LCBO Food and Drink Autumn 2016

CALVADOS BOULARD LCBO 296228, $49.95

The first written mention of the talented connoisseurs of Nor- mandy distilling their beloved cider comes from 1553 (slightly before the Dutch started turning wine into Cognac), but nobody thought to call the spirit Calvados until the early 19th century. Boulard is a family firm that has been producing Calvados since 1825, making cider from its vast orchards of 120 different apple varieties (plus a quiet 10 percent of pear cider for added acidity) then double-distilling it in copper stills. Years in oak casks follow but the pure aroma and taste of cider apples is never lost as the refined, dry, delicately lightweight eau de vie smooths with age. In Normandy, the traditional shot of Calvados before the main course of a festive meal is called the trou Normand , because the spirit seems to make a “hole” in an already full tummy, allowing the gourmet to eat more. I prefer it at the end of a meal, swirled in a brandy balloon to maximize the scent of apples. Calvados is also the heart of a simple cocktail called a Jack Rose (shake 1 1 / 2 oz of Calvados with ice, 1 tbsp/15 mL of fresh lime juice and 1 tsp/5 mL grenadine, then strain into a Martini glass)—but why gild the lily?

Chartreuse Green LCBO 37333, 375 mL, $33.95 THE MOST SUBTLE and interesting of all the antique “mo- nastic” liqueurs, Chartreuse is made with brandy, mountain honey and 130 different herbs and plants to a secret recipe still shared by only two Carthusian monks. Those botanicals give the spirit its unique colour (the sweeter, less potent Chartreuse Yellow employs a different formula) without any assistance from dyes or additives. They also provide the inimitable, complex flavour of this di- gestif, best appreciated when sipped from a brandy snifter, where the full aromatic spectrum can find release.

88  FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN 2016