Visitors returning from France used to complain that Paris would be perfect, were it not for the Parisians. Fortunately, the stereotyped image of the surly, unhelpful Frenchman has faded along with his beret, dangling Gauloise cigarette and bottle of vin ordinaire. Parisians are far more accommodating these days, but they do have their own unwritten social code.
One illuminating example came from a totally inoffensive visitor who asked me what she had done to warrant disapproving stares on the Metro. She and her husband had stopped at a Starbucks (shops are popping up all over the city) then carried their drinks down into the subway. This is commonplace behavior in the States .... but not in Paris.
Try as I might, I can’t remember seeing anyone French (except vagrants) carrying an open drink in public Consuming a crepe or an ice cream purchased from a street vendor; that’s accepted. Young people lounging on the grass with a can of Heinekens purchased from an unlicensed vendor in front of Sacre Coeur is another exception. But, as a general rule, Parisians sit down to drink.
The hot summer days ahead offer lots of opportunities to sit and enjoy a cool drink just as they do in Paris. Rather than lug home expensive bottled and canned beverages, I’ve gotten into the habit of making my own drinks. My repertoire includes iced sun tea sweetened with mint syrup, ginger-lemon iced tea with honey and cold press iced coffee.
Both sun tea and cold press coffee require forethought because they need time to infuse. The tea spends 3 – 4 hours in the sun. Ground coffee steeps in water on my kitchen counter for 12 hours before being strained and refrigerated. These are tasty, delicate brews that don’t heat up the kitchen.
Friends who opt for an un-caffeinated drink are delighted with my ginger-lemon tea, a dynamic blend of sweet, sour and spicy flavors. I heat water to a boil with whole lemons and thin slices of peeled fresh ginger, then let the mixture steep for 30 minutes. Adding a honey sweetener to the hot, strained tea insures that it will dissolve quickly. If you like this tea, try replacing clover honey with buckwheat, orange or chestnut varieties. Another tip: hot ginger-lemon tea is an excellent sore throat remedy in winter.
Here are the proportions I use for summer coolers worth sitting down to drink.
SUN TEA
1/2 gallon filtered water
8 bags organic black tea
- Combine cool water and tea bags in a glass container with a tight lid.
- Leave in a sunny location for 3 -4 hours.
- Remove tea bags, add Mint Syrup to taste. Refrigerate
MINT SYRUP 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cool water
Strained juice of 1/2 lemon
2 4” stems and leaves of fresh mint
- Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in small saucepan. Heat to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the sugar dissolves.
- Off the heat, add the mint, pressing leaves and stems against the bottom and sides of the pan. Let them steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain the tea, let it cool, cover and refrigerate. Use as needed to sweeten tea and fruit.
COFFEE CONCENTRATE
1 cup coarsely ground coffee
4 1/2 cups cool water
- Stir the coffee grounds into cool water, cover and hold at room temperature for 12 hours.
- Strain the liquid through cheesecloth and chill. Serve over ice.
GINGER-LEMON ICED TEA
1/2 gallon cool water
2 small or 1 1/2 large lemons, organic preferred
2/3 cup (2 ounces) fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup honey, or to taste
- Scrub the lemons, halve them. Extract juices over the water in a saucepan by squeezing and twisting with a fork, then drop in the halves. Add the ginger root slices and bring the water to the boil.
- Off the heat, cover the pan and hold for 30 minutes.
- Strain the tea and add the honey to taste while it is still hot. Cool and refrigerate.
(This recipe was adapted from the China Moon Restaurant Cookbook, by Barbara Tropp.)
