distinct character in the two major categories. Botanicals used in the infusion are far ranging, but one can assume that Sweet probably contains things like Cinnamon and Cardamon. The Sweets are well know for the Manhattan and mixing well with darker spirits, but they make great additives to a lot of things. And, if you really like them, drinking Sweet Vermouth on the rocks with a lemon twist is a great aperitif.
Tulip Cocktail:
-1 1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
-1 1/2 oz. Calvados
-Dash Apricot Brandy
-Dash Lemon Juice
Combine in a shaker over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon.
Today in addition to giving you a drink to toast with I’ll give you a reason to toast; It’s World Cocktail Day. Today is the last day of World Cocktail Week and the day on which we celebrate the invention of the cocktail in America. According to my research this year is the 203rd Birthday of the cocktail. I’m not sure how accurate the dates and information are; it is pretty tough to pinpoint the inception date and when and where things really happened. It seems to be more of a widespread movement then a single definite A-Ha moment. But, none the less it is great to have a day to celebrate and nice that they picked a Wednesday instead of a weekend.
In honor of Cocktail Day I have designed a celebratory Champagne Punch. Seems incongruous to toast the cocktail with a punch; but who better to give your birthday toast then your father. This is one well established fact we can take from the lexicon of cocktail history, punch begat cocktails. The first steps of the recipe below, involving the lemon peel, sugar and hot water, is how you create the base for most old timey punches.
Cocktail Day Punch:
-18 oz. Spiced Rum
-4.5 oz. Orange Curacao
-3 oz. Creme de Cassis
-2 oz. Calvados
-4.5 oz. Hot Water
-1 Tbsp Sugar
-18 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
-The peel of half a lemon without pith
-Champagne to top
Heat the water to boiling and allow to cool. While the water is cooling, in a punch bowl, muddle the lemon peels in the sugar until all of the oil is extracted. Add the hot water and stir until sugar is dissolved; fish out the lemon peels. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Chill in the refrigerator until it is time to serve. Add a large ice block to the punch to keep it cool. Serve in punch mugs; topped with 1 oz champagne. Serves 8.