Today Thursday, 20th October, is World Calvados Day.  If you would like to try this fabulous French apple brandy how about making something different?  Calvados and tonic is France’s answer to the G&T and is a staple in Normandy.  Although traditionally served chilled, it is just as fabulous with heaps of ice, a ton of tonic and a simple lemon twist producing a drink that’s “A little bitter and sweet, refreshing and bright”. INGREDIENTS Serving: 1 50 ml Calvados tonic water, to top Garnish: lemon twist DIRECTIONS Pour the Calvados into a Burgundy glass over ice. Top with tonic water. Garnish with a… Read more

Calvados is a brandy made from apples and produced exclusively in Normandy.  Its history dates back to 1553, when the drink was known as cidre eau-de-vie.  The name calvados was introduced in the late 1700s, when France was divided into departments, and it is now known as one of the Three Noble French Eaux de Vie (cognac and armagnac being the other two).  National Calvados Week is now in its tenth year and will run, alongside the annual apple harvest, from 10 – 16 October in bars and retailers throughout the UK.  World Calvados Day will follow on shortly afterwards, on the 20th… Read more

Negroni Week was originally scheduled to take place on 12-18 September brand but it will now take place in the UK on 3-9 October 2022.  The aperitivo brand, Campari, put all marketing activities in the UK on hold in the days following the Queen’s death on 8 September, including the week-long annual celebration of the Italian cocktail. Brad Madigan, managing director, commented “Whilst it felt appropriate to postpone Negroni Week in the UK, out of respect for Her Majesty the Queen, we are looking forward to being able to celebrate the landmark occasion of the 10-year anniversary with lovers of this cocktail across the country.” … Read more

  The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called on its members, including Parcelforce, who collect, sort and deliver parcels and mail to take strike action on the following dates: – Thursday 13th, Thursday 20th & Tuesday 25th October 2022 – Thursday 24th, Friday 25th & Wednesday 30th November 2022 – Thursday 1st December 2022 Parcelforce has well-developed contingency plans and will be doing all they can to keep services running, but we should expect some disruption on the strike dates. Please place your orders as early as possible in advance of the strike dates.

Richard Woodward writing in The Drinks Business last week, about Boutique Cognac Houses, names Hermitage Cognac as an independent bottler focused on the highest quality: “Cognac has close to 80,000 hectares of vineyard … cultivated by some 4,000 growers …  . Twenty years ago, there were 8,000 vignerons in Cognac, illustrating a growing professionalism as small landowners exit the industry. That picture of consolidation extends to brand owners, with Cognac’s “big four” – Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin and Courvoisier – accounting for more than 80% of global consumption. That leaves little space for smaller operations, but a number of boutique houses still… Read more

Our Gift Idea Page is brimming with suggestions for birthday and anniversary gifts, or indeed to recognise any special year of the last century. We have cognacs with age statements that have spent decades developing their unique flavours in oak casks. Every anniversary decade, from the 10th to the 70th, and a few more besides, is represented by wonderful liquids in beautiful presentations. And we have vintage brandies for every year from 1928 to 2004. It’s always special to recognise a specific year of birth, or inauguration, so finding a cognac, armagnac or calvados that was distilled the same year is the perfect gift. To see our full… Read more

~ ~~~~~~~ We are deeply saddened by the recent death of Her Majesty The Queen and send our condolences to the Royal family. On Monday 19th September 2022 our offices will be closed so that we can join the nation in paying our respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. We will be raising a toast to thank her for 70 years of dedicated service to this nation and the wider Commonwealth. May she rest in peace. ~~~~~~~ ~

Here we share a delicious Panna Cotta dessert recipe from our friends at Bordeneuve.  Using their fabulous orange armagnac liqueur, La Grande Josiane, this recipe serves 5/6 people. Panna Cotta à La Grande Josiane – 500ml double cream – 50g caster sugar – 3 leaves of gelatine – 80ml La Grande Josiane – 150g dark chocolate 1. Soften the gelatine in cold water 2. Heat the cream and sugar in a pan until just boiling 3. Remove from heat and, whilst whisking continuously, add the drained gelatine, and La Grande Josiane 4. Pour the mixture into ramekins 5. Chill in… Read more

Calvados has long been the underdog of French spirits.  “Even in France, people quite liked it, but the image was dusty and old fashioned,” says Xavier d’Audiffret Pasquier, co-founder of Maison Sassy. “Our mission is to bring calvados back to life. We want to almost promote calvados like a gin, as a very modern spirit.” Outside France, calvados has always been popular was the bartending community.  Tim Etherington-Judge says “First, it’s delicious. It has a very approachable flavour profile, not complex like a mezcal. But also, as a cocktail nerd, if you go back to some of the historical cocktail books,… Read more

Cognac house Maison Bache Gabrielsen has released a new series of cognacs with age statements called Years in Cask.  Good to see them following in our footsteps!  These cognacs are also vintages so by definition they must be single estate and cannot be blended.  Once vintage cognacs have reached their optimum maturity they are transferred to glass bonbonnes where they will mature no further. Bache Gabrielsen have released 4 new cognacs aged from 19 to 37 years.  The younger two come from Grande Champagne, the top cru, where cognacs take the longest to mature whilst the older two come from… Read more