Summer in France means lots of things – trips to the beach, empty cities, works on the Paris Metro – but it also ushers in rosé and spritz season. Here’s some of the best options to drink in France this summer.
Rosé
Wine is a pretty popular product all year round, but as soon as the sunny days arrive, the shelves of your local cave or supermarket will be filled with rosé.
Rosé wines sometimes get a bad reputation abroad, but there are plenty of excellent vins rosé in France, especially the ones from the rosé heartland of Provence, the majority of which are dry, not sweet.
It’s often served as a pre-dinner drink (an apéro) but it also pairs well with food so you’ll see it on restaurant wine lists.
Rosé wine is not a mix of red wine and white wine, instead it’s made from red wine grapes but using a different technique in which the skin of the grapes is removed earlier, meaning that the skins do not impart their red colour to the wine. Rosé is in fact the oldest wine type in France – the ancient Romans produced wine using the rosé technique in Provence.
Spritzes
If you’re not a rosé fan, why not try a spritz as the temperature rises? Spritz refers to any drink that is a combination of wine (usually sparkling wine), soda water and an apéritif drink. They’re served long with lots of ice so make a refreshing and not too strong drinks option in the summer.
The classic spritz is the Apérol spritz – made with Apérol, sparkling wine and soda water, usually garnished with a slice of orange. Although ubiquitous in France, Apérol is actually Italian (its name comes from aperitivo, the Italian word for pre-dinner drinks).
There are lots of other options though – Campari Spritz, with the bitter-but-delicious Italian Campari.
Lillet spritz – the French aromatised wine Lillet is often served as a spritz, garnished with mint or cucumber (fun fact; it’s the favoured drink of fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter).
Saint-Germain spritz – the elderflower liqueur Saint-Germain is often found served as a spritz in the summer, garnished with fruit.
Beer
French beer culture is rapidly changing and there are now more and more options available if you want to drink beer in France.
The traditional demi (half pint) of French of Belgian beers are still widely available, but craft beers are also really taking off, especially in northern France.
A combination of imports from the UK and US, plus an ever-increasing number of small craft breweries in France mean there are lots of craft ales on offer now, from IPA to stout. It’s also getting more common to serve beer as une pinte (a pint).
READ ALSO How France became a nation of beer lovers
Non-alcoholic beers are also increasingly common in France and most of the big-name brands such as Kronenbourg, Grimbergen and Pelforth now have a zero-alcohol option, while more and more craft beer operations are also producing an alcohol free product. Ask for une bière sans alcool, or if you want want a summer shandy (beer mixed with lemonade) ask for a panaché.
Citron pressé
If you’re looking for something non-alcoholic, the classic pressé is a good option.
The most common option is a citron (lemon) pressé, but many cafés have other fruit options. Keep in mind this isn’t exactly a lemonade – if you’re looking for this you can ask for a citronade.
The classic pressé is served as a neat squeezed juice, served with a jug of water and (in the case of the lemon) a couple of sachets of sugar, so that you can mix the juice to your own taste.
But aware that soft drinks are not necessarily cheaper than alcoholic ones in France, and a citron pressé will often be more expensive than buying a beer or a glass of wine.
Water
Of course staying hydrated is vital as the temperature rises, and there’s no better option for your health than water.
In cafés and restaurants if you simply ask for ‘water’ you’re likely to be brought mineral water and this can be more expensive than beer or wine, especially in tourist areas.
If you just want tap water ask for une carafe d’eau or un pichet d’eau, which is free.
Tap water in France is entirely safe to drink and the city of Paris is currently running a campaign called Je choisi l’eau de Paris (I choose Paris tap water) to encourage people to cut down on plastic waste by ditching bottled water and drinking tap water instead.
If you see a Je choisi l’eau de Paris sticker in the window of any business, it means you can go in and get your water bottle filled up for free.
READ ALSO Six things to know about tap water in France
Most French cities also have a network of drinking fountains where you can stay hydrated for free during the summer months.
