What is Calvados made from? Recipe for apple cognac Calvados and the rules for its use

How to drink Calvados correctly? This drink needs a special approach. Strictly speaking, there are no hard and fast rules on how to drink Calvados, but there are some recommendations from professional tasters and alcohol experts. In France, Calvados is the most popular alcoholic drink, which is drunk even more than cognac or armagnac. Normans use it only in pure form and mixing with other drinks is considered mauvais ton. In the north of the country, late feasts with several courses are common. Imagine sumptuous table laden with dishes with very delicious snacks and hot: forks and spoons clink, the whole family and invited guests discuss the latest news and affairs in unison. Dinner is so tasty and satisfying, I want to try everything, but there is no more room in my stomach! This is where Calvados comes to the rescue, the malic acid contained in it improves digestion and even increases the feeling of hunger. A hot Norman drink is drunk when changing dishes - this is called "le trou normand" (from the French "Norman hole" or "Norman hole"). As soon as those sitting at the table feel heaviness in the stomach, they fill small glasses with Calvados, knock them over and after a while they are ready to try the next dish.

Who knows exactly how to drink Calvados correctly is the writer E.M. Remarque and the heroes of his novel "Arc de Triomphe". First, the waiter poured a sip of Calvados into the glasses - for tasting, and after approval he filled them already by a third. It is thanks to this novel that many connoisseurs strong alcohol first learned about the wonderful strong drink from apples.

How to serve Calvados to the table? Brandy Calvados is not customary to cool before serving, the drink must be room temperature. Today it is customary to drink it as an aperitif with ice or in cocktails as a digestif in a cozy atmosphere or, according to the Norman tradition, in its pure form at dinner. It is especially pleasant to drink a glass of Calvados after a hearty meal, when you can already completely relax and slowly enjoy its rich taste and apple aroma.

What is Calvados drunk from?
To serve Calvados, professionals use a cognac snifter or a glass of white wine - this is how you can feel the most open fragrant bouquet. Glasses of any other shape are also allowed, including small tulip-shaped glasses - it was from them that the heroes of the Arc de Triomphe drank Calvados.

The drink released from the bottle should breathe and open, and you can help it by heating the glass with your hand. First evaluate the aroma of Calvados, and only then taste it. It is customary to drink Calvados in small sips, savoring its taste and not hurrying anywhere.

What do you drink Calvados with?
The most french appetizer for calvados is savory cheeses good quality and most different varieties. In addition, you can put a basket of fruit and white bread on the table, sweet pastries, chocolate, ice cream and even coffee. Calvados is lovely drink for a good company, conducive to long conversations in a cozy atmosphere.

What kind of drink is Calvados?, what is it made of, how to drink it correctly and what should you eat? First of all, it is brandy from apples (sometimes with the addition of pears), which is obtained by distilling cider into fruit vodka, aged in oak barrels.

The drink is very popular in France: " apple vodka» is often served between meals or as a digestif. It is also noteworthy that Calvados is intended exclusively for domestic market, in contrast to the same cognac, which is exported.

From the history of the drink

In the 11th century, the Normans captured Normandy, a region rich in apple orchards. The invaders decided to dispose of them in their own way, deploying a large-scale production of cider from apple juice. The drink was obtained due to the fermentation of the wort and did not exceed 4-5% in strength. Over time, they began to make brandy from it by distillation. Then it was called "Eau de vie des pommes" ("Water of life from apples").

The first mention of Calvados dates back to 1553: then Gilles de Gouberville described in detail in his diary the entire process of producing the drink. And in 1600, in northwestern France, Calvados began to be produced in industrial scale thus gaining official status.

However, only in the 19th century did it get its current name: it was decided to name the drink in honor of the ship of the “Invincible Armada” “El Calvador”, which ran aground off the coast of Normandy.

Now there is a technique for preparing Calvados from a concentrate. And judging by the reviews, it is in no way inferior to the original.

Characteristics of Calvados

Color

The color of Calvados depends on the variety of apples and the degree of aging in oak barrels, because it is the latter that influence the shade to a greater extent:

rich honey;
caramel;
dark amber;
light golden;
yellow golden.

Aroma

The aroma of calvados varies depending on the basis on which it was prepared:

apples;
pears;
prunes;
bananas;
tree;
spices and spices.

Taste

Taste variations of Calvados depend on the variety of apples, but apple-pear or apple-flower notes are predominant.
The drink has a strong aftertaste (more persistent than that of its "relative" cognac).
It may even seem that Calvados is very strong, but this is not entirely true. It's all about knowing how to use it. Drinking Calvados correctly (like the same cognac) means first letting it “breathe” for about 20 minutes in a glass. After that, it will become much softer and more aromatic.

How much is Calvados

The price of Calvados starts from 500 rubles. However, for a particularly demanding public, the price of a drink can reach up to several thousand rubles.

How to choose

If you would like to purchase real drink, adhere to the following rules:

only France (namely the region of Normandy) has the right to produce Calvados;
the label should read "Appellation d'origine controlle";
the alcohol content fluctuates within 40%;
the original is always aged (Hors d’Age, Napoleon, Age Inconnu, Extra, V. S. O. P., X. O., Vieille Reserve, V. O., Reserve Vieux, Trois etoiles, Trois pommes, Fine);
there is a geographical standard corresponding to the "Authenticity of origin" (Apple "Calvados Pays d'Auge", Apple-Pear "Calvados", Apple-Pear "Calvados Domfrontains").

How to drink Calvados

The use of Calvados requires certain principles:

Calvados do not warm hands, unlike cognac. Therefore, it is better to hold the glass either by the base or by the leg. The normal temperature for a drink is 18-20 degrees.
A glass for Calvados should be elegant tulip-shaped with a thin long stem (as for grappa). It is in such a container that the drink will quickly give up alcohol, but retain optimal temperature for use.
Calvados is drunk in small sips (1 glass for 40 minutes), evaluating its aroma and aftertaste. A cigar can be a reasonable addition to it.
Young Calvados is suitable for an aperitif (then it should be served with ice or diluted with tonic in a ratio of 1: 3), a mature drink is considered a typical digestif, and therefore is drunk neat.
Calvados is not served as an addition to the main course or appetizers. It should be drunk in breaks during lunch or dinner.
Calvados is either not eaten, or eaten with what France is famous for, that is, cheeses: fragrant Pont-l'Eveque, spicy Livaro, soft Normandy or light Camembert.
Calvados is quite acceptable to use for making cocktails:
- « golden dawn"(calvados, gin, apricot brandy, freshly squeezed orange juice);
- « Hawaiian apple"(calvados, brandy, pineapple juice);
- « Lumberjack Jack"(calvados, scotch whiskey, gin, lemon zest);
- « Po-pom"(calvados, sherry brady, Angostura dash, brut cider, ice, fruit);
- « Greenwich"(calvados, gin, liqueur "Creme de Cacao").

Types of Calvados

Young (aging up to 2 years)

It has a golden yellow hue and a pronounced aroma. fresh apples. It is considered the cheapest variety. The inscriptions on the label: "Fine", "Trois pommes", "Trois etoiles".

Exposure 3 years

Darker and richer shade, oak-apple aroma, pronounced taste sharpness. The inscriptions on the label: "Reserve", "Vieux".

Exposure 4-5 years

It has a dark golden hue, a fruity smell and more soft taste. The inscriptions on the label: "V. O.", "V. S.O.P."

Mature (aged 6 years)

Amber or ruby hue, the taste is very soft, contains a palette of baked apple, vanilla, chocolate, spices, coffee and roasted almonds. The inscriptions on the label: "X. O.", "Extra", "Age Inconnu", "Napoleon" and "Hors d'Age".

Old (exposure from 6 years)

It looks like a six-year-old, but has even more pronounced taste and aroma, as well as a rich, lasting aftertaste. The inscription on the label: "Age ... ans", "... ans d'age".

Millesimny (annual)

Produced through the distillation of alcohol from cider made from a crop of one year, but aged in oak barrels for at least 20 years. The label indicates the year of bottling. It is considered a special chic to present the birthday man with Calvados poured in the year of his birth.

Similar drinks

If you like to prepare alcoholic drinks on your own, then making an analogue of Calvados at home is not difficult, since the recipe cider moonshine or apple mash simple enough. But only a drink created in Normandy can be called "calvados".

Other producing countries do similar drink according to their own recipes, but they differ significantly from the original. For example, Spain produces sherry brandy, and Georgia grape chacha , which belongs to the same class of drinks.

Calvados brandy is made in France from apples or from a mixture of apples and pears. alcoholic drink Calvados is produced by distilling cider. Fortress of alcohol drink calvados is about 40 degrees. It is named after the department of the same name in Normandy. Calvados is produced exclusively in the three French departments. This unique drink is subject to the rules of the appellations. Calvados was first distilled by Gilles de Gouberville in 1553 - this is evidenced by an entry in his diary.

The color of calvados after distillation is white. The strength after distillation is about 70%. The resulting alcohol is poured into oak barrels. It is thanks to aging that the color of Calvados changes from white to rich chocolate, and the entire exquisite palette of taste inherent in this noble spirit appears in the taste. Each manufacturer has its own taste of Calvados, and the production technology is kept in deep secret and passed down from generation to generation. On the label of Calvados, you can find out what it is made of, as well as minimum term extracts of each of the alcohols that make up Calvados. After aging, the degree of the drink drops, if young Calvados spills, then water is added to lower the strength. As a result, the average strength of bottled Calvados is about 40%.
For the production of Calvados, only small and necessarily the most fragrant apples. This drink is not made from one variety. For a full-fledged Calvados, you definitely need to pick up several varieties of apples. As a result, the correct mixing of the most various alcohols allows you not to depend so much, as in the production of wine, on the vintage and a certain variety, but to maintain the identical taste of Calvados for many years of production - so that the drink you buy is exactly the Calvados that you chose because of the label. To make this possible, Calvados producers grow 30-40 different varieties of apples, which are divided into four classes during production: sour, sweet, bittersweet and bitter.

These are the components that allow you to create a variety of palettes of tastes of Calvados. With such a scrupulous attitude to the production of the drink, calvados rightfully takes its place in the elite of alcoholic beverages. Therefore, a simple but important question arises: how much does Calvados cost? I can please you - the price of Calvados is acceptable and starts from 1200 rubles per bottle. Now a lot of people in Russia, where a huge number of apples and pears grow, want to know the recipe for calvados, production technology in order to produce their own homemade calvados. How nice it would be to miss a glass of Calvados produced in your country house. Of course, this is partly possible, but it will not be Calvados, but a drink only approximately similar to it. Perhaps he can even come up with a specific Russian name: vodka-calvados or wine-calvados. Definitely a funny idea.

P.S. Readers very often contact the editors of our online store with the same question related to the word "calvados". For example: "How to pronounce the word calvados" or "calvados stress"? I did not spend much time looking for an answer to this question, but I discovered one important thing for myself! It turns out that I also mispronounced the word calvAdos, emphasizing the penultimate syllable. It’s a shame, of course, that I never attached much importance to pronunciation, now I’ll be more careful. So, it is correct to put the stress on the last syllable in the word "calvados". It sounds a lot nicer that way, and I think it's even a lot prettier.

To answer the question of how to drink Calvados, you need to understand its origin. Calvados, this democratic French native from Normandy, he absorbed the aroma of ripe apples and aging oak barrels.

It does not have high pedigree roots and was originally known as a drink of the French poor and artisans who could not afford such expensive drinks like armagnac or cognac. It took a long time to get this posh apple brandy found a well-deserved and worldwide fame.

Read also:

There is no standard ritual for the use of Calvados, as such, but in any case, it does not tolerate haste. There are no special glasses for drinking Calvados either. He will feel great in cognac glasses. It is poured little by little, warming it in the hand, helping the bouquet to open up.

It is customary to play with Calvados, tilting the glass and scrolling it along the axis, holding the leg in order to examine its noble “body” and its oily “legs” erotically flowing down the walls of the glass.

Those who are accustomed to drinking chilled drinks should remember that Armagnac hides its true virtues in cold temperature filing. Its roundness and coherence of taste disappear.

Ways to drink Calvados

First option - serving Calvados for an aperitif. This strong alcoholic drink contains natural malic acid, which activates metabolism and improves digestion. Therefore, serving it before the main dishes is an appetite stimulus. However, there is no risk of overeating due to malic acids involved in the process of its fermentation.

Second option - the use of Calvados during the meal. Every sip of it unique drink helps the digestive system work with a vengeance and the feeling of oversaturation does not occur. However, in this case, the human food receptors are closed and are not able to fully accept and feel divine taste this fabulous drink.

Third option- Calvados as a Digest. After a plentiful feast, it's time to relax and chat over a glass of Calvados. They drink it slowly, warming it in the hand and savoring every drop of it.

Fourth option The use of Calvados is its use as an ingredient in numerous alcoholic cocktails. Calvados is a good companion and makes friends with various juices and liqueurs. The only point is that in such an ensemble, the taste of Calvados is felt weakly.

What to eat Calvados?

The answer to this question lies in the time of serving this strong alcoholic drink and in the way how to drink Calvados. Offering a glass of Calvados for an aperitif, you can serve it with soft or hard french cheeses, including those affected noble mold, as well as a white crispy baguette and foie gras.

Drinking Calvados at the table suggests a hearty meal. french classic- This fat duck, for example, fragrant national roe deer. Here, Calvados will help digestion at the right time. In Normandy, it is common to take a small sip of Calvados in between meals, without any special toasts or sayings.

Serving Calvados after the feast has two options. These are light fruits, sweet pastries and even ice cream. This option is suitable for lovely women. And for real men, Calvados will open in combination with a fragrant cigar or hot coffee.

For those who are not ready to try on the pure and burning taste of natural Calvados, there are many cocktail options. By the way, in Normandy they say that the way to a woman's heart is through a sip of Calvados.

Cocktails with Calvados

Here you can show an incredible flight of fancy and independently compose various variations cocktails. All cocktails that use vodka, cognac or whiskey are suitable for replacing them with calvados. No one forbids their own invention to appropriate original name. And if there is no desire to experiment, then there are already ready recipes cocktails based on apple French brandy.

Cocktail "Morning in Normandy"

A very simple recipe for two people. Pour into a shaker:

50 ml green apple liqueur
100 ml Calvados
crushed ice.

Shake the contents vigorously. The cocktail is ready to drink. Pour into thick-bottomed cocktail glasses. Garnish with a mint leaf and apple peel.

Cocktail "Brave Jack"

This alcoholic drink is considered primordially masculine, as it contains strong ingredients. Pour into a large mixing glass in order:

Calvados 30 ml;
single malt whiskey 15 ml;
gin 10 ml;
a few drops of lemon juice.

The drink is drunk without ice, purely masculine and moderately fast.

Cocktail "Merry Anna"

This original cocktail girls always like it, it is based on:

Calvados 45 ml;
blackcurrant liqueur "Crème de Cassis";
Cherry juice;

Mix calvados, liqueur, juice and ice in a shaker. Garnish with a frozen cherry.

In his Diary, he mentions the practice of distilling cider.

The drink got its name from the name of one of the departments of Normandy - first in colloquial speech in the middle of the 19th century, and later it was enshrined in the Rules of Origin Authenticity (fr. Appellation d'origine control ) (AOC) in 1942.

Standards

According to the Rules of Authenticity of Origin, there are three types of standards for genuine Calvados: AOC calvados, Calvados Pays d'Auge and Calvados Domfrontais.

The place of manufacture of Calvados is limited to the French departments of Calvados, Manche, Orne and parts of the departments of Ayr, Mayenne, Sarthe et Ayr and Loire. The more stringent "Appellation Calvados Pays d'Auge contrôlée" rules restrict the production area of the drink to the eastern tip of the Calvados department and a number of adjoining areas.

AOC Calvados

There are 6,000 manufacturers registered in this appellation, of which 400 are large.

It is the largest appellation in terms of area and volume of production. It is characterized by the absence of strict rules and, as a result, a wide variety of styles and quality levels.

Typically, this appellation uses a single distillation in cylindrical ("column") distillers.

The distillate is aged for at least 2 years in oak barrels.

AOC calvados has 100 cylinder distillers, some of which are mobile.

Calvados Pays d'Auge

The geographical boundaries of the standard are strictly defined. There are 2,500 manufacturers registered in the standard, of which 40 are large. Thanks to comfortable clay soils, he secured the right to use only apples.

The cider must undergo at least a 6-month fermentation process, in addition, a double distillation must be applied. The distillate is aged for at least 2 years in oak barrels. In total, Calvados Pays d’Auge manufacturers have 60 double distillation units.

Calvados Domfrontais

The appellation was founded in 1997.

The geographical boundaries of the appellation are strictly defined.

1500 manufacturers are registered in this appellation, of which 5 are large.

In this appellation, granites lie under a layer of clay, apple trees grow worse, but pears feel great, the root system of which spreads more than it penetrates into the depths.

Gardens must contain at least 15 percent pear trees (25 percent of which must be over 16 years old).

According to AOC rules, at least 30 percent pear spirits are used to make the drink. In practice, their component often reaches 50%.

This appellation uses a single distillation in cylindrical (“column”) distillers. As a rule, a mobile distiller roams from farmer to farmer.

The distillate is aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels.

Calvados Domfrontais has 20 cylinder distillers.

Selection of apples and pears

Unlike wine, which can only be made from one grape variety, Calvados requires careful selection. different varieties.

Calvados is obtained by mixing various alcohols. Proper mixing allows you to maintain the same taste for many years, regardless of the annual variations in the quality of apples and pears. To do this, the producer usually grows 20 to 40 different varieties of apples.

Different varieties of apples, depending on acidity, bitterness, sugar content and tannins, are divided into 4 categories: bitter, bittersweet, sweet and sour.

Typically, calvados are 10 percent bitter, 70 percent bittersweet, and 20 percent sour. Pears are comparable to the category of sour apples.

Excerpt

After the distillation of cider, Calvados still has no color. At this point, he is not yet a Calvados in the full sense of the word. It becomes Calvados as a result of aging in oak barrels, obtaining color and various shades of aromas.

The barrel is filled with alcohol by 60-70 percent.

Consumers can tell the age (and quality) of Calvados by looking at the labels on the bottles. The period indicated on the label means that each of the alcohols included in this Calvados has an aging period of at least the specified one.

Fine, Trois etoiles("Three Stars") Trois pommes(“three apples”, fr.) - aging in a barrel for at least 2 years;
Vieux-Reserve- not less than 3 years;
V.O.(Very Old), VO, Vieille Reserve, V.S.O.P.(Very Superior Old Pale), VSOP- not less than 4 years;
Extra, X.O.(extra old) XO, Napoleon, Hors d'Age, Age Inconnu- not less than 6 years;
Age 12 ans, 15 ans d'age- not less than the specified number of years;
1946, 1973 - vintage Calvados.

Leading manufacturers

Anee (AOC Calvados)
Boulard S.A.C.B. (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Busnel (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Adrien Camut (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Chateau du Breuil (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Christian Drouin - "Coeur de Lion" (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Le Clos d'Orval (AOC Calvados)
Comte Louis de Lauriston (Calvados Domfrontais)
Coquerel (AOC Calvados)
Daron (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
David
Philippe Daufresne (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Serge Desfrieches (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Des Deux-Sapins, Earl Jaouen
Des Grimaux, Earl
Desvoye
Domaine de la Merite (AOC Calvados)
Domaine Dupont (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Fermicalva (AOC calvados)
Ferme de l'Hermitiere (AOC Calvados)
Giard, S.C.E.A. (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Victor Gontier (Calvados Domfrontais)
Roger GROULT (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Howley
Michel HUARD (AOC Calvados)
Michel Hubert (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Pierre Huet (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Lebrec
Lecompte (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Lelouvier
Lemorton (Calvados Domfrontais)
Le Pere Jules (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Leroyer
Les Remparts
Les Vergers de Champ-Hubert
Macrel
Manoir de Querville (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Francois et Stephane Grandval (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Manoir d'Apreval (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Martayrol
Morin (AOC Calvados)
PARC du MOULIN
Père Magloire (Calvados Pays d'Auge)
Philippe Piednoir
Pomypom
preaux
Sapiniere
Toutain
JSC "Derbent Brandy Factory"

According to statistics, Calvados in France is drunk about twice as much as Armagnac, and the latter - more than cognac.
The tradition “le trou Normand” (“Norman hole”) is associated with Calvados - drinking small portion calvados between meals with a very long absorption of food. It is believed that it awakens the appetite.
Calvados is believed to have been E. M. Remarque's favorite drink. In particular, Calvados is often mentioned in his famous novel Arc de Triomphe.
Another outstanding French writer, Georges Simenon, made his famous character - Commissioner Maigret - a great lover of Calvados.

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High alcohol (66-96%)

Strong (31-65%)

Medium alcohol (9-30%)

Low alcohol (1.5-8%)

An excerpt characterizing Calvados (drink)

“We missed a little,” said the batman.
The headquarters was located three miles from Salzenek. Rostov, without going home, took a horse and rode to headquarters. In the village occupied by the headquarters, there was a tavern frequented by officers. Rostov arrived at the tavern; at the porch he saw Telyanin's horse.
In the second room of the tavern the lieutenant was sitting at a dish of sausages and a bottle of wine.
“Ah, and you stopped by, young man,” he said, smiling and raising his eyebrows high.
- Yes, - said Rostov, as if it took a lot of effort to pronounce this word, and sat down at the next table.
Both were silent; two Germans and one Russian officer were sitting in the room. Everyone was silent, and the sounds of knives on plates and the lieutenant's champing could be heard. When Telyanin had finished breakfast, he took a double purse out of his pocket, spread the rings with his little white fingers bent upwards, took out a gold one, and, raising his eyebrows, gave the money to the servant.
“Please hurry,” he said.
Gold was new. Rostov got up and went over to Telyanin.
“Let me see the purse,” he said in a low, barely audible voice.
With shifty eyes, but still raised eyebrows, Telyanin handed over the purse.
"Yes, a pretty purse... Yes... yes..." he said, and suddenly turned pale. “Look, young man,” he added.
Rostov took the wallet in his hands and looked at it, and at the money that was in it, and at Telyanin. The lieutenant looked around, as was his habit, and seemed to suddenly become very cheerful.
“If we’re in Vienna, I’ll leave everything there, and now there’s nowhere to go in these crappy little towns,” he said. - Come on, young man, I'll go.
Rostov was silent.
- What about you? have breakfast too? They are decently fed,” continued Telyanin. - Come on.
He reached out and took hold of the wallet. Rostov released him. Telyanin took the purse and began to put it into the pocket of his breeches, and his eyebrows casually rose, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he were saying: “Yes, yes, I put my purse in my pocket, and it’s very simple, and no one cares about this” .
- Well, what, young man? he said, sighing and looking into Rostov's eyes from under his raised eyebrows. Some kind of light from the eyes, with the speed of an electric spark, ran from Telyanin's eyes to Rostov's eyes and back, back and back, all in an instant.
“Come here,” said Rostov, grabbing Telyanin by the hand. He almost dragged him to the window. - This is Denisov's money, you took it ... - he whispered in his ear.
“What?… What?… How dare you?” What? ... - said Telyanin.
But these words sounded a plaintive, desperate cry and a plea for forgiveness. As soon as Rostov heard this sound of a voice, a huge stone of doubt fell from his soul. He felt joy, and at the same moment he felt sorry for the unfortunate man who stood before him; but it was necessary to complete the work begun.
“The people here, God knows what they might think,” muttered Telyanin, grabbing his cap and heading into a small empty room, “we need to explain ourselves ...
“I know it, and I will prove it,” said Rostov.
- I…
Telyanin's frightened, pale face began to tremble with all its muscles; his eyes still ran, but somewhere below, not rising to Rostov's face, and sobs were heard.
- Count! ... do not ruin the young man ... here is this unfortunate money, take it ... - He threw it on the table. - My father is an old man, my mother! ...
Rostov took the money, avoiding Telyanin's gaze, and, without saying a word, left the room. But at the door he stopped and turned back. “My God,” he said with tears in his eyes, “how could you do this?
“Count,” said Telyanin, approaching the cadet.
“Don’t touch me,” Rostov said, pulling away. If you need it, take this money. He threw his wallet at him and ran out of the inn.

In the evening of the same day, a lively conversation was going on at Denisov's apartment among the officers of the squadron.
“But I’m telling you, Rostov, that you need to apologize to the regimental commander,” said, turning to the crimson red, agitated Rostov, the high headquarters captain, with graying hair, huge mustaches and large features of a wrinkled face.
The staff captain Kirsten was twice demoted to the soldiers for deeds of honor and twice cured.
"I won't let anyone tell you I'm lying!" cried Rostov. He told me that I was lying, and I told him that he was lying. And so it will remain. They can put me on duty even every day and put me under arrest, but no one will make me apologize, because if he, as a regimental commander, considers himself unworthy of giving me satisfaction, then ...
- Yes, you wait, father; you listen to me, - the captain interrupted the staff in his bass voice, calmly smoothing his long mustache. - You tell the regimental commander in front of other officers that the officer stole ...
- It's not my fault that the conversation started in front of other officers. Maybe I shouldn't have spoken in front of them, but I'm not a diplomat. I then joined the hussars and went, thinking that subtleties are not needed here, but he tells me that I am lying ... so let him give me satisfaction ...
- That's all right, no one thinks that you are a coward, but that's not the point. Ask Denisov, does it look like something for a cadet to demand satisfaction from a regimental commander?
Denisov, biting his mustache, listened to the conversation with a gloomy look, apparently not wanting to intervene in it. When asked by the captain's staff, he shook his head negatively.
“You are talking to the regimental commander about this dirty trick in front of the officers,” the headquarters captain continued. - Bogdanich (Bogdanich was called the regimental commander) laid siege to you.
- He didn’t siege, but said that I was telling a lie.
- Well, yes, and you said something stupid to him, and you need to apologize.
- Never! shouted Rostov.
“I didn’t think it was from you,” the headquarters captain said seriously and sternly. - You do not want to apologize, and you, father, not only before him, but before the whole regiment, before all of us, you are to blame all around. And here's how: if only you thought and consulted how to deal with this matter, otherwise you directly, but in front of the officers, and thumped. What should the regimental commander do now? Should we put the officer on trial and mess up the entire regiment? Shame the entire regiment because of one villain? So, what do you think? But in our opinion, it is not. And well done Bogdanich, he told you that you are not telling the truth. It’s unpleasant, but what to do, father, they themselves ran into it. And now, as they want to hush up the matter, so you, because of some kind of fanabery, do not want to apologize, but want to tell everything. You are offended that you are on duty, but why should you apologize to an old and honest officer! Whatever Bogdanich may be, but all honest and brave, old colonel, you are so offended; and messing up the regiment is okay for you? - The voice of the captain's staff began to tremble. - You, father, are in the regiment for a week without a year; today here, tomorrow they moved to adjutants somewhere; you don’t give a damn what they will say: “Thieves are among the Pavlograd officers!” And we don't care. So, what, Denisov? Not all the same?
Denisov remained silent and did not move, occasionally glancing with his shining black eyes at Rostov.
“Your own fanabery is dear to you, you don’t want to apologize,” continued the headquarters captain, “but we old people, how we grew up, and God willing, will die in the regiment, so the honor of the regiment is dear to us, and Bogdanich knows it. Oh, how dear, father! And this is not good, not good! Take offense there or not, but I will always tell the truth to the uterus. Not good!
And the captain's staff stood up and turned away from Rostov.
- Pg "avda, chog" take it! shouted Denisov, jumping up. - Well, G "skeleton! Well!
Rostov, blushing and turning pale, looked first at one officer, then at another.
- No, gentlemen, no ... don’t think ... I understand very well, you shouldn’t think so about me ... I ... for me ... I am for the honor of the regiment. but what? I’ll show it in practice, and for me the honor of the banner ... well, it’s all the same, really, it’s my fault! .. - Tears stood in his eyes. - I'm to blame, all around to blame! ... Well, what else do you want? ...
“That’s it, count,” the headquarters captain shouted, turning around, hitting him big hand on the shoulder.
“I’m telling you,” Denisov shouted, “he’s a nice little one.
“That’s better, Count,” repeated the captain of the staff, as if for his recognition he was beginning to call him a title. - Go and apologize, your excellency, yes s.
“Gentlemen, I’ll do everything, no one will hear a word from me,” Rostov said in an imploring voice, “but I can’t apologize, by God, I can’t, as you wish!” How will I apologize, like a little one, to ask for forgiveness?
Denisov laughed.
- It's worse for you. Bogdanych is vindictive, pay for your stubbornness, - said Kirsten.
- By God, not stubbornness! I can't describe to you the feeling, I can't...
- Well, your will, - said the headquarters captain. - Well, where did this bastard go? he asked Denisov.
- He said he was sick, zavtg "and ordered pg" and by order to exclude, - Denisov said.