There's something about calvados that always makes it end up at the back of the spirits cabinet, behind the gin and the whisky, only coming forward when someone mentions apple cake or crêpes Suzette. A shame, really. Because this apple spirit from Normandy in France is exactly what an October Sunday needs: it tastes of ripe fruit, a little spice and a hint of barrel aging, without demanding the same seriousness as a glass of cognac.
This week I decided to test whether calvados could work as a highball base, that is, the simple formula of spirits, ice and something sparkling that fills up the glass. The answer was a resounding yes – and the recipe is so simple it barely deserves to be called a recipe.
Some drinks require planning. This one just requires you to have a bottle standing by.Magnus Mixmaster
Why calvados works in a highball
Calvados is distilled cider, made from apples (sometimes with a touch of pears) grown in Normandy. The best bottles are aged in oak barrels, which gives colour and notes of toffee, dried fruit and spice on top of the pure apple character. That makes calvados an exciting substitute for cognac or whisky in classic long drinks – it has enough power to carry flavour through ice and fizz, but a fruitiness that makes it less serious in the glass.
In a highball, it's all about balance between three things: strength, sweetness and acidity. Calvados delivers the first, a splash of apple syrup or apple juice takes care of the second, and a good, tart cider provides the third – plus the bubbles that turn the drink into something to sip slowly through an entire afternoon.
The basic recipe
This is the highball I landed on after a few Sundays of experimenting. See the full recipe in the box below – here are just a few thoughts on why it's put together this way.
I use a dry, tart cider instead of plain soda or tonic, because it builds on the apple character from the calvados instead of competing with it. Want more spice in the glass, a thin slice of fresh ginger is a nice addition right in the glass.
Three directions to take the drink
Once the basic formula is in place, it's easy to adjust one element at a time and get a completely different drink:
- Spiced and warm: swap out a bit of the cider for a little more calvados and add a slice of fresh ginger or a cinnamon stick stirred around in the glass. Pairs well with a cheese board or something with caramelised onion.
- Bitter and grown-up: a few drops of orange bitters lift the fruitiness and give the drink a more cocktail-like character, without you needing to shake anything at all.
- Light and simple: skip the cider and top up with plain tonic instead. The result is drier and more refreshing, almost like an autumn version of gin and tonic.
The non-alcoholic path
Here you need neither calvados nor alcoholic cider to get something good in the glass. Use a good, unfiltered apple must as a base – preferably one with a bit of acidity, not just sweet – and top up with a non-alcoholic, tart cider or good sparkling water. A splash of lemon and a few drops of vinegar-based berry syrup (shrub), if you have some left over, gives the drink enough complexity that it doesn't taste like plain juice. Remember that non-alcoholic cider may still contain traces of alcohol from the fermentation process – check the label if that matters to you.
Serving on a Sunday
The calvados highball requires no fancy bar equipment. A tall glass, plenty of ice and two bottles is all you need. Serve it with a small plate of cheese and dried fruit, or simply with a book and a bench by the window. This isn't a drink that demands attention – it's there to make Sunday a little longer.
