Pommeau
Pommeau is an alcoholic drink made in north-western France by mixing apple juice with apple brandy: Calvados in Normandy or lambig in Brittany.[1][2]
Considered a mistelle, it is generally consumed as an apéritif, or as an accompaniment to melon or blue cheese. It is also popular with a variety of desserts, including any chocolate or apple-based dishes.
Production
Pommeau is made by mixing two-thirds apple must (unfermented apple juice) to one third of one-year-old Calvados. The proportions are chosen to ensure that the resulting mixture has 16–18% alcohol by volume.[3]
The liquid is then put into vats and stirred gently, before being moved to oak barrels, each containing 400 litres, and left to age for around 30 months.
The resulting drink is mahogany in colour with a bright lustre, and has an overall smooth taste, often with vanilla, caramel and butterscotch flavours.
Production is controlled by three appellations covering manufacture in Brittany, Normandy and Maine: Pommeau de Bretagne, Pommeau de Normandie and Pommeau du Maine. Pommeau was granted its own AOC in 1991.[4]
Footnotes
- ^ "France's cognac country: So much to drink in". The Washington Post. 4 May 2012.
- ^ Best of France 2008–2009 Petit Futé. Petit Futé. 3 September 2008. pp. 354–. ISBN 2-7469-2225-8.
- ^ Mattsson (2005), p.46
- ^ Mattsson (2005), p.31
References
- Henrik Mattsson (28 February 2005). Calvados: The World's Premier Apple Brandy: Tasting, Facts and Travel. Malmö, Sweden: Flavourrider.com. ISBN 978-91-631-5546-8. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
