
Pommeau is an alcoholic drink made in north-western France by mixing apple juice with apple brandy:
Calvados in Normandy () or
lambig in Brittany ().
Considered a
mistelle, it is generally consumed as an
apéritif, or as an accompaniment to melon or
blue cheese. It is also popular with a variety of desserts, including any chocolate or apple-based dishes.
Production
Pommeau is made by mixing two-thirds apple
must
Must is freshly crushed Juice, fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must ...
(unfermented
apple juice) to one third of one-year-old
Calvados. The proportions are chosen to ensure that the resulting mixture has 16–18% alcohol by volume.
The liquid is then put into vats and stirred gently, before being moved to oak barrels, each containing 400 litres, and left to age for at least 14 months.
The resulting drink is mahogany in colour with a bright lustre, and has an overall smooth taste, often with vanilla, caramel and butterscotch flavours.
Production is controlled by three
appellations covering manufacture in
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
,
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
and
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
: , and .
Footnotes
References
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{{Authority control
Cider
Mistelle
French alcoholic drinks