Apéritifs in France
 

I was reading some other threads about ordering Lillet and Pastis in France, and was wondering what other apéritifs are good.

The only one I've had is a Kir Royale, which was delicious, so I kept having it and never branched out.

Also what do people usually have for after-dinner drinks in France? I'm always interested in trying what the local people typically have, but I don't always know what that is.

When ever I go to an area of France for the first time, I always ask the waiter for the local apero, that's how I discovered "frigolet" a thyme based drink and in th Alps, 'Genepi"another herb based drink. And a "Beaume de Venise is a muscat, that is wonderful.
I drink Pastis usually in Provence and Suze at a restaurant before a special dinner, In cognac region,, I like ""Pineau Charente"

Thanks, cigalechanta.
Should I call it an "apero" instead of an "aperitif"?

either, in the villages some say apero.

Well, trying those should keep us busy for at least a few nights!
:-! ((D))

Port is also a common apéritif, and in some parts of France you might see orange wine--usually home made. If you like kir royale (and who doesn't?), you could try a plain kir, which is cassis with still white wine, preferably an aligoté from Burgundy.

After-dinner drinks could be cognac, armagnac, or even marc. The latter is very good in coffee. Grand Marnier is a good bet, as are Cointreau and possibly Chartreuse. In Normandy the local drink is the great Calvados.

Port is also a common apéritif, and in some parts of France you might see orange wine--usually home made. If you like kir royale (and who doesn't?), you could try a plain kir, which is cassis with still white wine, preferably an aligoté from Burgundy. You can also find raspberry liqueur with aligoté or Champagne, and many restaurants have their own variations on the classic kir.

After-dinner drinks could be cognac, armagnac, or even marc. The latter is very good in coffee. Grand Marnier is a good bet, as are Cointreau and possibly Chartreuse. In Normandy the local drink is the famed Calvados.

I usually think of port as an after-dinner drink.
In France they usually drink it before dinner?

This is the sort of thing you just don't find in the guide books.

In Normandy for an apero, try a Pommeau which is 2/3 apple must and one third calvados. In Alsace try the many fruit eau-de-vie. In the Auvergne, try the Vervaine Du Velay, a liquer of vervaine and 32 other herbs. In Basque country, we were given "Izarra" made with herbs, honey and armagnac.

This is great! I'm going to print this page out and take with me so I know what to order.
;;)

Save your Port wine for home. It's not French . The best Port is from Portugal.
If you like Food alot ask also for the local cheese of the area you are in. To drink the local wine, cheeses, etc. are part of the pleasure of the country.

And speaking of the other side of the meal, when selecting your calvados /cognac /armagnac, do ask about the price if it is not posted. Last time I ordered an armagnac from a menu without prices it cost over $100!

Try Pineau des Charentes. It's grape juice (white) whose fermentation has been stopped with cognac, and then aged in oak casks. Very refreshing.

Pineau Charente is a pleasant enough sip, though I prefer it only as a drink that's not the beginning of a meal (with which I'll also be drinking wine).

As a pre-meal drink, my favorite is Campari & soda: it looks great, and both tastes and feels sophisticated. Another wonderful drink that's just about unknown in the U.S. is Pisang Ambon, a banana-flavor liqueur (ok, maybe it's not strictly a liqueur) from Indonesia via the Netherlands. You can drink Pisang Ambon straight up, but it's best with orange juice. (A good bartender will pour the drink so that the green pisang is on the bottom, with the orange juice sitting on top -- looks fantastic, and tastes as good as it looks.)

Campari is also a favourite of mine, either with soda as rizzuto suggests, with orange juice, or in a negroni.

Hi marcy,

You could also try a dry sherry or a dry white vermouth as an apero.

My grandmother taught me that ladies did not drink spirits. The men might have a brandy (80 proof) after dinner, but ladies drank Chartreuse, preferably the green, although the yellow is also very good.

Green chartreuse is 110 proof.

Ira, I find your grandmother's comments very interesting. My French parents, who were very "manner" concious, never mentioned anything like that. I would imagine in these modern times people are more apt to just drink what they like, though. I'm with Cigalechanta...I ask what the local specialty is and generally try that..Pineau in the Charentes area, Peach or walnut wine in the Dordogne, Hydromel (honey mead) or Stawberry Liqueur (Liqueur de Fraises de Plougastel) in Brittany, to name some.

If I was going for something alcoholic as a digestif after a big meal I always had a cognac or "the trou normand" calvados (I guess I 'm just not a lady-lol). It actually did help settle over-indulgences for me. But this was generally for special occasions. The usual after meal drink for lunch is an espresso to supposedly clear your head and revitalize you to finish your day. And in the evening when my French parents had friends over or dined out, everyone frequently opted for "un tilleul", an herb tea instead of more alcohol.

Hi Klondike,

My grandmother was raised in the "fin de siecle" era, a la Gigi.

Cigale,

We are regularly offered "porto" by our French friends when we visit them. And just last night on a French-language TV show the lady of the house (in Paris) offered port as an apéritif. So I suppose in some regions, at least, it's a common offering.

For after dinner I like verveine (verbena) tea, which settles the stomach amazingly after a long and late and rich meal.

underhill, what I should have said, she should try drinks that are unavailable here, I cant get suze here so I drink Campari because it too is a gentian drink but it's Italian and has a taste like the suze. My friends like Chevas Regal(expensive there) but I always choose their Pastis 51 that's not available here.