Usually cocktails call for a dash or two of bitters, and not the large amount as in the Calvados Cocktail:
- 1.50 ounces Calvados
- 1.50 ounce orange juice
- 0.75 ounce Cointreau
- 0.75 ounce orange bitters
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Add an orange wheel to garnish.
I was introduced to Calvados through this book, as I had never heard of it before. It’s a “revered apple brandy from France” and a number of vintage cocktails call for it. Dr. Cocktail states that this cocktail was forgotten was due to the disappearance of orange bitters, but now that they have been rediscovered I have a couple of types in my collection. I bought a bottle of Stirrings Blood Orange Bitters to make Amer Picon and so I had plenty on hand for the 3/4 of a ounce this drink requires.
This is a fruity drink with all of the apple and orange flavors. It’s sweet but not too sweet, and Andrea enjoyed it. My usual routine for doing these posts is to obtain ingredients, make the drink per the book’s recipe, photograph and then taste. If Andrea is around, she gets the next taste and if she likes it I make another for myself.
I made two of these.
Rating: 4/5
Notes: As I live in North Carolina, I am limited as to what spirits are available to me, but our local ABC store carries Christian Drouin Calvados from Normandy, which is quite nice. I used the called-for Cointreau and the aforementioned Stirrings bitters as well.