So there we were sitting in a café in Provence, ready to order a coffee crème, when our friend asked, “have you ever tried Panaché, or a Monaco? We had not, and we did—I ordered the Panaché and my husband the Monaco. A Panaché it turns out is similar to a Shandy (beer flavored with ginger ale) in England or a Radler (beer with lemonade) in Germany. And then–thanks to the ingenuity of the French with all things relating to food and enjoying life—add a splash of Grenadine syrup and you now have a Monaco…and a new favorite summer drink. Try one of these on a hot summer day and discover your inner Balzac.
For the Panaché:
In a tall glass mix together ½ French lemonade (the carbonated kind that you can find in most supermarkets) with ½ beer.
For the Monaco:
½ glass of French lemonade, a splash of Grenadine syrup (about a tablespoon) and fill to the brim with beer.