{friday cocktail: paris in the afternoon}

There is are a lot of things I am starting to really appreciate about French culture, but one thing in particular is the art of relaxing and having a drink- whether it's a morning espresso or a nice glass of wine.  In the afternoons, it is very popular for people to stop and unwind from their days with an aperitif- much like US "happy hour," but much more charming.  One of the most popular drinks for this time of day (and the highest selling spirit in France) is Pastis which is very similar to absinthe with a strong anise flavor and high alcohol content.  

Pastis is usually served alongside a glass of water that you use to dilute the spirit, but I decided to use it in a champagne cocktail for this Friday's cocktail recipe.  The coolest thing about this spirit other than the flavor is the essential oils in it that make it not water soluble so when it is mixed with water or champagne it immediately turns the glass creepily cloudy.  This murky phenomenon is what gave the popular drink called Death in the Afternoon its name and what I named this cocktail after!

PS- that glass above is from my recent trip to a real Zara Home store- I'm obsessed. 

Cheers!