French Drinks

The French are all about food and drinks, delicious cheesy food preparations and strong classy drinks. More than the food items which are typical to this country, beverages like wine and champagne are more typically served and used as French drinks. They have been a part of the traditional culture of France since ancient times and the citizens are so fond of them, that many times, these are even used in place of water during meals! This is also known as the Apéritif, which means a beverage consumed after dinner or while dining. Other than alcoholic beverages, there are some other non-alcoholic drinks which are very popular amongst the kids here as well. Therefore, to find out which are these super hits in this land of passion, read on and pick your favorite.

Drinks’ List



According to the government, the legal drinking age is 18 years, as alcoholic drinks are a very common beverage in this country and can be misused by children. Therefore, till then, there are many other drinks for kids like sodas, flavored syrups, milk and its preparations, and of course mineral water that can be accompanied with French foods! And among the alcoholic drinks, there is wine, champagne, beer, and other versatile liquors which are mentioned in the following paragraphs in their authentic names. So, if you are really eager to know what they are, here you go.

Coffee or Le Café and Tea


Have you ever tried starting your day without your favorite beverage like tea or coffee? Doesn’t sound fun, does it? Well, for the French, it is their daily cup of Le Café, and tea. These two are made in a number of recipes, depending on how strong they would like it to be. According to this, there are many degrees of coffee and tea which are mentioned below. They are…

• Un Café – A tiny cup of very strong black coffee also known as espresso.


• Un Double – A double dose of black coffee, stronger than the first type.


• Café au Lait – It is usually strong black coffee with milk.


• Café Allongé – It is a diluted espresso coffee made slightly mild with water and without milk.


• Tea or Thé – Plain black tea without milk with sugar cubes for taste.


• Thé au Lait – Black tea with sugar cubes and milk as well.


• Tisane – Very popularly served as herbal tea, and includes ingredients like lime flower, mint, sage and chamomile.


• Chocolate Chaud – This is one of the best non alcoholic, rich, thick drink with pure chocolate and extremely delicious.

Wine or Le Vin


Wine is something that can never be separated from France, as there are many regions in this country which are the leading producers of both red and white wine. These wines are globally recognized and accepted for their deep color, taste and quality of the drink, and often used as toasts. Some of these French wines are;

• Alsace


• Bordeaux


• Champagne


• Bourgogne


• Côtes du Rhône


• Cores


• Loire


• Languedoc-Roussillon


• Provence

Other Types of Drinks


There is another very commonly used term in French, Le Digestif, which means some sort of liquor which is consumed after meals, to help in the digestion of food! For this purpose, the French use types of brandies, beer and other light liquors after supper. To name a few, we have;

• Pastis – Licorice liquor, very popular in the southern parts of France.


• Cider Beer – Produced in Normandy and other northern areas of France.


• Cognac – A rich and tasteful brandy made in Charente close to Bordeaux.


• Calvados – Again one of the Normandy productions of apple brandy.


• Armagnac – Produced in the Gascony region, south-west of France.

With such a wide variety of French drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, found in France, I am sure you would want to try the ones you haven’t yet tried! Well, go ahead and make the most out of these well-known “une boisson” of France.

French Drinks