This unique drink, which appeared in Normandy around the fifteenth century, is gaining more and more popularity over time. To determine how to drink calvados, what to serve with, we recall that it is strong alcohol (about 40 degrees), and it is made from cider. Most often apple, but sometimes pear. There are very few Calvados producers in the world who are authorized to use this brand. And they are all concentrated in France.
It is believed that it is the French who set the tone for how to drink calvados. And it is no coincidence: after all, the drink confidently leads in their alcoholic culture among the strong, ahead of Armagnac and cognac. Calvados gains apple taste and special amber color from long fermentation in French oak barrels. Due to the content of malic acid, the drink is often used as an aperitif or digestif. Of course, how to drink calvados is for everyone to decide for himself, but we will give only a few recommendations.
This drink is not drunk in one gulp, such as vodka. Rather, the style of drinking is closer to the "long-playing" drinks - those that slowly sip, relish. If you love and appreciate cognac, then you already know how to drink Calvados correctly.
The drink is not cooled. As a rule, it is served in wide glasses or small glasses for whiskey. Before using the drink, the vessel with it is warmed in the palm of your hand. Calvados goes well with tart and savory foods: cheese, olives (preferably green). Often, how to drink calvados depends on the situation: you can serve it with coffee and dessert. In France, it is customary to take a sip of a drink for a long meal. Sometimes Calvados is served for an afternoon rest, so that guests slowly sip it, enjoying a leisurely conversation and expensive cigars. By the way, Calvados, the price of which can reach several hundred euros per bottle (an average of 70-80), can be a great gift. Like cognac, it can have stars: three indicate that the drink was aged for at least 2 years. In the elite alcohol market, you can find calvados even sixty years old, which only ennobles this drink.
If you love and know how to drink calvados, you may also like cocktail recipes with it. For example, you can mix it in equal proportions with vermouth or another herb aperitif, add a few ice cubes, mix in a shaker and serve with lemon and olives. You can combine it with sweet liquors, and with pomegranate juice, apple or cranberry syrup. If Calvados is served with a dessert (for example, biscuits or ice cream), then no additional ingredients are needed.
Cocktails can be decorated with cherries, lemon or orange slices, zest - this drink generally goes very well with citrus fruits.
Connoisseurs who understand how to drink calvados recommend serving it in glasses or glasses in the form of a tulip, pouring about half the volume. The bouquet of this drink can be fully felt at ambient temperature (room temperature), so there is no need to further cool it. As an aperitif or digestif (a means of improving appetite and digestion), calvados is served before meals.