In France these days, nobody is drinking red wine. I brought a nice Cotes du Rhone to the home of friends in Paris; they thanked me, tucked it away, and brought out the rosé.
“It is hot,” friend Sebastien offered by way of an explanation, “We are not drinking red wine.”
In Saint-Genis-Pouilly, outside Geneva, our friend Natalie did the pink thing one better.
“Would you like to try rosé et pampelmousse?” she asked. In the Rhone-Alpes, they were drinking pink wine infused with grapefruit liqueur. Sure, I was game for anything.
The river in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France
The combination was tasty — the bright and sweet bitterness of the grapefruit enlivening what I typically find to be an otherwise fairly dull wine experience.
I had three or four, and was feeling happy.
Throughout the rest of our time in France, I kept my eyes peeled for grapefruit liqueur. As I was arguably more distracted by draft beer, cheeses, patisseries, charcuterie, foie gras and mounds of pristine seafood, I didn’t really make it a mission. And came home without.
I was able to find a fine artisanal grapefruit liqueur at a premium locally, and took the plunge. Having one afternoon run out of proseco for my daily Aperol spritz(es), I turned to the as unnamed rosé/grapefruit liqueur combination.
Puppets in a window, the Il St. Louis, Paris
I made one for my wife, who found the drink too sweet. So she added sparkling water. I did the same, and the aperitif was transformed. Any cloying sweetness or pink wine-yness receded to the background. It was now a perfect summer drink. And it needed a name.
There never really was any other option than the obvious: La Vie En Rose.
When it gets a little too hot and muggy where you are, and you’ve run out of proseco for your Aperol spritz, put on a little Edith Piaf, imagine yourself in a café on your favorite Parisian rue, pull out the pampelmousse liqueur and enjoy!
* * *
La Vie En Rose
makes one drink
4 oz. rosé
2 oz. sparkling water
1 oz. grapefruit liqueur
Fill a wine glass half full with ice. Add rosé, sparkling water and liqueur.
And drink!
skinny girls & mayonnaise 
Aug 07, 2016 @ 23:22:30
Oh, how I love a dry rosé in summer. Grapefruit liqueur, though? Hmmm, I may have to search that out.
Aug 09, 2016 @ 22:33:17
Worth seeking out, Michelle. Trust me on this one. 😜
Aug 10, 2016 @ 00:35:37
Oh, I do! I couldn’t find any grapefruit liqueur at the super duper liquor store here. But I did find blood orange, and I’m gonna try that.
Aug 11, 2016 @ 17:07:03
That sounds good too. If you do ever find pampelmouse, though, it’s one of those combinations that seems like it was just meant to be.
Aug 10, 2016 @ 11:15:12
Sean, we have been drinking Aperol Spritzes this summer too! I’ll have to try La Vie en Rose next although I’m sure artisanal grapefruit liqueur will be impossible to find in the Tupper Lake area!
Aug 11, 2016 @ 17:06:12
Yes! Jon demanded one when he got home, and said that the spritz was all the rage at the Buck Camp this year. You might find grapefruit liqueur at that well-stocked wine joint in Tupper Lake. Then again, you might not. 😉