ADVANCED MIXOLOGY BARTENDER'S CHOICE

the most

SPIRIT in the world

The True Spirit of Calvados Becomes The Apple of a Bartender’s Eye

By Michael Tulipan

Founded by René Gilbert in 1937, family owned Coquerel today continues the tradition of crafting the finest calvados. Its spirits have increasingly become a bartender favorite for versatility and an affordable price point. “Calvados has a great story to share, and people have access to incredible pricing for value,” says Pierre Martin

Neuhaus, Owner and Master Blender, Domaine Du Coquerel.

Normandy’s terroir is incredibly diverse, with its three regions of Calvados, Pays d’Auge and Domfrontais producing more than 300 types of apples and pears allowed for Calvados production. Four types of apples are allowed by law—bitter, bitter-sweet, sweet, and acidic—and Coquerel masterfully blends apples and pears from 40 different types for its production.

Coquerel’s diverse portfolio includes a core line including an Eaux-de-vie Brandy as well as signature blends with designations of VS, VSOP and XO. The Grands Calvados range showcases a selection of the finest eaux-de-vie in blends from single casks aged 10-, 24-, and 30-years as well as outstanding vintages like 1956, 1972, and 1973. These are unparalleled spirits and well worth seeking out.

Neuhaus spearheaded the launch of the innovative Cask Finish Collection range in 2014. He says of the line, “It’s a range where we work on experimentation and different finishes to offer calvados which are very ‘gourmand,’ easy to enjoy and diverse in terms of taste.” Neuhaus calls the collection’s Fine Pale “a bartender’s best friend.” This calvados is aged two to three years and has been finished in ex-cider barrels. “It has a great, intense, fresh nose of cider apples and a brut cider, apple, floral and long taste,” he says. “We have intentionally let this Calvados be 43% ABV so it can really stand out in a cocktail.”

Sustainability is a natural part of growing apples for Coquerel. Neuhaus says that “different phenomenon brought together make calvados the most sustainable spirits in the world.”

For starters, apple trees are the epitome of slow and steady wins the race with a blossom time of one to two months and harvest time of up to four months from September to December. Because of their long growing season, apple trees capture the most CO2 of any fruit tree. In addition, fauna plays its part with bees returning each year to pollinate the trees and cows and sheep eating the early dropped apples and grass, providing natural fertilizer.

As for why calvados is gaining popularity among bartenders, Neuhaus says, “Because it is true spirit, no lies, no bullshit, a true representation of a terroir. The liquid is very versatile,” he continues. “An amazing pricing for value and you can drink and taste crazy things for peanuts.”

For cocktails, he recommends trying calvados in classics like an Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Vieux Carré, White Negroni or just keep it simple. Calvados and tonic makes for an easy apple-forward variation on an old favorite. What better way to introduce newcomers to calvados?