12 Best Aperitifs In France

Are you looking for the best French apéritifs?

In France, having an Apéritif is akin to a ritual. An apéritif, which can be a cocktail, liqueur, or fruit juice, is traditionally enjoyed with friends before dinner in France (and sometimes lunch).

For the most part, this is served only with meals with close friends and family, whether at home or out to eat.

Aperitifs are typically served with small snacks such as olives, cheese crackers, nuts, and crisps. They provide an opportunity for guests to relax and mingle before the main course arrives. 

12 Best Aperitifs In France

Also referred to as an apéro in France, these are often traditional drinks like Pastis and other French classics, as well as more potent libations like whisky.

Restaurants will also serve regional specialties (each region has a favorite) and well-known cocktails.

Check out our list of the best aperitifs in France below.

1. Calvados

Calvados is a French apple brandy from the Basse-Normandie region that is aged in oak barrels. It can be used as an aperitif or a digestif, depending on your preference.

Calvados has been around since the 1550s when it was first mentioned. Apples are pressed and fermented to make cider, which is then distilled twice to make alcohol. A minimum of two years of aging follows.

Calvados is typically served in a balloon or wine glass, unsweetened and without any garnish or garnishes. Alternatively, you could serve it chilled with ice cubes.

2. Champagne or Crémant

Champagne is served all year round in France, not just on New Year‘s Eve. Champagne is a great aperitif that you can have whatever you want.

But if you don’t have much of a champagne budget, you can still enjoy a fine bubbly, like crémant.

Compared to champagne, crémant is a much more affordable sparkling wine.

Traditionally, champagnes and crémants are served chilled in a champagne flute or coupe.

3. Chartreuse

It is possible to drink chartreuse as an aperitif or a digestif. The exact recipe combination of Chartreuse’s 130 herbs, plants, and flowers, which was created in the Isère region near the cities of Valence and Grenoble, is believed to be known only by two monks. 

Chartreuse comes in two flavors: a subtle yellow and bold green. The apéritif version is typically served in a tall glass with some sort of fruit juice, such as lemon or orange, to make it more interesting. To make a cocktail, mix it with tonic or gin, and serve it over ice.

4. Dubonnet

As a malaria prevention measure for the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, the Dubonnet was developed in 1846.

It has a port-like bitterness and flavors of lemon, walnut, and cinnamon in addition to other mouthwatering herbs and spices.

A variety of cocktails can be made with it, but the Queen Mother’s (of England) favorite was a 30/70 mix of gin and Dubonnet with an ice cube and a lemon slice, served cold.

5. Kir 

Kir is a blackcurrant liqueur aperitif cocktail topped with white wine. A Kir Royale can be made by substituting champagne for the white wine and adding a dash of liqueur. It’s a fizzy, refreshing beverage popular in France as an apéro.

Kir comes in a few different varieties depending on where you live, including Kir, Kir Royale, and Kir Breton ou Normand. Kir is traditionally served cold in champagne or wine glass.

6. La Pomme Givrée

Pomme Givrée means “frozen apple” in French and is a type of ice wine, but not as sweet. It’s an aperitif from the Hautes-Alpes region (where skiing is popular), and it’s famous for being an elegant drink served at the French President’s residence, the Palais Elysées.

If you’re serving Pomme Givrée with an appetizer, like foie gras, it’s customary to serve it cold.

7. Lillet Blanc 

The Lillet range from Bordeaux includes this dry, straw-colored blend of aromatized wines made from sauvignon blanc, semillon, and muscatel grapes. Adding to the floral notes and light acidity are orange-heavy fruit liqueurs.

As a great vermouth substitute, Kina Lillet is used in Casino Royale to make a Vesper martini by James Bond. Alternatively, you can serve it chilled without ice if you prefer.

8. Pastis

This is an anise-based liqueur from the southern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Made with star anise distilled spirit, liquorice root flavoring, and sugar, this liqueur has a 40-50 percent alcohol content.

Pastis is commonly used to create a milky yellow color by adding water to it. Due to its widespread use as an aperitif, pastis is commonly referred to as “France’s national drink.”

9. Pineau des Charentes

The Pineau des Charentes is an apéritif from the Cognac and the Charente-Maritime region. Cognac and unfermented grape juice are used to make this fortified wine.

In the late 1500s, a winemaker added grapes to what he thought was an empty barrel, but it turned out to be filled with cognac, according to legend.

After letting it ferment for a few years, he discovered that it had turned into Pineau des Charentes. This apéritif is now available in a wide range of flavors, including pears and pine.

10. Pommeau

Instead of using grapes and Cognac, Pommeau de Normandie uses apple juice and Calvados, similar to Pineau des Charentes (apple brandy).

Pommeau is an apéritif from Brittany and uses Lambig, a local liqueur, as a base. Like Calvados, Lambig is made from apple cider, but its appellation of origin is protected fiercely in different parts of France.

It is customary to serve Pommeau cold and in a tulip glass (sherry glass). In most cases, it is drunk on its own or with other foods like foie gras, melon, charcuterie, or blue cheese as an appetizer.

11. Ratafia

Ratafia was dubbed “the winemaker’s aperitif,” or “the aperitif of the winemaker.” This French beverage is traditionally made during the harvest. Wine regions like Champagne, Burgundy and the area surrounding Bordeaux are known to produce Ratafia. 

This aperitif does not have an official recipe. It’s unique because every household does it differently. In Corsica, for example, berries are frequently included.

It’s best served cold, preferably without ice. To get the most out of it, serve it with cheese and crackers.

12. Suze

Switzerland was the birthplace of this delectable golden elixir. For some reason, however, it was more appreciated by the French.

The gentian root found in the alpine pastures is used to make Suze, a bittersweet mixture of citrus, depth, and refreshment. One of the best ways to serve it is over ice with an orange slice and a splash of soda water.