and the digestif . . .?
 

is that correctly spelled?

pursuant to a recent thread on the proper apertif in paris (pour un homme). what would be a good digestif pour une femme et un homme?

merci,
melissa

I like a great Calvados.

I have a terrible time getting a digestif in France. Either it's my terrible accent or they aren't expecting people to keep drinking after the meal or both.

I have upon occasion managed to get a "cointreau avec glaçon " (cointreau with ice) but not often. In Nantes in December when I tried to order one I ended up switching my desert from something chocolate to sorbet. Oh well, sorbet was better for me... :-)

I cannot think of the right word for it, it is pear flavored and sort of sweet, like an Asti.
The Yankee and I like Port sometimes also.
But usually I have un cafe~

Another vote for calva!

Eau de noix, but it is difficult to find outside the Dordogne.

mmmmm! eau de noix a nut brandy not to be confused with the creme de noix, a very sweet liquer. This area also sells those wonderful chocolate dusted walnuts.

I stick to cognac!

Poire William is a pear liqueur; it is sweet, but I have never discerned any other resemblance to Asti, which I take to be Asti spumante, a sweet Italian vin mousseux.

Most of the good eaux de vie are from the Alsace; in addition to poire William, there is eau de framboise (raspberry) and eau de mirabelle (plum).

We ask our waiter, wherever we are, for the local apertif or digestif. You learn so much that way.

After a delicious meal, give me a good Cognac..

Muscat! I believe is the name of the pear drink we have had a few times and enjoyed as a sweet after dinner drink.
Also, there is a Champagne that is something like Champagne au Poire..

Other than the Poire Williams(pear) in France, you may want to try Mirabelle (plums) I love this confiture also, and then there's Vielle Prunes, others we have here like Grand Marnier, a favorite orange flavered) and Cointreau.

While most flavors can be found as liqueurs, when the word <i>eau</i> appears, it normally means a 90 to 100 proof alcohol, especially if it is clear colored. Framboise, poire, kirsch and quetsche (sp?) are the more common types.

Cigalechanta--eau de noix is normally in the 25% to 30% range in alcohol content and would not be as strong as cognac. But the Italian version will reach the ranges of hard liquor.

Any eaux de vie!
though, I have taken to port at home recently.

I enjoy a good Limoncello..

Another check in the Cognac column.

Hi melissa,

A digestif should have mint in it:
White Creme de Menthe.

You could also have a creme de menthe mixed with limonade (French lemon soda). I think it is called Diablo Menthe.

Calvados.

chartreuse -- bless those monks anyway :D

For an after dinner drink you can't beat Frangelico - delicious!

If you'd like something non-alcoholic, ask for a tisane, a herbal tea. The best for settling the stomach--especially after a very late dinner--is verveine (verbena).

My favorite after-dinner drinkables are Italian (Amaretto, Frangelico, Limoncello, whatevero). If you want to stay French, go with the Cointreau or Grand Marnier (for dessert)...or cognac, armagnac or calvados (not so sweet).

Cognac or better still, Armagnac for me.

Just to be sure, Liqueurs and 'sirops' and 'Creme de....' have sugars added during the fermentation/steeping process resulting in a sweet end product, whereas 'Eau de vies' tend to be just the fruit steeped in pure alcohol resulting in a liquid which usually isn't sweet at all. I have a bottle of Poire Williams (with the pear in the bottle) and it definitely isn't sweet at all (but tastes great warmed in a snifter on a freezing night like yesterday ;) Kirsch (cherries) is another such and many of these unsweetened fruit alcohols are consumed as 'schnapps'. Some are definitely an acquired taste.

The local one is always a good one to try.

Armagnac, cognac and calva are good failsafes.

Another good one is marc, preferably Marc (pronounded mar) de Bourgogne. It's good either straight or as a dash in your after-dinner caf&eacute;.

I've just remembered the name of the local stuff to us- floc de gascogne- worth trying when in the south west.

And in the Auvergne, there is Asuze, very much like the Suze I drink .