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Calvados
is an apple brandy from
the French région of
Lower Normandy.
Like most French wines, Calvados is governed by
appellation contrôlée regulations. The Appellation
Calvados contrôlée area includes all of the
Calvados, Manche, and Orne départements and parts of
Eure, Mayenne, Sarthe, and Eure-et-Loir. The more
restrictive Appellation Calvados Pays d'Auge
contrôlée area is limited to the east end of the
département of Calvados and a few adjoining
districts.
Calvados should be aged in oak for several years
before bottling. The phrases vieilli en chêne and
vieilli en fûts de chêne are indicators of this. The
longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes
(up to a point; eventually the quality of the drink
will fall off). A half-bottle of twenty-year-old
Calvados can easily cost the same price as a
normal-sized bottle of ten-year-old Calvados.
Calvados is the basis of the tradition of le trou
Normand, or "the Norman hole". This is a small drink
of Calvados taken between courses in a very long
meal, supposed to re-awaken the appetite.
Cut brandy
Cut brandy is a liquor made of brandy and hard grain
liquor. Sugar is used to soften taste.
Grades
Cut brandies are graded by the relative amount of
brandy it contains. Grades are represented by stars.
• 0 stars, almost no brandy at all, only some
bringing color to the grainz liquor.
• 1 star, one third (1/3) of brandy
• 3 stars, three fourth (3/4) of brandy
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