It was no coincidence that the Normandy region of Northern France was the birthplace of Taillevent, the first celebrity chef. Normandy's coast is known for its turbot and oysters and its countryside for its dairy products and its apples.
The apple tree first appeared in Normandy while Taillevent was cooking, in the second half of the fourteenth century. It took no more than 200 years before it was fermented into apple brandy, now Autumn's quintessential beverage.
Apple brandy, called Calvados when it's made in Normandy, is made by fermenting apple juice into a dry cider which in turn is distilled into an eau de vie. After at least two years (more is better) of aging in oak casks, it can be served as an aperitif, blended in drinks, enjoyed between meals, drunk with coffee, or served during the very civilized trou normand (the Norman break, a glassful of calvados served between courses at mealtime).
The trou normand is a pleasant custom to adopt in Autumn, particularly if you can find Clear Creek Distillery's Eau de Vie Pomme (rated 96-100 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2001). Made with a traditional European pot still and barrel aged for eight years, it's an amber-hued brandy that smells of fresh apples but has oak-aged complexity on the palate. Try it ($36.99 at San Francisco's K&L Wine Merchants) following a Norman style dessert omelette of sauteed apples and cream.
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For a completely non-Calvados-like experience in American apple brandy, you might be interested to try Laird's bottled-in-bond straight apple brandy (NOT the applejack, which is apple brandy blended with grain neutral spirits). It's strong (bottled-in-bond spirits have to be 100 proof), and, because it's aged in charred new oak barrels (just like Bourbon or straight rye whiskey), it has a lot of char and vanilla character. Much more rustic than Calvados, but interesting and good in its own way.
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