THE BEST APÉRITIFS
IN PARIS
THE BEST APÉRITIFS
IN PARIS
APÉRITIFS
YOU HAVE TO TRY IN PARIS!
Picture the scene… The sun is shining on a warm summer’s afternoon in Provence. A couple of old men are playing boules and sipping on pastis between turns.
That’s right, the anise-flavoured spirit is still just as important to French culture as ouzo is to Greek culture. Apparently, the French drink 130 million litres of the stuff every year.
But the younger, urban crowd in Paris has been turning its attention to other apéritifs. And we’re going to tell you about five of their top tipples right here.
WHAT IS AN APERITIF
AND WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN?
The apéritif is a sacred tradition in French culture. These days, it could simply be a drink enjoyed with a group of friends, colleagues or neighbours alongside a few snacks and nothing more. Traditionally, though, apéritifs are pre-dinner drinks that fill the time while you’re waiting for your food or the rest of your group to arrive.
In Paris, the apéritif signals the end of the working day, with office workers often leaving their desks and heading straight out for drinks. Restaurants don’t tend to open until 6.30 p.m. or 7.00 p.m., so tables at bistros and bars start to fill up from around 5.00 p.m. It’s time to swap those daytime espresso cups for glasses filled with something alcoholic! Fancier places often throw in a bowl of nuts or olives with apéritifs. Otherwise, you can always order a snack to go with your drink. Your decision may depend on your dinner plans, of course 😉 You’ll see cheese and charcuterie boards on plenty of menus. Spanish-style tapas options are becoming more popular now too.
Our 5
must drinks
Champagne
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ROSÉ WINE
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BEER
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APEROL SPRITZ
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KIR ROYAL
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1. CHAMPAGNE
FRENCH JOIE DE VIVRE IN A GLASS
People all around the world prefer their sparkling wine to come from the Champagne wine region. Nothing says French sophistication better than a glass of bubbly, right? If you want to go all out, the Champagne Bar at the top of the Eiffel Tower promises the perfect view to accompany your fizz.
Cheaper alternatives are available! In fact, you should be able to get hold of a coupe de champagne for around EUR 5 or 6 during happy hour (check the signs in front of any bistros you pass). As you might have guessed, you won’t be sipping on Dom Perignon for that price. To be fair, though, we’ve never been served a bad glass of Champagne in Paris.
2. ROSÉ WINE
STRONG SUMMER VIBES
Rosé is everywhere you go during the spring and summer months. Hardly surprising given that France is the world’s leading producer of pink wine. You’ll struggle to find a big group without at least one glass of rosé on the table in front of them.
Within France, Provence is the region that produces the most rosé. It’s known for its cuvées made from various grape varieties, which are light and fruity with a strawberry or raspberry flavour. The Rhône wine region is another one that specialises in rosé, with Tavel being the most famous appellation.
You should know that you can totally get away with adding ice to this popular drink. And mixing isn’t frowned upon either. In fact, more and more bars are serving rosé pamplemousse (a grapefruit blend). It’s easy enough to whip up your own batch at home – just add 150 ml chilled rosé to 100 ml grapefruit juice (ideally freshly squeezed). Throw in a couple of ice cubes along with a dash or two of grenadine to sweeten it up.
3. BEER
is popular in France too
We all know that the Brits and Germans love their beer. But the French aren’t that far behind! It’s all about craft beer around here these days. Heineken and Kronenbourg are still firm favourites, but there’s no end of little local microbrasseries popping up everywhere. Brasserie is often used to refer to a type of restaurant, but it’s also the French word for brewery. Presumably, breweries often used to run restaurants where they’d serve their own beers. No doubt an old tradition is being kept alive here.
Frog Beer is one of the big names in craft beer in Paris, having pioneered the concept in France. Beers with funny names like Dark de Triomphe, Inseine and Hopster are sold in eight pubs owned by the Frogpubs chain for starters. If you want to get close to the action, head to Brasserie O’Neil (20 rue des Canettes) to drink the house beer surrounded by the equipment used to make it.
4. APEROL SPRITZ (AU CIDRE)
AN ITALIAN CLASSIC BY THE SEINE
What drink says summer better than an Aperol Spritz? Although alternatives like Lillet and the Limoncello Spritz are giving the original a run for its money, it remains a firm favourite in Paris. You’ll struggle to find a bar without Aperol Spritz somewhere on the menu. Sometimes less really is more. Prosecco, Aperol, soda water. Cheers!
Looking for a tasty twist on tradition? Make sure you try a Spritz au Cidre. As you might have guessed, the Prosecco is swapped for cider. It may sound like an acquired taste, but the sweet and sour cider works surprisingly well with the bitter Aperol.
5. THE KIR ROYAL
A DIJON SPECIALITY
Let’s finish up with a French classic that appears on every apéritif menu without fail – the Kir or Blanc-Cassis. A dry white wine mixed with créme de cassis. This blackcurrant-based cocktail is a deliciously fruity alternative to the Aperol Spritz. It’s named after Felix Kir, a priest and member of the French resistance who went on to become the mayor of Dijon after the war.
He served the drink at official state occasions, earning it a reputation beyond French borders. For a classy twist called a Kir Royal, the white wine is switched for Champagne or Crémant.
Remember the cider twist on the Aperol Spritz? The Kir Breton is the lesser-known cider equivalent of the Kir Royal.
Impotant
conclusion
This is a good time for a quick warning:
Make sure you check the menu before you order. If you thought the cost of coffee varies depending on where you are in the city, just wait until you see the prices for apéritifs… Basically, avoid tourist hotspots outside of happy hour! When I went to a chic bar on the Seine, I already had the glass in my hand before I realised it was going to set me back EUR 13…
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2021 – 2024
With the support of Anne Okolowitz
Other image rights:
Header image: Juno1412 on Pixabay
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