Calvados is dry apple brandy, which is a speciality of the Normandy region of France.
The Calvados appellation comes from western Normandy and a small area east of Rouen. While apple brandy (called applejack in America) is made in other parts of the world, Calvados is considered the best. It is made by double-distilling the fermented apple cider, then aging it in “Limousin” oak barrels for no less than one year, some as long as forty years. Truly good Calvados, however, should be aged between ten and fifteen years before it is considered drinkable.

Calvados is dry apple brandy, which is a speciality of the Normandy region of France.
The Calvados appellation comes from western Normandy and a small area east of Rouen. While apple brandy (called applejack in America) is made in other parts of the world, Calvados is considered the best. It is made by double-distilling the fermented apple cider, then aging it in “Limousin” oak barrels for no less than one year, some as long as forty years. Truly good Calvados, however, should be aged between ten and fifteen years before it is considered drinkable.
Calvados does well in cocktails. Frank Meier, the head bartender at the Ritz Bar in the 1930s, has an impressive Calvados recipe in “The Artistry of Mixing Drinks” (1936) which he calls the Apple Jack Cocktail. Other application for Calvados include the trendy Sour Apple ??rtini, or with hot spiced cider, or in place of bourbon in the Apple Manhattan.