Brittany Cider, Chouchen and Lambig

If Brittany is providing some fine white wines, you will have more the opportunity to taste the famous local cider, a local drink as well as the Chouchen and this French region’s famous eau de vie: the Lambig. These produce are made of apples which thanks to the climate can easily thrive in this French region.

---

Brittany cider is made of apples. Many apples are crushed and then juice is obtained from its ferments. The sugar is then transformed into alcohol, cider being naturally sparkling. Like all the other wines you will find brut cider which is acid, but particularly tasty, demi-sec, mild and fresh and doux cider, which is particularly mild. This fresh and sparkling drink will accompany with majesty the traditional French crèpes. The amateurs of getaways will like Brittany for its numerous treasures, in gastronomy as well as through its wonderful landscape. We can definitely not deal with Brittany without making any references to its Chouchen. Chouchen is a wine made from the blend of honey and water in which the apple juice just crushed is added. Thanks to the presence of apple the mix ferments and produces an actually typical drink. Traditionally mixed with cider, the appellation of Breton Chouchen has been given to the blend with water though. Another name given to Chouchen is hydromel from Brittany, the name being used in certain parts of the region. If numerous stories tell that this drink make you lose your balance do not worry, indeed in ancient times winemakers used to blend the stingers of bees in the mixture, the poison was then having an effect on the balance of people when they were sipping Chouchen a bit too much. Nowadays this recipe is done without the presence of stingers. It is a particularly fine and tasty French traditional drink that all visitors in Brittany should savour and enjoy.

Tip: In order to savour this drink consume it really chilled as an aperitif or as a digestive drink. Last but not least, the Lambig is an eau de vie produced from the distillation of cider and its heating. The distillate is then sometimes mixed with water according to the producers’ recipe and usage. This liqueur, which can sometimes reach 50ºc, has to be sipped as a digestive or aperitif to be fully appreciated.