15 Best Calvados Cocktails for Cider Brandy Lovers

Drinking brown spirits is fun, right? And it’s even more fun drinking Calvados- because of its awesome apple spirit and excellent flavor.

That said, Calvados is always a fun category to make cocktails with.

Best Calvados Cocktails

One thing you’ll like about it is that it’s very versatile and blends well with a range of ingredients and almost all types of flavors.

For example, it comes with high acidity which gives any wine or food hints of nuts, spice. Can you even resist its aroma? Probably NO. Now, place all those good qualities in a cocktail and feel the experience for yourself.

Now, on to the best Calvados cocktails that you can incorporate in you small menu to impress your guests during your next dinner party. Read on.

best calvados cocktails

Aloha

Aloha was initially created in Hawaii and inspired by locally available ingredients. It comes with familiar tastes and flavors such as Kona coffee and pineapple. The pineapple flavor brings out apple notes while the Kona flavor emphasizes the nuttiness in the spirit.

This cocktail comes off savory, which makes it a perfect addition to many desserts, especially a dessert of fruit and salted chocolate.

So, to make this cocktail, you’ll need:

  • 1 ½ ounces of Calvados
  • ¾ oz of pineapple juice
  • ¼ oz lemonade juice
  • ¾ oz Kona syrup
  • 2 ml of Hawaiian sea salt
  • Lime oil and grated coffee for garnishing

In a shaker half-filled with crushed ice cubes, add all the ingredients and shake for 10-20 seconds. Strain the cocktail mixture into a cocktail glass and garnish with the grated coffee and lime oil.

Pink Lady Calvados Cocktail

For this cocktail, 1 oz of Calvados will truly highlight the pear and apple notes for a lighter feeling. 

  • 1 ounce of dry gin
  • 1 ounce of Calvados
  • ¾ oz of lemonade
  • ½ oz honey syrup
  • Egg white and 
  • ¼ oz of grenadine

Mix all these ingredients in a shaker for 10 seconds and then add some ice cubes. Shake again until the mixture is chilled. Strain into a coupe glass, and cheers!

Stay Golden

Most dinners say that this cocktail is an elevated one. In real terms, it comes with fantastic flavors- vanilla, honey, bitter cacao, baked apple, and coffee. All these feels are further amped by pear liqueur. This is one of those calvados cocktails to sip mindfully. As it continues to dilute in your mouth, flavors are transformed from tasty apple and honey to cacao and vanilla woody notes.

  • 1 ½ ounces of Boulard Calvados
  • ½ oz Irish Whiskey
  • ½ oz honey syrup
  • 2/3 oz lemon juice
  • ¼ ounces pear liqueur
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • Mint for garnishing

Mix all the ingredients in a shaker and shake until the mixture is properly diluted. Strain the contents in a glass with ice cubes. Proceed to garnish with mint. Next, enjoy your drink.

French Mojito French Cocktail

best calvados cocktails

Its subtle cider flavor gives it a seasonal kick. Also, the sugar and lime work hand in hand to balance out the drink. So, we can say that this is the perfect drink to make you dinner parties memorable.

  • 1.25 oz Calvados
  • Brown Sugar
  • 3 ¼ oz lemon juice
  • Fresh mint
  • 2 dashes of bitters
  • Ginger beer

First of all, line the bottom of a tumbler glass with mint and then add all other ingredients plus ice cubes.

Homecoming Calvados Cocktail

One reason you’ll get hooked to this cocktail has to be its bitterness and spiciness from cardamom. The spices shine through without allowing the apple notes to dominate your sip.

  • 1 ½ ounces of calvados
  • 0.25 ounces of averna
  • 0.5 ounces of lemonade
  • ½ oz syrup
  • 3 dashes of bitters

Place all the ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for a few seconds before straining the mixture into a cocktail glass.

Apple Cider

This is yet another tasty cocktail especially for the brandy lovers. In real terms, this one is a celebratory cocktail, which is usually infused with apple cider. Calvados is added to give the cocktail a grown up twist.

Ingredients: a cup of cider, half cup of calvados, half cup brandy, half cup lemonade, two tablespoon maple syrup, four slices of apple, and crushed ice cubes.

First of all, fill a shaker with ice cubes to the half-full mark. Next, add Calvados, apple cider, lemonade, maple syrup, and brandy.

Cover the cocktail shaker with lid and shake the contents for 10 seconds. Strain into cocktail glasses filled with ice cubes.

Each glass of cocktail drink should be garnished with two slices of apple. Serve almost immediately. Cheers!

different drinks in glasses

Normandy Flower

This is yet another calvados cocktail that can make for a refreshing drink for any party. Actually, it’s an awesome blend of flavors, so you can include it in your small menu.

It is made from certain ingredients that give it a seasonal kick, but you can always use your creativity to make it even better. One of the ingredients in this amazing drink is apple brandy.

Ingredients: 

  • Calvados
  • Tonic water
  • Elderflower Liqueur
  • Orange extract

Mix all these ingredients together to make the Normandy cocktail. The recipe is as simple as that.

Spiked Cider

For this cocktail, you’ll need ice cubes, 12 oz cider, 4 oz Calvados, and one apple.

Fill six glasses to half with ice crushed ice cubes. Add to the mixture one-part calvados and four parts cider. Drop a slice of apple into each glass and treat yourself and your guests to an unforgettable moment.

Dark Cherry, Calvados, and Blueberry 

As its name suggests, this cocktail is a mixture of blueberry, apple brandy and cherry liqueur. This perfect blend is what gives it a dope color.

Ingredients: honey syrup (blueberry), 1 ½ cups of clean water, 113 grams of honey, 250 grams of fine sugar, 2 black peppercorns, whole cloves, 1 tsp allspice, a few drops of orange citrate, cherry liqueur, Calvados, one egg, mint, and lemonade.

To make a tasty cocktail, put all the above ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake well until the mixture is chilled.

Add some ice cubes and continue shaking. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with one mint leaf. Enjoy your cocktail.

Cider Car

Ingredients:

  • Half an orange
  • Cinnamon
  • 5 oz apple cider
  • 1.5 oz apple brandy/ calvados
  • 0.5 oz triple sec Cointreau

Use the piece of orange to wet the edge of the cocktail mug. Dip the wet edge into fine cinnamon sugar. Add calvados, trip sec and apple cider and stir gently. Serve while hot.

Note: if you want to get a nonalcoholic version of Cider car cocktail, use orange juice instead of alcohol.

Sangria

Apple sangria is a great cocktail made from mixing together wine, calvados, apple cider, and slices of apple. It’s also a perfect drink for a crowd. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Thinly sliced apples
  • 2 cups of apple cider
  • Sparkling wine
  • 0.25 cup of pomegranate seeds
  • Calvados

In a pitcher, stir together calvados, slices of apples, and the slices of apple. Next, add the wine and stir for a further one minute. Serve in cocktail glasses with ice and pomegranate seeds.

Mulled Cider with Calvados

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of hard cider
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 3-4 allspice berries
  • 4 pieces of cloves
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg powder
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • ½ an apple
  • 0.5 cup calvados

Mix together all the ingredients and simmer in a saucepan for 10 minutes. When the mixture is hot, throw away the whole pieces. Next, divide the mulled cider among mugs and garnish each glass with apple slices.

Last Straw

Ingredients: 1 ½ shots each of Calvados, elderflower liqueur, dry cider, and apple juice.

Vigorously shake all the ingredients and strain into ice half-filled cocktail glasses. And you’ll be ready to take a sip.

Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients:

  • One liter of apple cider
  • 45 ml of honey
  • 30ml of calvados
  • Two cinnamon sticks
  • Half an apple

Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Steep for up to five minutes. Add cinnamon sticks in spoons and place them into the glasses with the mixture. Cheers!

Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • A quarter cup of maple syrup
  • 0.75 cup of hard cider
  • 0.25 cup of lemonade
  • Two tablespoons of calvados

Stir together all the ingredients and add brut champagne. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Bonus

Calvados, Ginger and Spiced Apple

This one doesn’t need a recipe because all you’re require to do is to combine the three ingredients to make an awesome cocktail for your dinner party.

Ingredients:

  • Chilled dry ginger
  • 3 slices of apple to garnish
  • Optional- 10 sticks o cinnamon to garnish
  • Calvados- 250 ml
  • Half a liter apple juice
  • Fresh ginger

Mix together all the ingredients in a mug that is half-filled with ice cubes.

a glass on top of a shelf/best Calvados cocktails

In conclusion

This article will go a long way to help you prepare the best calvados cocktails like a pro.

To this end, you may have realized that impressing your guests by treating them to an awesome goes down to creativity.

The list is by no means exhaustive, but the ones appearing above are the world’s most popular calvados cocktails. Maybe you can preserve this article for the sake of your upcoming parties.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to the best calvados cocktails.

Read more cocktail tips here!