World Calvados Week Is the Time to Avallen

Calvados is one of France's three brandies - the others being Cognac and Armagnac. It's been produced since the 1500s and gained serious popularity in pre-prohibition cocktails like William Schmidt's Delicious Sour and the Corpse Reviver #1 as it appeared in the Savoy Cocktail Book. As enjoyable in cocktails, as it is neat, Calvados is a spectacular spirit for mixing. 

It's entirely natural, and the subtle flavours lend a satisfying twist in place of other base spirits like gin, whisky, rum, and even tequila. “Calvados and tonic is probably one of the most underrated yet most delicious highballs!”, said Andrew Ho, Co-owner and Founder of bar Hope & Sesame

Across the UK, bartenders and independent retailers will be pouring Calvados cocktails, creating menu cards and serving up this apple brandy at every turn.  And true to Avallen's ethical brand, £1 of every bottle sold during the World Calvados Week campaign will go to the not-for-profit organisation, One Tree Planted.

Avallen Calvados is ahead of the game in terms of natural taste AND its many stellar sustainability credentials. It is available in a game-changing paper bottle, one that's bold, bright, and more durable than glass. Weighing in at a superlight 82 grams, the paper bottle eradicates the use of single-use glass and significantly reduces the brand's carbon footprint – with each bottle generating six times less CO2 than its glass counterpart. Avallen is one of the first spirits in the world to make this bold move.

More about Avallen's values, which is sustainable by design.  Not only do they make every business decision with the planet in mind, they are a Certified B Corp– a recognition granted only to the most conscious of businesses. And beyond its carbon credentials, Avallen has a pretty exceptional aptitude for biodiversity. The apple orchards are rich habitats that support a wide array of life, and 2% of their revenue are donated to charities that champion the protection of bees. Quite an achievement in an industry that doesn't always consider its impact upon the natural world.

The liquid itself is made from nothing but apples, water, and time. It's entirely natural, bursting with the flavour of apples, and comes in with a kick thanks to its 40% ABV. Upon lifting a glass to your mouth you'll notice an aroma akin to apple pie filling accompanied by vanilla and a subtle spice. Take your first sip and sweet, juicy apple will come to the fore, and that subtle spice will unveil itself as cinnamon and delicate pepper. Other notes include toffee apple, vanilla custard, and delicate honeysuckle.

And what's more – there's an abundance of ways to enjoy it.

If you're a cocktail lover – Sazerac, Spritz, even perhaps an Espresso Martini – you can give your tipple of choice a climate-positive kick by swapping your base spirit for the applicious Avallen. If you prefer a neater beverage (a drink you can sink your teeth into), pour it over ice and sip away, or lengthen with tonic for a refreshingly fruity drink. If you're entertaining, try one of our cocktail recipes below whilst you regale your guests with the tale of this top planet-saving tipple…

Avallen Hedgerow

40ml Avallen

10ml Apricot Brandy

15ml fresh lemon juice

5ml sugar syrup

Top 50/50 ginger beer & dry cider

In a highball glass filled with ice, add all ingredients except ginger beer and cider. Gently stir the drink. Top with half ginger beer and half cider. Garnish with candied ginger and slice of lime.

Avallen Espresso

40ml Avallen

15ml coffee liqueur

30ml fresh espresso

10ml sugar syrup

2 dashes salt solution

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Double strain into a coupette and garnish with coffee beans.

www.avallenspirits.com

That's Food and Drink recommend getting some in for Christmas. 

Bee Better for the Environment on World Bee Day With Avallen's Buzzing Bar Campaign!

On this next World Bee Day (20th May) Avallen, the calvados brand which is on a mission to be the world's most planet positive spirit, is launching a campaign in bars and venues across the country in order to raise awareness of the plight of these perfect pollinators, or very own bees.

A fresh approach to traditional calvados, Avallen is unusual in that it's climate positive, this is due to the spirit being made with nothing but apples, water, and time. Each bottle of Avallen removes 2.82kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

Given that bees are a key part of the pollination process required to grow the juicy apples Avallen is made from, there's no better time for Avallen to launch an awareness campaign than World Bee Day.

The activation will highlight just how vital these fuzzy little winged warriors are; without bees, there would be no cocktails, no pizza, the coffee industry would collapse, and beyond that life would be very difficult indeed. 

So to do this, Avallen is engaging bars and hospitality venues up and down the country to serve a special cocktail for World Bee Day. For every cocktail sold, £1 will be donated to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust by Avallen, to champion the protection of the mighty bumblebee, help restore their habitats, and ban harmful neonicotinoids.

Avallen will also provide one bottle of stock, menu design and printing support, and sustainability training for bar teams, as well as promotion across their own channels.

It's an overlooked fact the humble bumblebee is vital to the pollination of many plants which only release pollen to the exact vibration of a bumblebee. If bumblebees die out due to agricultural intensification, then many spirits would also disappear.  There would be no potatoes for vodka, grapes for brandy or botanicals for gin. And that's before we even mention the demise of the fruit mixers.

Avallen have suggested a number of cocktails set to tantalise customers, featuring twists on classic drinks like the Forbidden Fruit Martini which is a riff on the popular Pornstar Martini and the Avallen Espresso. There's even a spritz option to serve in sunny, alfresco spaces. Bar teams are also being encouraged to get creative themselves and design their own Avallen calvados based cocktails.

On top of raising awareness on behalf of the bees, the campaign will introduce consumers to a more conscious way of drinking. By choosing to drink Avallen, consumers aren't just saving the bees, they're also improving the planet's biodiversity and battling climate change. Quite an achievement for merely sipping a cocktail.

Tim Etherington Judge said of the campaign: “World Bee Day is an exceptional opportunity for us to raise awareness of why wild bees are so important and how spirits that support biodiversity need to be the future of drinks. 

"What better way to do that than to let people taste Avallen and understand that great tasting products can still be planet positive and do a bit of good. Every person can help increase wild bee populations by simply dead heading flowers to encourage more blooms or getting involved in No Mow May. Small steps like this can make a huge difference- as well of course as drinking sustainable, bee friendly spirits.”

To find out how to get involved get in touch with tim@avallenspirits.com or keep your eyes peeled for the activations taking place in venues nationwide from Saturday 20th May.

What venues are already booked to participate?

Participating venues to date (more being added every day):

Filthy XIII Bristol, Amolfini Bristol, Tom Thumb Newquay, Scarlett's Hotel Newquay, STERLING Bar Manchester, Ugly Butterfly St.Ives, Cornwall, Eve Bar London, The Longstore Truro, Cornwall, The Library, Bristol, Hoot the Redeemer Edinburgh, Hey Palu Edinburgh, Gleneagles Townhouse Edinburgh, Common's Club, Virgin Hotel Edinburgh, The Walcot Bath, Henrock Windermere, Bartender's Lounge Aberdeen, Lab 22 Cardiff. 

Avallen Spirits is a Climate Positive company with the environment at its core. Made from nothing but apples, water and time, Avallen calvados is completely natural with no additives or added sugar. Avallen's liquid is fresh, fruity, and proudly apple forward in its flavour profile which is aged in French oak barrels for 2 years. Avallen is now also available in a paper bottle – one of the first spirits to take this bold, sustainable move.  Far more robust than glass and six times lighter, weighing in at just 82 grams, this bottle significantly reduces the brand's carbon footprint, with each bottle being no less than six times lower in its carbon footprint than the average glass alternative.

www.avallenspirits.com