Trade
Calvados ought to have something to gain from the renewed interest in apple drinks.
Bartenders are revisiting the Appletini, drinks brands are putting sour apples into cans, and Normandy has centuries of experience making apple spirit. So far, though, the people trying to sell it aren’t seeing that interest translate into orders.
“That love of apple hasn’t shown up in Calvados brandy sales yet, and we’re not seeing a rise in demand just yet,” says Camille Rackham, business development and social media director at Emporia Brands. “What we are seeing is the start of something: bartenders putting Calvados into cocktails, and spritzes in particular, which is a real change from where the category was a few years ago.”
Emporia organises National Calvados Week, supported by Normandy producer Père Magloire. This year it runs from 16 to 26 October, taking a generous view of a week. The campaign began by helping trade customers promote their Calvados ranges and refresh stock before Christmas, through cocktail menus, tastings, staff training and food pairings.
“Over time, it evolved into a broader educational platform, helping both the trade and consumers rediscover the history, craftsmanship and different ways of enjoying Calvados,” says Jefferson Thomas, Emporia’s director of marketing and creative.
Who doesn’t like apples? Calvados has potential, but needs a boost
Who is Calvados for?
For Rackham, who brings a Gen Z perspective to the conversation, the category’s associations are a problem.
“In the UK, Calvados sits under the old man’s brandy umbrella, as a digestif your grandfather might have kept at the back of the cabinet. Most younger drinkers haven’t heard of it, and the ones who have assume it isn’t for them. The word “brandy” puts up a barrier before anyone has tasted it. What changes that is leading with the apple. Younger drinkers already love the flavour.”
Thomas sees the challenge differently.
“I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as an image problem. I’d say Calvados is more of a forgotten or overlooked spirits category. Being an apple brandy, it can sometimes inherit the traditional associations of the wider brandy category: after-dinner drinks, older generations, gentlemen’s clubs and formal dining occasions. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those associations, but they don’t reflect the full potential of the spirit.”
He points to its established place in fine dining and cooking, and the scope to reach more everyday pubs, bars and shops.
“I think the biggest challenge has been the relatively limited investment in developing Calvados as a category. If you look at vodka, rum, tequila or gin, major brands have spent years investing in consumer education, cocktail culture, visibility and simple drinking occasions. That activity has helped establish serves that almost everyone recognises.”
Cocktails as a solution
“Most bartenders can make an Espresso Martini, but how many are regularly making a Jack Rose or an Apple Buck?” Thomas asks. Rackham sees an opening in the return of apple cocktails.
“The Appletini is back. Bartenders have been reporting Apple Martinis returning to craft cocktail menus through late 2025 and 2026, reworked with fresh apple juice and house-made cordials in place of the neon-green sour mix of the 1990s.”
Recent reporting from American bars describes versions made with cider, fresh juice and apple brandy. Beyond the bar, Funkin launched its Apple Sour Martini can in 2025, citing growth of a third for apple across soft drinks. Rackham also points to sour apple products from BuzzBallz and eauYES, alongside spirits launches such as Captain Morgan Sliced Apple.
“It’s early recognition rather than a sales story, but it feels like the beginning of a movement,” she says of the interest in Calvados.
Pere Magloire Calvados XO Mémoire is made with spirits aged at least 15 years
The fruits of Père Magloire’s labour
Père Magloire has been producing Calvados since 1821. Its range takes in younger expressions for mixing, mature spirits for sipping and finishes in former whisky casks. Its Irish Cask Finish follows French oak maturation with time in former Irish whiskey barrels. The house has also released a Single Malt Cask Finish using barrels from Islay and Jura, and a separate Smoky Islay expression.
“Our philosophy is to keep the fruit at the forefront of every Calvados we produce,” the team says.
Although Calvados can contain pears, Père Magloire uses apples exclusively. Pears are especially important in the Calvados Domfrontais appellation, where they must account for at least 30% of the fruit used.
“Our apples are sourced exclusively from within the Calvados Pays d’Auge appellation area, a terroir we consider one of the finest for growing cider apples,” the team explains. “Our sourcing area extends no more than 60 km from our distillery in Pont-l’Évêque, Normandy.”
The orchards are another part of the story the producer wants to tell. Asked about the environmental case for Calvados, the team points to the habitats supported by traditional orchard systems.
“Different apple varieties grow within the same plots, while surrounding hedgerows and woodland provide habitats and ecological corridors for pollinators, insects, birds and other wildlife. Together, these features contribute to a more diverse ecosystem and help maintain a balance between plant and animal life.”
The team also cites carbon storage in long-lived trees and potentially low water and pesticide requirements, depending on orchard management. It supplied no comparative footprint assessment or house-specific energy and waste figures, so the broader claim that Calvados is among the most sustainable spirits remains unsubstantiated.
The story bartenders and drinkers can discover
The house works with four families of cider apples: sweet, bitter, bittersweet and acidic. Sweet and bittersweet apples make up most of its selection.
“The same orchard gives you two very different drinks, from a bright, fresh Fine VS in a long drink to a rounder VSOP for sipping,” says Rackham. “That’s the story we want bartenders and drinkers to discover.”
Fine VS and VSOP are the expressions she says get the most use in the portfolio. Their differences begin with distillation.
“Fine VS is distilled using custom-made column stills, a method that preserves a fresh, vibrant expression of the apple, with distinctive green apple aromas,” the Père Magloire team explains. “For the blend, our Cellar Master selects the fruitiest eaux-de-vie and ages them in well-seasoned, older oak casks. These allow the spirit to develop while keeping the influence of wood subtle, ensuring that the fruit remains at the forefront.”
Different casks give Calvados a means to appeal to lovers of other spirit styles
How to drink it
Fine VS spends at least two years ageing. Rackham recommends its fresh apple character for a Calvados & Tonic, Normandy Mule or spritz.
“VSOP, on the other hand, is double distilled in traditional pot stills, producing eaux-de-vie with greater aromatic complexity and roundness. Its ageing combines older oak casks with a small proportion of new oak, adding further depth and structure while maintaining the balance between the fruit and the wood.”
After at least four years in oak, Rackham describes baked apple, vanilla and warm spice, and recommends VSOP for an Old Fashioned or drinking neat. Asked to choose one serve to introduce someone to Calvados, Thomas picks the Apple Buck.
“One of the barriers to introducing a less familiar spirit is that people often assume they need specialist ingredients or complicated cocktails to enjoy it. The Apple Buck demonstrates the exact opposite.”
“It’s refreshing, approachable and built around flavours consumers already recognise: apple and ginger. The ginger beer brings a gentle spice that complements the fruit character of Père Magloire Fine VS, creating a balanced, easy-drinking highball.”
Apple Buck
Glass: Highball
- 50ml Père Magloire Fine VS Calvados
- 25ml apple juice
- Ginger beer, to top
- Apple slice and fresh mint, to garnish
Fill the glass with ice, add the Calvados and apple juice, then top with ginger beer. Stir gently and garnish with the apple slice and mint.
If you want an alternative to a Gin & Tonic, this might be the thing
Calvados & Tonic
The Père Magloire team chooses a Calvados & Tonic.
“The crisp green apple notes of Fine VS pair beautifully with the tonic’s bitterness and bubbles, creating a balanced, refreshing long drink. It’s an easy serve to enjoy as an aperitif and a great way to show that Calvados is much more versatile than people might expect.”
Glass: Highball
- 40ml Père Magloire Fine VS
- 120ml premium tonic water
- Fresh apple slice, to garnish
Fill the glass with ice, add the Calvados and tonic, then stir gently. Garnish with the apple slice.
Pomme Doublée
There is also Pomme Doublée, a ready-to-drink spritz combining fresh Normandy apple juice, Père Magloire Calvados and bubbles. Thomas cites the popularity of the spritz as a reason to explore the format: NIQ reports that Aperol Spritz accounted for 13.6% of cocktail spending in Britain in the third quarter of 2025.
“Pomme Doublée is a ready-to-drink apple spritz built for exactly the drinkers who’d never order a brandy,” Rackham says. “It meets them with a flavour and format they already love, and puts Père Magloire in front of them.”
“We’re not necessarily expecting everyone who enjoys an apple spritz to become a traditional Calvados drinker,” Thomas adds, “but introducing consumers to Normandy apple spirits through different occasions is an important part of building long-term category awareness.”
Père Magloire Pomme Doublée is ideal if fancy a change from sparkling wine
What happens after the week?
This year’s activity includes venues mulling Calvados in urns, bars creating cocktail and spritz menus, and a Master of Malt competition to win a trip to Normandy.
“For us, National Calvados Week isn’t simply about generating activity over a ten-day period,” Thomas says. “It’s about creating opportunities that continue afterwards.”
“Success would mean more trade customers recognising the potential of the category, bartenders feeling confident recommending and using Calvados, retailers giving it greater visibility and, importantly, those activities translating into repeat orders and sustainable listings.”
“If a customer introduces Calvados during National Calvados Week and continues selling it successfully in November, December and beyond, that’s a far more meaningful outcome than a single week’s promotional activity.”
