It's not uncommon to drink wine at lunch, but just like in Spain and Italy, wine is sipped slowly. It's about enjoying the company of the people you're with, and not drinking to get drunk. Over the course of an hour- or two-hour-long lunch, you'll probably only have a glass or two of white wine.
During the meal, in France, Belgium and Switzerland, common drinks are water (during the meal) and coffee (at the end of the meal). Traditionally, people do not drink fruit juice or soda during the meal. It is not uncommon for adults to drink an alcoholic beverage at the table (wine, beer, etc.).
In France, wine and food go together like a baguette and a chunk of brie. In other words, the French drink wine with most meals and actually think of it as “food.”
Savor coffee all day long
The French love their coffee, especially after a large meal. Rather than indulging in milky lattés and cappuccinos, enjoy short pulls of espresso (referred to in France simply as café) all day long.
French wines and liqueurs are world-renowned, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to France's drinks and beverage scene. Drinks such as Pastis, Cointreau and Picon Bière prove that there's more than just wine and Champagne to keep you hydrated in this delightful nation.
The preferred alcoholic beverage among French people aged 18 to 65 is beer (56 percent), followed very closely by wine (55 percent). Champagne ranks third with 37 percent of respondents picking it as their favorite alcoholic drink.
An aperitif (or aperitivo in Italy) is booze consumed before a meal to get you in the mood for eating. Usually nothing too sweet and nothing too high in alcohol. Champagne, sherry, liqueurs, vermouth and herby aromatised wines are the traditional suspects, the latter enjoying a recent revival in bars and restaurants.
Before eating dinner (and sometimes lunch), the French like to have an apéritif with friends – a cocktail, liqueur or fruit juice. It isn't traditional to have this with every meal but more when sharing with friends and family – either at home or at a restaurant.
But the most popular after-dinner drinks are certainly the delightful French Eaux de Vie elaborated from fermented fruit (by distilling or soaking called "macération"), like the Mirabelle plum liqueur in Lorraine and the Pear liqueur in Ardèche - among many others.
Café If you order "un Café" in France, you will be served with a shot of espresso, which is the most standard and popular coffee drink you will find in France. It is typically served in a short, small cup.
Le Thé à la Française is a tea with primarily sweet foods based on French childhood and traditional favorites and includes petit fours, biscuits, tarts, ice cream, tarts, cakes, and madeleines.
The Value Of The Ritual
[...] The gastronomic meal draws circles of family and friends closer together and, more generally, strengthens social ties."
In France, only wine and water is usually served at dinner (and sometimes lunch), rather than beer, sodas or other drinks. You can read more about picking a French wine here.
Even though France is known for a lot of different types of alcohol and liqueur, the national drink of France is Pastis. It's especially popular in the South of France but is enjoyed throughout the country.
Traditionally from Provence, Pastis de Marseille is the apéritif that in a favorite all over France. You will easily find it on the menu of every French bar, brasserie, and café (and if you don't you should question their french credentials!). You can read more about the French love of pastis here.
A French breakfast is sweet. It is composed of slices of buttered bread and jam spread on it, sometimes croissants or other pastries and cereals. Usually, the drinks are coffee, orange juice or milk. Let's take a closer look at the principal ingredients of a Made in France breakfast.
Cheese assortment board
Another classic of the French aperitif that cannot be left out! The most common cheeses on an assortment of cheeses are Brie, Gruyère, Camembert, Mimolette, Chèvre and Feta accompanied by cherry tomatoes, almonds, grapes, shrimps or even ham or charcuterie. Everyone can have something to enjoy.
You can enjoy pretty much anything for apéro, but there are a few standbys. Many French people, especially in the south of France, start the evening off with an aniseed Pastis, typically drunk diluted with cold water. Some tinge theirs red with grenadine for a tomate, or green with mint syrup for a perroquet.
The French are not the heaviest drinkers of alcohol in the World. France is in 6ᵉ place among the countries that consume the most alcohol in the world.
You may have heard that the French drink wine every day, and although we usually like to debunk clichés about les français, this one is pretty accurate. In the US, your average adult drinks 12.4 litres of wine per year, whereas in France the number is 50.2.
There's no single cocktail that is the most popular in Paris, but we can name a few. For one, the French Connection is half cognac and half amaretto, served slightly stirred and chilled. The modernised Kir, known as the Kir Royale, is champagne with 1/10th of the drink being crème de cassis. And finally, the Mimosa.