Top 10 French spirits for Bastille Day

It’s been a huge week for France, and the country has much to celebrate ahead of its national day this weekend (14 July).

A shock election result pleased many (and disappointed others) earlier this week, while the country sadly crashed out of the Euros in the semi-finals – but the team’s performance throughout the tournament is certainly one to raise a glass to.

So, whether you’re celebrating or commiserating (or a little bit of both), toast to France with one of these top 10 French spirits. Santé!

Avallen

Made in Normandy, Avallen is a sustainable Calvados on a mission to save wild bee populations around the world – not just in France. The brand is a certified B Corp business and a member of 1% For the Planet.

As well as saving the environment, Avallen is focused on its liquid – it describes itself as ‘the delicious moment when flavour and sustainability converge’. The spirit is made using 40 different apple varieties, which are aged in French oak barrels for two years.

Cointreau

It’s an icon for a reason. Created in 1849 – during the Industrial Revolution and developed during La Belle Époque – Cointreau has arguably become the world’s most popular orange liqueur. A key ingredient in classic cocktails including a Margarita, Sidecar and Cosmopolitan, it has earned its place on back bars around the world.

ABK6

It wouldn’t be a list of French spirits without a Cognac. Family-owned brand ABK6 is a single-estate Cognac, with each stage of production carried out on its estate, from the cultivation of the vine to blending and bottling – so the liquid breathes exclusively French air until it’s exported for sale. Ooh là là!

Giffard

Giffard is a name synonymous with French liqueurs, with the brand offering flavours from amaretto and orange curaçao to Piment d’Espelette (chilli), as well as a host of non-alcoholic syrups. This year the brand is extending its Bastille Day celebrations to a whole week and renaming it Pastille Week after the brand’s flagship white mint liqueur, Menthe-Pastille. To create a celebratory serve, it suggests enjoying Menthe-Pastille neat on ice or topped up with tonic water.

Duval

One spirit that’s loved in France and pretty much ignored elsewhere is pastis. Perhaps its uniquely aniseed taste is too bold for unaccustomed palates – but we think it’s time the rest of the world got on board. One brand to check out is Duval – founded in 1798, it’s been producing pastis for more than 220 years. If you’re struggling to enjoy it neat, top it up with cold water and ice for a more mellow option.

Hautes Glaces

We won’t lie – France is better known for its wines than its spirits. But one brand is hoping to put the ‘French fine wine’ approach to making whisky: Hautes Glaces. Situated in the French Alps, the brand focuses on the local area and terroir, using raw materials from within a 15km radius of its serene surroundings. Its whiskies are 100% organic and use different grains and barley, as well as rye and spelt.

Sober Spirits

The no-and-low sector is growing in every country, and France is no exception. Lyon-based Sober Spirits creates a range of ‘spirits’ based on traditional categories, from a ‘rum’ and a ‘gin’ to an ‘amaretto’ and a ‘Bourbon whiskey’, all at 0.0% ABV. The brand distills each spirit, then extracts the alcohol. The process is carried out in Grasse and near the French Alps.

Le Philtre

We covered Cognac – but more spirits are made in the French commune other than its eponymous brandy. One is Le Philtre Organic Vodka, which is distilled six times and bottled in the Cognac region by Maison Villevert. As well as being organic, the brand has solid sustainability goals, using no additives and bottling the liquid in recyclable glass. Its unique bottles can also be refilled at partnering retail stores.

Baie des Trésors

A French spirit that isn’t technically made in France? Baie des Trésors is an agricole rum created in Martinique, which is a special collectivity of the French Republic. The brand is focused on terroir and believes that sugarcane fields should be considered as important as vineyards and wine crus. Baie des Trésors rums are made from the cane fields of the Exploitation Agricole du Galion, which has been growing sugarcane around the Caravelle peninsula since 1849.

Arlett

With world whisky on the rise, it’s worth checking out the offerings from countries you wouldn’t traditionally associate with the spirit. Arlett is a French whisky brand created by Distillerie Tessendier that offers both single malts and blends. Its flagship expression is aged for three years in new American oak and ex-Bourbon barrels – just like Scotch. It also offers a mizunara cask-finished whisky if you’re feeling fancy.