Day 3017 (Thursday) 11th  September 2025

This is Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat

and this is the Old Port of Nice. 

Huw had his last oral French exam this morning and said it went better than the last one, so that’s him done – hopefully it’ll be my turn next.

It was lovely and warm again this morning and the thermometer says it 33 degrees with no humidity – wonderful stuff.

When he came home we headed over to Beaulieu with a home-made sandwich to enjoy the view. The sky was quite moody but it didn’t come to anything so in all a perfect day.

There are still quite a lot of tourists in town but the beach is nowhere near as packed as it was last month, September is our favourite month of the year. 

6 things to know about France's apéro tradition

In an era of deep political divisions it seems that there is one thing that (almost) all French people can agree on - the importance of the evening ritual of apéro.

1. It's popular

The apéritif, commonly shortened to apéro, describes the evening ritual of a pre-dinner drink. Taken in the early evening, it's intended as one or two drinks, with a light snack, before the main evening meal - although there are several different types of apéro. 

And it seems to be one of the few things that almost all French people agree on - polling by OpinionWay commissioned by the Maison des Vins & Spiritueux recently found that 82 percent of French people consider it to be an important part of France's heritage and traditions.

In total 89 percent of people say they attend an apéro regularly - 61 percent at least once a month and 31 percent every week. It also seems that the tradition is in no danger of dying out - the group most likely to have recently attended an apéro, and to attach a strong importance to apéro, were the 25-34 year-old age group.

2. It's varied

There are a lot of people who will tell you the 'rules' of apéro, but in fact it is surprisingly varied - an apéro could be just you and your partner enjoying a drink and a bowl of peanuts before starting to cook dinner, or it could be a big party at the home of your friend/neighbour/colleague. Likewise you might arrange to meet friends in a bar or café for apéro. It's conceived as a social event so the conversation is just as important as the food and drink.

The two things that distinguish an apéro are; it's early in the evening - usually from 6pm to around 8.30pm - and it involves only drinks and light snacks. It's intended to be a pre-dinner event, not a substitute for the evening meal. 

Having said that, there does exist the apéro dînatoire, in which you will get enough food to constitute an evening meal, although it will normally be in buffet format, rather than a sit-down meal.

If you're meeting friends in a bar for an evening drink, you might also hear this referred to as an 'afterwork' or a 'happy hour', while if you are going to a more formal event that is intended as a drinks party, that might be called a 'cocktail' (although cocktails probably won't be served).

Despite being a traditional ritual, it's also constantly evolving and those young people who love it are also changing it - for example, these days it is far more socially acceptable to drink beer at apéro, something that was previously regarded as taboo. Likewise if your friends are party animals, you may find apéro going on way beyond the traditional finish time and becoming basically a party.

3. There are apéro drinks

Mention of beer brings us neatly to what should be consumed at an apéro. Although there are some apéro classics, a lot will depend on the season, the region and the age of your fellow drinkers.

According to that Maison des Vins & Spiritueux poll, rosé wine dominates in Provence, kir is the most popular in Burgundy, white wine tops the apéro polls in Alsace, while pastis reigns supreme in the south of France.

Classic apéro drinks are white wine (often topped up with a liqueur such as crème de cassis to make a kir or - if served with sparkling wine - a kir royale), rosé wine and pastis such as Pernod or Ricard. In the summer, especially if you are in a bar, a spritz is also popular - Apérol, Campari or Saint-Germain, especially.

Red wine is usually not served as it's regarded as a drink to have with a meal and while beer has not been traditionally regarded as an apéro drink, it is becoming more common, especially with young people.

You might also get something stronger, like whisky, or a local speciality such as Pineau des Charentes.

There's also a growing list of non-alcoholic apéro drinks from alcohol-free wine and beers to virgin cocktails or more classic options like a citron pressé.

4. And apéro foods

 When it comes to food, the emphasis is on snacks and finger foods - the intention is that it won't spoil your dinner. If you're having evening drinks in a bar it's likely that the waiter will bring you a little bowl of crisps or peanuts, but if you're hosting an apéro then you might be expected to provide more elaborate snacks.

Smoked salmon blinis, olives, mini pastries, charcuterie, small bites of cheese, dips such as tarama (taramasalata), hummus or tapenade with vegetables or savoury biscuits - anything small that you can pick up with your fingers is good.

If you're short on time, all French supermarkets sell pre-prepared apéro foods such as little cubes of cheese, cream cheese wheels or bite-sized seafood snacks.

If you're at an apéro dînatoire, then the food will be a little more substantial including things like quiches, salads and bread and perhaps some sweet options as well to serve as dessert.

5. There's a finish time (usually)

If you're invited to someone's home for apéro, there's an expectation this will not be a long event - because apéro is supposed to be a pre-dinner drink, the idea is that the guests all leave to have dinner at their own homes. That's why the suggested apéro time is 6pm to 8.30pm, although timings will vary according to the location and the age of the guests.

That said, almost everyone has a story of an apéro that got a little out of hand and ended with people staggering home at 11pm, or an 'afterwork' in a bar that stretched on long into the night.

However if all your fellow guests have gone and your host starts clearing away the snacks, that's a subtle hint that it is time to leave.

If you're in a bar and the drinking is continuing, ordering a planche (platter of cheeses, charcuterie or both, served with bread) will save you from the worst of the hangover that comes with drinking on an empty stomach.

6. You'll likely receive an invitation in the next few weeks 

There's no apéro season, this is one French tradition that continues all year round, but they are more common in certain seasons, especially la rentrée.

At this time of year France is returning to work and it's likely that you won't have seen your friends in weeks if they or you (or both) have been away at the seaside - it's common for people to want to catch up with their friends, and there are few better ways to do that than at an apéro.

Therefore you may be receiving a few apéro invitations in the weeks ahead to catch up. If your children have started at a new school, there may be an apéro planned so that the parents can meet each other, and if you have started a new class or hobby, then it's not uncommon for an apéro to be organised so people can get to know each other in social settings.

Colleagues too, may want to catch up on the summer gossip with a few drinks after work - although if the event is hosted in the office, that is known as a pot.