Midnight Orchard: a cocktail recipe featuring Calvados, Amaro Averna, and Amontillado Sherry

The Midnight Orchard is a cocktail that invites you into the dusky cool of autumn evenings, with a depth of flavor that’s both bold and intriguing. It’s a drink that feels like a quiet walk through an orchard under a starry sky—dark, moody, full of promise, and layered with notes of fruit and spice.

At the heart of this cocktail is Christian Drouin Selection Calvados, a French brandy made with estate-grown apples and pears that brings warmth and a subtle sweetness. Amontillado Sherry adds a dry, nutty complexity that makes the Calvados sing. And then there’s Amaro Averna, a bitter Italian liqueur with notes of caramel and herbs, grounding the drink with its rich, slightly bittersweet finish.

As you stir these ingredients together, its aromas and flavors marry to create something that is more than just the sum of its parts: an excellent sipper that evokes the rich and heady taste of unexpected luxury. A Luxardo brandied cherry garnish adds just a touch of sweetness and an extra pop of flavor.

The Midnight Orchard is the kind of cocktail that’s made for slow, thoughtful sipping—perfect for when the night is cool, and you want something with depth and elegance in your glass. It’s familiar yet mysterious, and, like a well-kept secret, it begs to be shared.

Cocktail recipe and image by Katie Slonim, @mixoindy