Pastis

If you have been to France, you know that the bars there bear little resemblance to American watering holes. Over there, when you go into a bar for something to drink, you’ll most likely be enjoying coffee, water, or what the French drink before dinner--an aperitif.

Since aperitifs precede dinner, there are a few prerequisites: the drink has to taste good by itself, without food; it should never interfere with the flavors of the food to come; and a touch of acidity is considered de rigeur.

The aperitif served most often in this country is a glass of white wine. The most common aperitif in different parts of France may be a glass of Champagne or a Crémant from some other region. Of course, you can add Crème de Cassis, orange juice, or a sugar cube dowsed with bitters to a glass of bubbly to make a champagne cocktail, but that’s only necessary if you get tired of Champagne. We never do!

Aromatized wines, including vermouth, Lillet, and Dubonnet, are cocktails in a bottle. Pour them over ice (or just serve chilled) with a lemon twist or slice of orange, and you have an aperitif!

The French prefer dry vermouth, the Italians sweet; and both were developed in the 18th Century. If you want a bit more excitement, a Vermouth Cassis is dry vermouth with a splash of Crème de Cassis served on the rocks with a lemon twist. Lovely.

Lillet is an aperitif wine fortified with fruit brandy, produced in the Bordeaux region by the same family that owns Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, a prestigious Bordelaise house. Dubonnet Rouge has the notable addition of quinine, which gives tonic its bitterness.

Two classic bitters, Campari and Cynar, both come from Italy and are relatively high-alcohol extracts of spices, herbs, roots, and other plant material. Some, like Campari, can be served as is, on the rocks, or with a twist. Cynar is generally served as an aperitif after it is mixed with something like soda, orange juice or tonic water.

If you ever stroll past a Parisian bistro and see someone sitting at an outdoor table with a chartreuse-tinted beverage in hand, chances are it’s a Pastis. It is always diluted with water, and usually gets some ice, but not as much as an American might add. The two most popular brands are Pernod and Ricard. Pernod is essentially a version of Absinthe. It is a little stronger than Pernod and has a slightly different flavor profile. As for why the French would drink something with such a strong flavor before dinner, and in so doing, violate many of their very own aperitif rules, they would probably say, “buf, c’est Pastis!”

CIA FOODIES


French Aperitifs

Pastis
If you have been to France, you know that the bars there bear little resemblance to American watering holes. Over there, when you go into a bar for something to drink, you’ll most likely be enjoying coffee, water, or what the French drink before dinner--an aperitif. Since aperitifs precede dinner, there are a few prerequisites: the drink has to taste good by itself, without food; it should never interfere with the flavors of the food to come; and a touch of acidity is considered de rigeur. The aperitif served most often in this country is a glass of white wine. The most common aperitif in different parts of France may be a glass of Champagne or a Crémant from some other region. Of course, you can add Crème de Cassis, orange juice, or a sugar cube dowsed with bitters to a glass of bubbly to make a champagne cocktail, but that’s only necessary if you get tired of Champagne. We never do! Aromatized wines, including vermouth, Lillet, and Dubonnet, are cocktails in a bottle. Pour them over ice (or just serve chilled) with a lemon twist or slice of orange, and you have an aperitif! The French prefer dry vermouth, the Italians sweet; and both were developed in the 18th Century. If you want a bit more excitement, a Vermouth Cassis is dry vermouth with a splash of Crème de Cassis served on the rocks with a lemon twist. Lovely. Lillet is an aperitif wine fortified with fruit brandy, produced in the Bordeaux region by the same family that owns Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, a prestigious Bordelaise house. Dubonnet Rouge has the notable addition of quinine, which gives tonic its bitterness. Two classic bitters, Campari and Cynar, both come from Italy and are relatively high-alcohol extracts of spices, herbs, roots, and other plant material. Some, like Campari, can be served as is, on the rocks, or with a twist. Cynar is generally served as an aperitif after it is mixed with something like soda, orange juice or tonic water. If you ever stroll past a Parisian bistro and see someone sitting at an outdoor table with a chartreuse-tinted beverage in hand, chances are it’s a Pastis. It is always diluted with water, and usually gets some ice, but not as much as an American might add. The two most popular brands are Pernod and Ricard. Pernod is essentially a version of Absinthe. It is a little stronger than Pernod and has a slightly different flavor profile. As for why the French would drink something with such a strong flavor before dinner, and in so doing, violate many of their very own aperitif rules, they would probably say, “buf, c’est Pastis!”

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