Last Updated: March 7, 2022
French Drinks You Must Try
A trip to France wouldn’t be complete without spending some time marveling at the architecture of Paris, drinking delicious French wine, and sampling some overly yummy French food.
But, there is a lot more to France than food and architecture, and today we are going to focus on the French Drinks you must try, outside of the famous French wine, when you visit France.
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Absinthe
One of the popular French drinks you have probably already tried is Absinthe, and this French drink has quite an interesting past to it.
Absinthe is one of the most famous French drinks in my opinion, outside of wine, and is a strong spirit that is green in color and is made from distilling botanicals such as fennel, wormwood, and anise with alcohol.
The anise flavor takes over more than others and it’s actually quite delicious if you like that kind of taste.
Absinthe first hit the streets of France in the 1840s and was one of the traditional French drinks that grew in popularity overnight, especially in Paris. This popular drink was referred to affectionately as “la fee verte” or “the green fairy”, and if you have ever had a few shots of Absinthe, you will know what they mean, as it’s quite a journey.
Absinthe was actually banned in France from 1915 to 2000 due to its alcohol content, which can hit 90% proof. This is one French alcoholic beverage you should sip lightly and have no more than one shot of as it really does get you going. Out of the ban can more French liqueurs including Pernod and Pastis.
Cider
French cider or “cidre” is one of the French drinks that has been around since Roman times and is still one of the top French drinks today. Apples were grown a lot in the north region of France during these times and this is the part of France, namely Brittany and Normandy, that is the most passionate about cider today.
Cider is made by fermenting apples and most French ciders are fizzy with a low alcohol content of around 5% and come as sweet, medium-dry, dry options. I personally prefer a medium dry cider, so there are quite a lot of drinks to try when it comes to cider.
You can even buy this French drink wrapped with a cork-like Champagne for special occasions, and in some parts of France, it is served that way.
Cider should always be served chilled and it’s a very refreshing drink to have on a hot summer’s day or early evening watching the sun go down.
Cointreau
Cointreau is a very popular alcoholic drink all over the world. It’s an orange-flavored liqueur and a delicious drink to have straight or mixed into a classic cocktail. What’s different about this sweet liqueur is that it is a triple sec liqueur meaning it’s been triple distilled.
Cointreau was first created in a stunning part of western France just outside of Nantes way back in 1875, in a place called Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou. The area is now quite famous for French liqueur making quite a few out of this small region of France.
Cointreau is usually served as an apéritif before dinner or as an after-dinner liqueur, and it is always sipped straight unless it’s in a cocktail. Cocktails that you will find Cointreau in, that are famous all over the world, include Cosmopolitans and Mimosas and even the classic Mexican Margarita.
Kir Royale
A Kir Royale or Kir Royal is an extremely popular French cocktail the world over and it’s made by mixing Champagne with creme de cassis which is a black currant liqueur. It’s a variation of other popular cocktails called Kir which uses white wine instead of Champagne along with crème de cassis.
The Kir Royale is a French drink named after Félix Kir, who was a legend during World War II and made a huge difference to the French resistance. This fantastic drink quickly became popular all over France and then it boomed around the world.
Some stories of legend say that Kir came up with this French cocktail when the Nazis confiscated all the Burgundy wine. He then decided to create a drink that tastes like red French wines but was made of white wine.
Gini
Gini or Gini Lemon is a non-alcoholic drink that was created by the sparkling water company Perrier, from France back in 1971. In 1989, Perrier sold their Gini drinks brand to Cadbury Schweppes but the drink barely changed.
This sparkling mineral water drink is flavored with bitter lemon juice and is one of the most refreshing French beverages you can find that is nonalcoholic in it. It’s great to have any time of the day, especially when it’s hot out, and if you love a bitter-tasting fizzy drink with some lemon flavor.
Gini is also known in France as “La plus chaude des boissons froides” – the hottest of all cold drinks, and this came about through some sexually-based marketing, which is quite humorous.
Gini is a popular drink in France and in the countries that share its borders too. It is also used to make numerous cocktails.
Cognac
French Cognac is probably one of the most famous and refined French spirits and it’s really a kind of French brandy. It’s made by distilling wine and is mostly produced in the wine regions or wine production areas of France.
This famous French spirit is produced in different grades of quality depending on how long the cognac has been aged for in the barrel. These different grades include 2 years known as VS cognac, 4 years as VSOP cognac, 6 years as Napoleon cognac, and 10 years as XO cognac.
Cognac isn’t the most refreshing drink and it’s more of a sipping alcohol that is served after dinner. This French drink is served straight in minor quantities less than a shot and small sips that allow your palate to absorb all the different flavors are key to enjoying this drink.
Pastis
Pastis is a very French drink that is particularly famous and popular in Southern France. Pastis is a French liqueur that is made with aniseed and a touch of sugar and licorice root. It’s quite a strong spirit and runs around 40-45% ABV, and it’s probably the most popular aperitif in Southwest France.
It usually comes served straight over ice and it’s sweet but anise and licorice flavor, plus a lot of alcohol is absolutely delicious. Another popular way to drink Pastis is as a cocktail and it’s one of the top French cocktails around.
Just mix one part of Pastis and 5 parts water with ice to make this cocktail and when you mix them together, you are sitting with a cloudy yellow drink. This is one of the classic French drinks you have to taste when traveling around France.
Chartreuse
Chartreuse is one of the more unusual drinks to taste while you’re in France as it’s naturally green in color, which makes your brain ask if having a taste is such a good idea. It’s actually the only spirit in the world that is naturally green.
Green Chartreuse is one of the oldest French liqueurs and was first created by monks in the 1600s who used it for health reasons. Considering Chartreuse has an alcohol content of 55%, you can see why they considered it medicinal.
There are just two monks alive today that know the secret recipe which is made up of over 130 ingredients and most of it is flowers and plants. The plants and flowers are first macerated and then distilled and aged in old oak barrels.
There is a weaker version of this French drink called Yellow Chartreuse with a lower alcohol content of about 40% which is less bitter and easy to drink. It was made in the 1800s from the original recipe.
Chartreuse needs to be served ice cold and over ice too to taste right, so keep the bottle in the freezer if you buy one.
Citron Presse
Citron Presse is pretty much the French version of lemonade and it uses fresh lemon juice mixed with water, ice, and a sweetener of the maker’s choice, usually honey, a sugar cube or two.
This is one of the drinks where the taste changes depending on where you buy it or who makes it but if you make it, you can make it to your own taste. This drink can go two ways and taste too sweet or have a too bitter flavor, depending on the balance of the sweetener and lemon juice.
It is, overall though, a very refreshing drink that is great in summer and super popular all over France.
French 75
French 75 is one of the most classic of all French drinks and it’s one you have to try while you’re in France. This drink is actually a cocktail and it was invented in Paris and it’s thought to have happened in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris.
The reason it’s called a French 75 is that it’s one of those strong cocktails that will blow your socks off like a French 75mm field gun.
To make this cocktail you need to mix Champagne, simply syrup, gin, and lemon juice which is then served in a Champagne flute – making it look very sophisticated.
It tastes quite tangy thanks to the Champagne and lemon, and botanical thanks to the gin addition to the cocktail. If you want to look the part in France, this is one of the drinks that will get you there.
Perrier
One of the most famous French beverages around the world, perhaps including wines, is Perrier. It is, without doubt, one of the best tasting sparkling water drinks around and whenever you’re in France, drinking some Perrier is a must.
The secret to Perrier’s amazing taste lies in how it’s made, as the carbonation is actually natural. The water that comes from the natural Perrier spring is carbonated and they actually collect the water and gas separately and then add the gas back to the water during the bottling process. It’s actually added to the exact same concentration as the spring delivers.
The Perrier spring has been used for centuries and was a spa during Roman times and was still a spa as late as 1898. It was only after that they started bottling this amazing spring water.
Perrier goes amazingly well with every bit of French cuisine, I love it with foie gras as the bubbles bring it to life on your tongue.
Pineau
Pineau is a French fortified wine that was created by mistake, apparently. The story goes that a wine producer in the 1500s added some grape juice to a barrel that was thought to be empty. But, the barrel was actually full of Cognac and when the barrel was opened years later, Pineau, or Pineau des Charentes (formal name) was created.
Pineau comes from the Charente region of France, hence the name, and you can find Pineau in stores all around the country, but more so in the Charente region.
You can drink Pineau straight or as a cocktail and it’s often served as a sweet aperitif in a sherry glass to allow the aromas to come out. It’s very tasty and one drink you have to try.
Chambord
Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur that can be drunk straight or as a cocktail and it’s a key ingredient in a French martini.
It was only brought to market relatively recently in the drinks world and was released in the 1980s but is based on an old recipe from the 1680s. It’s made by mixing a lot of spirits such as cognac along with blackberries and raspberries plus some vanilla, orange, and honey.
Its lower alcohol content and bold flavors make it a delicious drink to try and of course as an addition to numerous cocktails including a manhattan and daiquiris.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
