Apple brandy made in the Calvados region of Normandy. Saw one of the nurseries I buy trees from had some of the apples grown in Calvados to make Calvados. So got some, Cimetiere de Blangy, Antoinette bittersweets, Frequin Rouge bitter Rein des Hatives sweet. Need a tart (aigre) and will get Blanchette next year. Will also use Granny Smiths as part of the tart component—an Australian apple true but one of its parents is undoubtedly French Crab.

Funny thing is—they add a fair amount of pears to the crush! Perry pears, tannic. I got those. Beurre bosc for sweetness and pear character, Yellow Huffcap for the tannins.

Calvados is distilled in one of two ways, twice distilled in an alembic still or in a column still. Alembic stills are available on Ebay.

As with all spirits, flavor develops with maturation in oak. Can likely buy some small casks but don’t have to worry about it for a while!

But will be able to serve my CalvadOz one day.

Cimetiere de Blangy—the name arose from the fact the original seedling (a tree growing from a pip or seed, hence the term Pippin as in Cox Orange Pippin) tree was found in a cemetery! A cemetery in the town of Blangy-le-Chateau.

Antoinette by itself makes awesome ciders with wondrous, complex, subtle flavors.

Maybe I should buy another 3-4 trees?

Nah, have already plenty classic single–varietal cider trees: Dabinett, Brown Snout, Yarlington Mill. These are all bitter-sweets, with tannins to give mouthfeel and body. Add a small amount of aromatic eating apples—nice apple character in the cider.

I have King David cider apples, Calville blanc D’Hiver cooking/cider apples, Granny Smith and Bramley’s Seedling tart culinary apples to make a nice tart dry cider. (Some other apples, Sturmer Pippin etc, are tart when picked and slowly turn to sweet apples in storage.

I have Golden Harvey, Court of Wick, Sweet Coppin sweet cider apples.

And Antoinette, Cimetiere de Blangy, Frequin Rouge, Rein des Hatives, Michelin, Verite and (next year) Blanchette apples from Normandy to make a cider that will be distilled in an alembic still to make—CalvadOz! LOL!

A Calvados and a Gitanes - berets off.

https://neveryetmelted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CamusSmoking.jpg

No gitanes for me, thanks! I gave up smoking 25 years ago. Think I quit in time, some loss of fitness but no heart problems or cancer.

BTW Frank, what got you to  cross dress as Agatha?

Definitely will get 3 more Antoinette French cider apple trees to make a great cider from, the original three trees will provide juice for a cider with the other French varieties that will be distilled.

Going through the list of trees critically have made room for the extra Antoinette apple trees, three Gin perry pears (dwarf) and I may sacrifice (i.e. leave in tree bag) one of my Yellow Huffcap perry pears and add a Red Longdon perry pear in its place. This will give me:

4-5 trees each of Brown Snout, Dabinett and Yarlington Mill vintage quality cider apples

3-5 Gin and Moorcroft classic perry pears

4 Beurre Bosc, 2 grown against a wall so the pears will be soft, these are for eating/cooking/preserving, two grown on the espalier will be almost as hard as an apple and these will be used with the classic perry pears and in the CalvadOz press.

A number of great culinary apples and pears. Eat/juice/preserve some, give some away to the neighbors, Vinnies store etc. Cox Orange Pippin, Sturmer Pippin, McIntosh (somehow ended up with two trees???) Hubbardston Nonsuch, Pine Golden Pippin etc. Beurre Bosc, Beurre Hardy, Doyenne du Comice, Jospephine de Malines pears etc etc.

Also have 3 black, two red and one white currant not sure where to put them yet and two quince and a pomegranate. Maybe the pomegranate needs to go into the greenhouse?

All good, more things to be learned, care of the trees, cider making, distilling etc.