Happy New Year, Cocktail Lovers! We have a special treat to kick off 2023 with guest David Lebovitz talking about cocktails, French spirits and aperitifs, coffee and the general trends and traditions around drinking in Paris.
This is the first in a Tour de France series where I will be covering different parts of France each month to learn about French regional drinking culture.
About our Paris Drinking Culture Guest: David Lebovitz
If you’ve ever searched for a recipe or information about Paris, you’ve surely come across David Lebovitz. Regular listeners will know that we had David on the show in 2019 and then again later to discuss his latest book, Drinking French an exploration of French drinking culture, including cafe drinks, aperitifs, liqueurs and infusions, cocktails and snacks. With several well known and much loved books under his belt, he’s pretty much a household name. David began working in restaurants at the age of sixteen washing dishes in a steakhouse at the local strip mall, finally ending up at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, working with Alice Waters and co-owner, Executive Pastry Chef Lindsey Shere, who he considers his mentor. He’s been a professional cook and baker for most of his life and left the restaurant business to pursue his writing career. In 2004, he moved to Paris.
He also has his own podcast and both a free and paid version of his substack newsletter.
He is the author of nine books, to date:
He can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Products, People, and Places Mentioned in our Paris Drinking Culture Episode
Auberge Of The Flowering Hearth book by Roy Andries De Groot
San Pellegrino sparkling water
Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan
St. George Spirits Spiced Pear Liqueur
Cocktail of the Month: The Perfect Pear (created by David Lebovitz)
2 oz St. George Spirits Spiced Pear Liqueur
½ oz orange liqueur
¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup*
Hard cider to top
Optional garnish: dried pear or apple slice
Add liqueurs, lemon juice and simple syrup to the shaker ¾ full of ice.
Shake for 15 seconds until icy cold.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Top with hard cider.
Express a lemon twist over the drink (rind side towards the cocktail) to spray the citrus oils over the top.
Garnish with a dried pear or apple slice.
*Bring 1 part sugar and 1 part water to a boil to dissolve the sugar and then let cool.
Big Thanks to….
World Radio Paris for editing and production
Emily Dilling of Paris Paysanne for show notes and web assistance
Son Little for the music we use
As usual, I also remind you to drink responsibly.
You can also find more of the best Paris cocktail talk at:
52 Martinis site or if you’d like to carry me around in your pocket, download the iOS app, Paris Cocktails.
Paris Cocktail Talk is available on iTunes, World Radio Paris, 52 Martinis or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you like what we’re doing, leave a review on itunes or wherever you listen.
Until next time, Cheers!
Listen to this month’s episode of “Paris Cocktail Talk” here: