Menthe à l'eau

And other French mint drinks you'll want to try this summer

“YUCK, mouthwash!” That was my husband’s reaction when I let him have a sip. It was a sweltering August afternoon and we were enjoying much-needed drinks at the bustling town square, Place Pélissière, in Bergerac. He was sipping a Pastis, and I was chugging down a menthe à l'eau. I admit, the emerald-green drink has a rather breath-refreshing taste, but I promise, menthe à l'eau has nothing to do with oral hygiene. In fact, it’s made with syrup, so chances are your dentist would not approve.

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In the summer, the French love anything made with mint syrup. Just look around the next time you’re sitting at terrace somewhere in France. These vibrant ‘boissons’ have plenty of Gallic cachet!

If you order a menthe à l'eau in France, you’ll either get it ready to drink, or you’ll be served a shot of mint syrup in a glass (sometimes with ice) along with a carafe of cold water so that you can prepare it to your own taste, much like the Pastis and citron pressé (a freshly pressed lemon in a glass). A fancier version is the Perrier menthe (mint syrup with Perrier instead of plain water, not my favorite), while children often opt for the sickeningly sweet Diabolo menthe (mint syrup with soda that’s similar to Sprite or 7Up). And if you’re doubting whether to go for a Pastis or a menthe à l'eau (it happens to me sometimes), then simply order a Perroquet (Pernod or Ricard with water and mint syrup). 

In France, these drinks are so popular that songs have even been written about them such as Eddy Mitchell’s Couleur Menthe À l'Eau (often heard on French radio) and Yves Simon’s Diabolo Menthe, written in 1977 for Diane Kurys’s eponymous teen cult movie. In 2018, Soko brought out a sultry remake of the song (love, love, love it!).

We don’t know much about the history of these refreshing summer drinks, but we do know about Monin and Teisseire, two of France’s largest flavored syrup manufacturers. Monin was first introduced in 1912 after a long search by its inventor, culinary enthusiast Georges Monin. Unable to offer a tasty drink to his guests after a dinner party, he decided to try his hand at making all kinds of fruit syrups. And his creations certainly proved successful. Today, Monin syrups are sold in more than 140 countries, and the company is still owned by the Monin family. 

Unlike Monin, Teisseire started in 1720 as a manufacturer of cherry liqueur. In 1957, they started experimenting with alcohol-free fruit syrups, and today the brand enjoys the most popularity. Everyone in France grew up with Teisseire.

Although a menthe à l'eau will always taste best at a French terrace, I always stock up during my trips down south and return to the Netherlands with several bottles of mint syrup. Recently, the alcoholic version known as Get27 has also earned its place in my drinks cabinet.

The heavenly mint liqueur was invented in 1796 by François Pons in Revel, a village in Haute-Garonne. I tasted Get27 in a delicious dessert called ‘Expérience à la menthe’: mint-chocolate chip ice cream finished with a generous splash of Get27.

Of course, you can also dilute Get27 with water or Perrier, or even drink it on the rocks, but it also tastes great in cocktails. In the Grasshopper, for example (with crème de cacao and cream), or the Get Mojito (with Get27 instead of Bacardi).

So, don’t mind my husband and do as the French this summer. Order a menthe à l'eau or one of the other drinks made with mint syrup or mint liqueur. It’s guaranteed to be a breath of fresh air for your taste buds!