This is a lovely book filled with gorgeous photographs of food and drink and many, many recipes. But what brings it to life is David Lebovitz’ joyous engagement with all the elements of drinking in France -- from one’s first café au lait in the morning to apéritifs and liqueurs in the afternoon to cocktails in the evening. It is a pleasure to wander from café to cocktail bar in his company, with many stops at vineyards and distilleries along the way.

Some of the drinks described herein will be familiar to most people. Some are interesting french variations on drinks you may have already enjoyed. And some will be totally new to you, either because the ingredients are difficult to source outside of France or because Lebovitz is being especially inventive. There is a nice range of things which you will feel comfortable to try right away or plan ahead to try. And some will be drinks or dishes which you’ll never want to try yourself but which are still lovely to read about and enjoy vicariously.

But more than that, this book has me longing to return to Paris and other locales in France. Surely that will be one of our first destinations after this long siege of social distancing is finally and safely over. For now, a fine book like this one will just make dreaming that much easier.

Recommended. ( )