Calvados, French apple brandy with a kick, perfect for palate cleansing or an after dinner digestif

Calvados, the tipsier version of apple cider, is reputed to have roots in 8th-century Normandy, France. It is a type of brandy, but differs from those made in Cognac and Armagnac, because calvados is distilled from cider, not grapes.More than 200 varieties of applecan be used in the distillation of calvados, which requires a balance of tart, sweet and bitter fruit. To make the cider, apples are picked when ripe, washed, pressed and fermented – a process that takes six to 12 weeks. Fermenta…