Apéritifs & Ciders

Bottle of Pommeau de Normandie labeled Claque-Pépin, 17% ABV.

Apéritifs

Glass bottle of Poirinella, labeled as organic French aperitif, 16% alcohol, by Benoît Louvet, Claque-Pépin.
Two bottles of Floc de Gascogne grape dessert wine, one red and one white, with Delord branding.
Two bottles of Kiki Vendéen aperitif; one with dark liquid labeled "Épines Noires" featuring blackthorn berries, the other with light liquid labeled "Poires de Vendée Épines Noires" featuring pears and blackthorn berries.
La Troussepinete red dessert wine bottle with vintage-style label and red cap.
Two bottles of Pineau des Charentes, one with a golden liquid and the other with a dark red liquid, both with labels featuring the Normandin-Mercier crest and logo.

Pineau des Charentes

Two bottles of Guerin Pineau des Charentes Tradition, one white and one red, with gold caps and labels.
Two bottles of Vieux Pineau des Charentes Blanc and Rosé from Jean Fillioux.
Two bottles of French cider, one labeled "Cidre bouché" and the other Organic "Poiré." Both have green glass bottles, cork tops, and wire cages.

Ciders

The French Tradition of the Apéritif

French sign reading 'Place de l'Apéro' on blue background.

An apéritif is is an alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. Typically containing an ABV slightly higher than wine but lower than straight spirits, popular French apéritifs include vermouth, Champagne, pastis, absinthe, Pommeau de Normandie, Banyuls, Pineau des Charentes, and Floc de Gascogne.

'Apéritif' may also refer to a snack that precedes a meal. This includes an amuse-bouche, such as crackers, cheese, pâté or olives. "Apéritif" is a French word derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means 'to open.'" - Wikipedia

“Happy hour may be an American invention, but credit for the civilized ritual of downing a pre-dinner drink or two must go to the French, who came up with the notion of l’heure de l’apéro—aperitif hour—long before the first modern cocktail was shaken or stirred.” - Chris Redman

Van Gogh painting of a full absinthe glass and carafe on a table near a window

Apéritif & Cider Cocktails

A bottle of Kiki Vendéen Épines Noires beside a tall-stemmed pink cocktail glass full of a garnet-colored cocktails with garnishes of orange peel and rosemary, against a plain white background.
A cocktail glass filled with a light pink beverage garnished with a sprig of rosemary, flanked by bottles of Dartigalongue Organic Armagnac on the left and Kiki Vendéen Épines Noires red wine apéritif on the right.
A bottle of Kiki Vendéen Pear and Épines Noires red wine apéritif next to a cocktail glass full of a frothy lemon yellow cocktail garnished with a grapefruit slice, set on a dark wooden surface with green foliage in the background.
A bottle of Normandin-Mercier Pineau des Charentes next to a glass filled with a red cocktail and ice, garnished with a lime wedge on a wooden surface outdoors with green grass and trees in the background.
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