A thirst for distance

It began on the shores of the Eng­lish Chan­nel and ended on the banks of the Hudson.

In between, a summer jour­ney of sev­er­al thou­sand miles—marked by tast­ings, encoun­ters, and flavor pair­ings that were any­thing but predictable.

Calvados crossed the Atlantic not just to rep­res­ent its heritage—but to prove it has far more to offer than tra­di­tion alone.

First Shores, first pairings

First stop: Seattle. At West­ward, perched on the edge of Lake Union with paddle­boarders drift­ing by, Calvados met the mari­time fla­vors of the Pacific Northwest.

Shell­fish, line-caught fish, clean and ele­ment­al preparations—the French apple brandy found a nat­ur­al har­mony. “It just makes sense,” remarked one guest, struck by its bal­ance of floral lift and ripe fruit depth.

Farther south in San Fran­cisco, Calvados took to the water. A tast­ing cruise through the bay doubled as a float­ing mas­ter­class. Golden Gate to port, Alc­a­t­raz to star­board, with glasses raised and ques­tions flowing.

The crowd—bartenders, buyers, and curi­ous professionals—discovered an aro­mat­ic pro­file that defied expectation.

Then came Los Angeles, where Normandy met Japan at Maison Kasaï, a Franco-Japan­ese tep­pan­yaki des­tin­a­tion that brought the con­trast into sharp focus.

Open flame and cast iron met oak-aged fruit and slow-time char­ac­ter. Wood, apple, umami: the alchemy worked.

“It’s bold, but it really comes togeth­er,” said a local som­meli­er, intrigued by the match.

Denver and New York: At the Heart of Cocktail Culture

In Denver, the tempo shif­ted. Far from the ocean’s pull, the Calvados tour con­tin­ued in a more intim­ate, cock­tail-focused setting.

At The Well­ton Room, bar­tenders explored the spirit freely, push­ing its boundaries.

The res­ults? Cre­at­ive riffs and lively con­ver­sa­tions that revealed just how ver­sat­ile Calvados can be.

It’s still unfa­mil­i­ar ter­rit­ory for many—but fer­tile ground.

The final stop: New York City.

At Bar Con­vent Brook­lyn, one of the industry’s lead­ing trade shows, Calvados made a bold statement.

Sev­er­al dis­til­ler­ies joined forces on a shared booth, offer­ing side-by-side tast­ings of their liquid gems.

Ivy Mix—one of New York’s most respec­ted voices in cock­tail culture—hosted two mas­ter­classes. Her mis­sion: bust the myths and spot­light Calvados as a ser­i­ous con­tender on the modern backbar.

A Spirit in Translation

To call it a cam­paign would be reduct­ive. This wasn’t just a promo tour. It was a declar­a­tion of intent.

With its aro­mat­ic com­plex­ity, nar­rat­ive depth, and abil­ity to com­ple­ment both exper­i­ment­al kit­chens and cut­ting-edge bars, Calvados has everything it needs to be part of the next chapter in global drink­ing culture.

Tra­di­tion doesn’t mean stand­ing still.

Calvados is ready to speak in the present tense. And in English.

Cred­its : Côme Bonnet-Badillé (SF) / Luis Bas­tardo (Brook­lyn)