Calvados · Explainer
What is a trou normand?
A trou normand is a small glass of calvados halfway through a long meal, traditionally between the fish and the meat course. In Normandy it is drunk in one go or poured over a scoop of apple sorbet. The IDAC traces the custom back to the eighteenth century. For this course young calvados of 2 to 4 years is usually used.
In brief
The key figures
| What it is | A small glass of calvados halfway through a long meal |
|---|---|
| Place on the menu | Between the fish and the meat course, sometimes just before the cheese |
| How it is poured | In one go, or over a scoop of apple sorbet |
| Origin | Normandy; the IDAC cites the eighteenth century |
| First cider distilled | Sixteenth century, Gilles de Gouberville in Mesnil-au-Val |
| Which calvados | The IDAC calls calvados of 2 to 4 years fresh and lively |
| Glass for older calvados | Tulip-shaped glass |
| Alcohol in calvados | At least 40 percent by volume according to the AOC decree |
When do you serve a trou normand?
A trou normand comes halfway through a long meal, traditionally between the fish and the meat course.
Normandie Tourisme also mentions the moment just before the cheese. This concerns an extensive multi-course menu; at a two-course dinner the custom makes little sense.
It stays one small glass, not a second aperitif. You pour it, and then the next course goes on the table. The custom therefore belongs to the kind of meal where fish and meat both arrive as separate courses, and where there is time between the courses.
What do you pour at a trou normand?
Traditionally a small glass of calvados drunk in one go, nowadays often calvados poured over a scoop of apple sorbet.
Normandie Tourisme describes both forms and calls the sorbet version a common custom. That turns the course into a small intermediate dish straight away.
In the glass goes calvados: distilled cider from Normandy, with at least 40 percent alcohol by volume according to the AOC decree.
Which calvados do you choose for a trou normand?
Choose a young calvados; the IDAC calls calvados of two to four years fresh and lively and even serves a VS ice cold.
Older calvados of ten, twenty or thirty years the IDAC places after the meal, neat, in a tulip-shaped glass.
On the label you recognize the young classes by VS, trois étoiles, trois pommes, vieux or réserve. These stand for at least two to three years on oak.
Where does the custom come from?
The custom comes from Normandy and is traced back by the IDAC to the eighteenth century.
Calvados itself is older. Normandie Tourisme points to Gilles de Gouberville, who in the sixteenth century first distilled cider at his castle in Mesnil-au-Val in the Manche.
Accounts differ on the precise origin of the trou normand. Normandie Tourisme regards the tradition as a regional custom of Normandy. The IDAC describes the course as a small glass of calvados drunk in one gulp or taken with a sorbet.
How else do you serve calvados at the table?
Calvados can be served as an aperitif, as a trou normand between courses, and after the meal as a finisher.
The IDAC places young calvados with the aperitif and in cocktails, on ice or as a long drink. Older calvados is served neat, in a tulip-shaped glass that keeps the wood notes together.
A trou normand stays one small glass. Anyone who is driving or does not want alcohol takes the sorbet without calvados poured over it.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which VS and VSOP calvados are in the shop in Bathmen?
In the shop in Bathmen there are 8 calvados from 6 different brands. Prices range from € 16.99 to € 54.99.
- Busnel Calvados Pay's d'Age VSOP 40% · 70 cl · France
- Christian Drouin Calvados VSOP 40% · 70 cl · France
- Château du Breuil Calvados VSOP 40% · 70 cl · France
- Château du Breuil VSOP 35cl 40% · 35 cl · France
- Coquerel VS 40% · 70 cl · France
- Coquerel VSOP 40% · 70 cl · France
- Morin Calvados VSOP 40% · 70 cl · France
- Père Magloire Calvados VSOP 40% · 70 cl · France
Related questions
Which appellations does calvados have?How long does calvados keep after opening?What do fine, vieux and XO mean on a bottle of calvados?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Must there be sorbet with a trou normand?
- No. Traditionally it is just a small glass of calvados. The apple sorbet is a later variant that Normandie Tourisme also describes.
- Between which courses does the trou normand come?
- Between the fish and the meat, and with long menus sometimes just before the cheese.
- Which age of calvados goes with it?
- The IDAC describes calvados of two to four years as fresh and lively. On the label you recognise it by VS, trois étoiles, vieux or réserve.
- Can a trou normand also be made with another drink?
- The trou normand belongs with calvados from Normandy. With another drink it is an intermediate course, but not a trou normand.
- Does ’t Bockje sell spirits to young people?
- Nee. Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan mensen onder de 18 jaar en vragen om een legitimatiebewijs. NIX18.
The reasoning
Sources
- Unveiling the secrets of the Trou Normand, Normandy Tourism (accessed 2026-09-06)
- How and when to drink Calvados, Calvados France (IDAC) (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Understanding the label, Calvados France (IDAC) (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Décret n° 2009-1350, appellation d'origine contrôlée Calvados, Légifrance (accessed 6 September 2026)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.