Just in time for All Souls Day (for all you non-Catholics that’s the
day after Halloween) here’s some info about spirits. No not the kind that haunt you (unless you over-imbibe!)… I’m talking about the kind that go so well w/ your favorite Fall desserts like baked apples, bread pudding and pumpkin pie. Did you know that not only do they taste great and warm your gullet, some also serve a functional purpose (i.e., they aid digestion). So pour
yourself a snifter full and kick back while we discuss these delicious
concoctions! Here are a few of my favorites:
    Calvados – A dry apple brandy made in Calvados in the Normandy region of northern France. It is double distilled in a pot still, then aged for at least a year in Limousin oak (some are aged for up to 40 years). The best comes from the Pays d’Auge appellation controlee (a designation that is noted on the label).
   My mom familiarized me w/ Calvados. It was one of her favorite after dinner drinks. She told me about the French term “le trou de Norman” (direct translation – “the Norman hole”), a slang term for Calvados. They call it this because if you drink some after a gluttonous meal it will drill a hole right through all the food in your stomach so you can pig out even more! One of my favorite desserts to pair w/ Calvados is Remy’s Kitchen and Wine Bar’s apple bread pudding w/ caramel sauce!
  Armagnac – A fine French brandy from the Armagnac region, which is situated southeast of Bourdeaux. Although almost as highly regarded as Cognac, Armagnac is of a different style. It’s distilled only once and thus has a lower alcoholic strength (usually about 53% alcohol) whereas Cognac is about 70%. This single distillation also leaves more flavoring elements in the distilled spirit. Armagnac uses the local black oak instead of the Limousin oak used for Cognac. Black oak gives more flavor to the Armagnac and allows for faster aging. The result is that Armagnac is silky smooth but more
full-flavored than Cognac, although it doesn’t have the finesse of the finest Cognacs. Remy’s bread pudding is a good match for a fine
Armagnac.
  B and B – This is a blend of French brandy and Benedictine D.O.M. – a sweet liqueur named after the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Fecamp, Normandy, who first began making it in 1510. Benedictine is Cognac-based and flavored w/ various aromatics, fruit peels and herbs. The flavor is a delicate balance of honey, citrus and herbs. The D.O.M. on each bottle of Benedictine stands for Deo Optimo Maximo, the Benedictine monks’ dedication “To God
Most Good, Most Great”. Again, I’d pair B and B w/ Remy’s bread pudding. (If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love the bread pudding at Remy’s!!)
