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Gentian spirits - The gentian flower, endemic to various mountain ranges in France, has quite a long lifespan (50 years) and has different uses, one of them being alcohol production.

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Gentian spirits - The roots of this flower are used in the production of flavored bitter liqueurs, such as Suze, Picon, and Fourche du Diable, which are usually had as apéritifs. The most commonly used species is the great yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea).

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Pastis - This apéritif from the south of France shot to prominence in 1922 after a ban on anise-flavored liqueurs containing 40% alcohol was lifted. The most famous pastis brand is Ricard (currently Pernod Ricard) from Marseille.

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Pastis - You can spruce up the taste by adding fennel seeds or licorice! Pastis is consumed all over France and exported to some 140 countries worldwide.

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Armagnac - This brandy-like spirit draws its name from the former county of Armagnac where it's produced. Today the area covers the administrative departments of Gers and les Landes, situated in the southwestern region of Gascony.

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Armagnac - Production of Armagnac dates back to the Middle Ages. It's distilled with the same grapes as the ones used for cognac, though distillation techniques and alcohol percentages do differ. Also, it's thought to be some 200 years older.

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Cognac -

Cognac also owes its name to the place where it's produced, a strictly-defined zone around the town of Cognac. 

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Cognac - For brands to become a certified cognac, the drink has to be produced within the aforementioned zones. It also has to have aged in cellars for at least two and a half years.

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Cider -

The first known usage of the French word for cider, "cidre," dates back to about 1130, though production of the drink itself is presumed to date all the way back to antiquity.

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Cider - In Catholic France "cidre" is drunk the most during the religious feasts of Epiphany (January 6), Candlemas (February 2) and Mardi Gras. In 2014, it was officially recognized as part of the French gastronomic heritage.

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Calvados - This spirit from Normandy is obtained by distilling apple cider or perry.

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Calvados - However, before it can be sold as calvados, it has to age for at least two years in oak barrels, hence its amber color.

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Champagne -

Champagne's current success is often credited to Benedictine monk Pierre (Dom) Pérignon. However, contrary to popular belief, the 17th century monk did not invent sparkling champagne. The bubbly drink we know today wouldn't come about until 1844.

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Champagne - What he did do, however, is devise a new way of fermenting the wine and introduce the blending of different types of grapes, all from the Champagne region. All of these innovations are still essential traits of modern-day champagne.

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Wine - Wine has been part of Mediterranean culture for thousands of years. It is said to have been brought to France by the Etruscans., with the earliest traces of viniculture in France found in the Rhône Valley and the Provence.

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Wine - According to French newspaper Le Monde, the French are biggest wine drinkers in the world, drinking an average of 42.7 liters per person per year.

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Gewürztraminer - Gewürztraminer is grown in the Alsace region in the north-east of the country. The white grapes they're distilled from are sweeter than their red counterparts, making it a popular dessert wine.

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Gewürztraminer -

The colorless spirit has an alcohol volume of 45% and is procured according to a strict distillation process, aging three months before it can be sold.

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Kirschwasser - Kirschwasser is German for "cherry water." Called simply "kirsch" by the French, the colorless brandy is distilled from morello cherries, a species more sour and acidic than most.

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Kirschwasser - Kirsch de Fougerolles is the first spirit distilled from a stone fruit (cherry) to get an "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC)," a quality mark certifying the product was made in a single geographical location and according to recognized, local expertise.

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Mirabelle de Lorraine -

The mirabelle plum has stood symbol for the region of Lorraine for a very long time, and with good reason. About 90% of worldwide production is based in the northeastern French region.

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Mirabelle de Lorraine -

Cool nights, sun, and not too many warm days mean Lorraine has the perfect climate for growing the fruit. Distilled Mirabelle de Lorraine is transformed in a very fragrant "eau de vie" (clear, colorless fruit brandy) containing 40% alcohol.

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Absinthe - Absinthe is heavily associated with 19th-century French bohemian life. It was particularly loved by a host of literary and artistic luminaries of the day, such as poets Baudelaire and Rimbaud and painter Toulouse-Lautrec, for example.

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Absinthe - Because of this association, and its purported psychoactive properties, it was outlawed under the same aforementioned ban on anise-flavored drinks. It contains anywhere between 45-90% alcohol, but is often diluted with water.

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Rum -

Martinique is a French oversees territory in the Caribbean. The rum produced here is the first outside of continental France to be AOC accredited.

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Rum - The spirit is distilled from sugarcane juice and treacle, and must age in oaken barrels. It can be spiced and it's drunk pure or in cocktail form.

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Cointreau -

Cointreau is a sweet liqueur, first made in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou (near Angers in the Loire region) by two brothers, Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau in 1849.

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Cointreau -

The production of the liqueur is based on sweet and bitter orange peels, imported from countries as diverse as Haiti and Spain. The peels are dried, exported to France, and soaked in alcohol for flavor.

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Enjoy, but drink in moderation -

Please consume any spirit or liqueur in moderation. Do not let your enjoyment of these drinks put your own health or the health of others at risk.

See also: Top foodie destinations, according to Anthony Bourdain

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