De Michellot, maison française de liqueurs traditionnelles

Observe the color: from light gold to dark amber depending on age.

Smell gently: notes of fresh apple, cooked fruit, vanilla, wood, spices, sometimes nuts or leather for the older ones.

Take a small sip: let the brandy coat your palate and note the aromatic development. A good Calvados offers a balanced, warm, and persistent taste.

Harvest of apples (and sometimes pears), selected for their richness in sugar, acidity and bitterness.
Pressing and natural fermentation to produce a farmhouse cider.
Distillation of cider, single or double depending on the AOC.
Aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years, often much longer for high-end vintages.
The result? A complex eau-de-vie, with notes of ripe apple, spices, vanilla, dried fruits, and noble wood, which evolves over time towards deeper aromas (rancio, leather, nuts, etc.).

Yes, Calvados is a choice ingredient in cooking, both in savory and sweet recipes. Thanks to its aromas of apple, wood, spices, and sometimes dried fruit, it brings a unique aromatic depth and an elegant Norman touch to many dishes. It's a versatile spirit, ideal for flambéing, deglazing, marinating, or flavoring.

🍗 In savory cooking
Calvados is perfect for:

Deglaze a pan after cooking foie gras or duck breast
Flambé poultry, sweetbreads or scallops
Make a creamy Normandy sauce with cream, mushrooms and apples
Season a marinade for white meat or game
👉 Tip: A VS or VSOP Calvados is sufficient for cooking, while an XO can be used to elegantly finish a sauce.

🍏 In pastry making
On the sweet side, Calvados is sublime:

A tarte Tatin or a roasted apple
A soaked biscuit (baba, dried fruit cake)
A flavored whipped cream
A flambé of pancakes or caramel pears
🧑‍🍳 The right dosage
Calvados is powerful: a few centilitres are enough to flavor a dish without overpowering it. Its alcohol evaporates during cooking, leaving only the noble aromas of fruit and wood.

✨ Calvados according to De Michellot: for cooking with elegance
The Maquisards x Michel Huard cuvée, from Calvados Pays d'Auge, is aged in oak barrels and bottled without filtration or additives. It is ideal for:

Refined cuisine, as a finishing touch
A festive dessert, flambéed or iced
Or simply, a food and spirit pairing at the table

Calvados, Pommeau, Cognac, and Armagnac are all treasures of French heritage, but they differ profoundly in their origins, ingredients, production methods, and taste. Here's a clear guide to understanding what sets these iconic spirits apart.

🥃 Calvados: Norman apple brandy
Calvados is a brandy obtained by distilling cider (apples, sometimes pears), produced exclusively in Normandy. It is then aged in oak barrels for at least two years.

Ingredients: cider apples (and pears according to the AOC)
Alcohol: 40% vol. on average
Taste: aromas of baked apple, vanilla, wood, spices
Uses: digestive, Norman cuisine, cocktails
🍷 Pommeau: the sweetness between cider and calvados
Pommeau is not a brandy, but a regional aperitif made by blending unfermented apple must and young Calvados. It is aged in barrels for at least 14 months.

Ingredients: apple must + calvados
Alcohol: approximately 17% vol.
Taste: sweet, fruity, mellow, very aromatic
Uses: aperitif, accompaniment to foie gras, cheeses, desserts
👉 Pommeau is sweet and mild, Calvados is drier and more powerful.

🍇 Cognac: the elegance of Charente grapes
Cognac is a wine brandy produced in the Cognac region of Charente. It is distilled twice in a Charente still and then aged in oak barrels.

Ingredients: white wine (Ugni Blanc)
Alcohol: approximately 40% vol.
Taste: floral, fruity, elegant, evolving towards rancio with age
Uses: tasting, digestif, high-end cocktails
👉 Cognac is finer, often rounder and more floral than Calvados.

🍇 Armagnac: the more rustic ancestor
Armagnac, produced in Gascony, is also a wine brandy, but distilled only once, which preserves its substance and intensity. It is also aged in oak barrels, often for longer than cognac.

Ingredients: white wine (Ugni Blanc, Baco, etc.)
Alcohol: approximately 40% vol.
Taste: more powerful, fruity, spicy, rustic, with a nice depth
Uses: digestive, gastronomy, collection
👉 Armagnac is more full-bodied and earthy than cognac, and more complex than calvados.

🎯 Simple summary
Calvados: distilled apples – Normandy – fruity, dry, woody
Pommeau: apple must + calvados – sweet, aperitif
Cognac: double-distilled wine – Charente – elegant, floral
Armagnac: single-distilled wine – Gascony – intense, rustic
✨ Michellot's advice
Do you like fruit and freshness? Choose a Pays d'Auge Calvados like our Maquisards x Michel Huard.
Do you prefer roundness and finesse? Try a Grande Champagne cognac like Maquisards Origine.
Looking for depth and strength? Treat yourself to a Bas-Armagnac, such as Maquisards x Dartigalongue.

Young Calvados (VS, VSOP): slightly chilled (between 12 and 16°C), ideal for aperitifs or cocktails.

Old Calvados (XO, vintage): at room temperature (18–20°C), to reveal all its aromatic richness.

👉 Tip: Avoid ice, as it freezes the flavors. Instead, gently rub it in the palm of your hand to warm the glass.

Par email à contact@demichellot.com ou via le formulaire de contact. Réponse sous 24h ouvrées.