{{short description|French alcoholic drink of apple juice mixed with apple brandy}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} thumb|223x223px|A glass of Pommeau de Normandie. '''Pommeau''' is an alcoholic drink made in north-western France by mixing apple juice with apple brandy: Calvados in Normandy ('''{{lang|fr|Pommeau de Normandie}}''') or lambig in Brittany ('''{{lang|fr|Pommeau de Bretagne}}''').<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/frances-cognac-country-so-much-to-drink-in/2012/05/03/gIQAAsSW1T_story.html |title=France's cognac country: So much to drink in |date=4 May 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Best of France 2008–2009 Petit Futé|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r2lTjXsWgSUC&pg=PA354|date=3 September 2008|publisher=Petit Futé|isbn=978-2-7469-2225-9|pages=354–}}</ref>
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 (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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Henrik Mattsson |title=Calvados: The World's Premier Apple Brandy: Tasting, Facts and Travel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoaJTpzbDdYC |access-date=11 May 2012 |date=28 February 2005 |publisher=Flavourrider.com |location=Malmö, Sweden |isbn=978-91-631-5546-8 |page=46}}</ref>
The liquid is then put into vats and stirred gently, before being moved to large oak barrels, and left to age for at least 14 months.<ref>{{cite web |title=L'élaboration du Pommeau de Normandie |url=https://pommeaudenormandie.com/decouvrir/elaboration/ |website=Pommeau de Normandie |access-date=9 January 2026 |language=fr-FR |quote=L’ensemble est ensuite vieilli en logements de bois de chêne pendant 14 mois minimum. |trans-quote=The blend is then aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 14 months.}}</ref>
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, Normandy and Maine: {{lang|fr|Pommeau de Bretagne}}, {{lang|fr|Pommeau de Normandie}} and {{lang|fr|Pommeau du Maine}}.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Alcoholic beverages}} {{Apples}} {{French cuisine}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Cider Category:Mistelle Category:French alcoholic beverages