My favorite thing about this cocktail is that it makes inexpensive Calvados taste like a million bucks. Calvados is an apple brandy with its own appellation in France, just like Cognac or Armagnac. We can get into the specifics of Calvados at a later date, but for now I’ll say it’s my favorite thing made from apples and it does wonders for re-awakening your appetite.
Yellow Chartreuse, Calvados, Benedictine and bitters. Mmm, mmm good.
If the name didn’t give it away, this is one of Ted Haigh’s forgotten cocktails.
1-1/2 oz Calvados, 3/4 oz Benedictine, 3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Combine all ingredients over ice, shake, strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a cherry.
The yellow (versus green) Chartreuse is an important distinction in this cocktail, because the yellow is more mild and has a touch more sweetness. The Benedictine, in addition to the Chartreuse, adds just the right amount of herbaceousness. The apple notes of the Calvados, though, are what come out on top here – clean, crisp; like you’re up a ladder picking your own apples in an orchard.
The finish of this drink seems to last forever – eerily so. Maybe that’s where the name comes from.
A Thirsty Spirit 