5 calvados cocktails: recipes tested at the domaine

Dry shake

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker, without ice. Shake for 10 seconds: the goal is to whip the egg white and build the foamy texture.

Wet shake

Add the ice. Shake again, this time for 15 seconds, vigorously.

To serve

Strain into a chilled tumbler. Three dashes of Angostura bitters dropped onto the foam for the visual signature.

Prepare the glass

Fill the mug or highball glass with ice to the brim. This is what keeps the ginger beer fizzy to the last sip.

Pour

Pour the calvados first, then the lime juice. Top up slowly with the ginger beer, along the inside of the glass.

Stir and garnish

Stir gently with the bar spoon, without breaking the bubbles. Clap the mint sprig between your palms to release its oils, then set it on top as garnish.

Chill the glass

Place the coupe in the freezer five minutes before serving. The frost that forms isn't a small detail: it keeps the cocktail at the right temperature.

Shaker

All the ingredients into the shaker, with ice. Shake for 12 seconds.

To serve

Strain into the chilled coupe. No garnish: the salmon-pink colour speaks for itself.

Chill the glass

Chill the old-fashioned glass with ice while you prepare the base.

Prepare the base

In a separate mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube with the bitters until fully dissolved. Add the calvados, then plenty of ice.

Stir

Stir for 30 seconds with the bar spoon. Never shake a Sazerac. The goal is dilution without aeration: that's the signature of this cocktail.

Rinse the glass with absinthe

Empty the old-fashioned glass. Add the absinthe, swirl to coat the entire inside surface, then discard the excess. The glass keeps the note.

To serve

Strain the calvados into the rinsed glass. Zest a lemon over it, rub the rim of the glass with the zest. Depending on which school you follow, you either discard it or drop it into the glass. Your call.

Prepare the glass

Fill the wine glass with ice to the brim.

Pour

Pour the pommeau, then top up slowly with the sparkling water or tonic, along the side of the glass.

Stir and garnish

Stir gently with the bar spoon to preserve the bubbles. Zest the orange over the glass, then rest the zest on the rim. If you're adding the rosemary, clap it between your palms before setting it on top, to release its essential oils.