You aren’t officially Parigot until you can sit in a cafe and sip your expresso for an hour.
Here are some summertime options:
Un citron presse. (Fresh squeezed lemon juice) It comes with several packets of sugar. You make your own lemonade on the spot.
Menthe a l’eau – Mint syrup and water (or for kids menthe au lait). This is one of the most refreshing choices for hot days.
Limonade- a carbonated lemonade.
Un kir – white wine mixed with a drop of creme de cassis liqueur (black currant liqueur).
Une biere. 50 CL if you’re really thirsty.
Un galopin (that’s the smallest measure of beer you can order)
Une blonde. A light beer.
Une Leffe. Monk’s beer.
Une ’16′ (Seize). A 1668.
Une panache. A beer mixed with lemonade.
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One of my favorite discoveries while in France was Orangina. We had a few minutes to sit in a little cafe in Uzes while on a tour. I ordered some for my husband and myself and we fell in love with it. Oh how I wish we could get it in the states! All the more reason to return to France. We fell in love with kir as well.
You CAN get Orangina in the states — at Trader Joe’s in CA (and some Eastern states too) and at Bristol Farm Market grocery stores — it is great stuff.
And very fond memories of menthe a l’eaus in Venice in St. Mark’s Square as well as in Paris — and Orangina lovers in Europe might also like Psssssst!
WOW! There is a Trader Joe’s about 45 mins away. I’m going to have some of my Baltimore friends check it out for me before I make the trek down. This post inspired me to go to the local liquor store on my way home today and pick up a bottle of champagne and cassis for tomorrow night. We’re staying in tomorrow night…it’s dvds, kir royale’s, some cheese and the closest thing our grocery has to real french bread.
Paris truly is a state of mind. Were your kirs royales tasty? Pick up a copy of the film Paris Je T’Aime and you can make your next kir and cheese night feel even closer to Paris.
Diabolo Menthe (lemonade and mint syrup) was a popular drink at the cafe I used to frequent.
Syrups are very big in France especially for kids’ drinks. Menthe au lait or mint syrup flavored milk is the French substitute for a milk shake. Sometimes I drink this in the summertime at cafes – because I’m just a big kid at heart.
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