Drinks in Paris

A "citron presse" (pronounced sitron pressay) is my personal favorite. It is esentially "do it yourself" fresh lemonade. The waiter will bring you a glass, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar and a carafe of water, and you assemble the drink to your liking. Very refreshing on a warm day!

As others have noted, France has several carbonated fruit drinks that are quite refreshing, and unlike their US counterparts, actually taste like fruit (rather than that generic high fructose corn syrup taste that's in everything over here!). And yes, even though it does have added sugar, Orangina also uses real orange juice.

France also has many different liquors and ciders. Most cafes and restaurants will have a large selection of aparatifs.

Well, she certainly can find reisling on wine lists. Since she likes sweet she might also like a kir/kir royale, which is white wine/champagne with cassis (black current liquer)--it's the classic Paris apertif.
There's also just sparkling water like Perrier--when I don't want caffeine or alcohol at a cafe, that's what I get. It's also an appropriate thing to order with dinner, whereas you would not want to order soda like Orangina at a good restaurant for dinner.

For non-alcoholic drinks, there are a lot of great fruit juices over here. They are often served (if desired) with a splash of mineral water to make them fizzy. There is also a soda that I like, called Bitter Lemon, that I cant seem to find in the US, but it seems to be available everywhere here. It is my favorite drink when out and about as it isn't sweet at all. I can't say French coffee was the worst I have had, but it certainly wasn't the best either. But a nice cafe au lait is fun to have in a cafe in Paris. If she likes Riesling, she might find a French wine that she likes too. Hopefully, someone who knows wine will answer your post with some good suggestions.

There's an orange-flvored soft drink called Orangina that's widely available in France. It's slightly carbonated and (I'm guessinig here) might actually be made from a bit of real orange juice -- it's not overwhelmingly sweet like a typical "orange soda/pop" you get here in the US. It's actually available in some stores in the US but you might have to go looking for it (so you could see if she likes it). I find it quite refreshing and there's something about it that seems very French to me. It also always seems to be available cold, which is nice (I have found that cold drinks are not always widely available in France).

For a non-alcoholic choice I second Orangina. As a special treat I get it here as well for a birthday party or so. Everyone likes it.

A great alcoholic choice is Cidre which is often drunk the way you might have a beer in other countries. The alcohol content is comparable as well.

Thanks so much for the great suggestions! There are a bunch I'd like to try as well. Beatrix, what does Cidre taste like? Thanks again!

It's hard cider. It can be dry or less dry. You can try the US variation. Most liquor stores and in Wisconsin even the grocery stores carry it. Woodchuck is one brand. They have an amber and then another kind. Someone else may know which is closest to the France's cidre. Most countries have some sort of fermented fruit juice. In southern German (Schwaebia) you can get a apple alcoholic drink that comes in a ceramic jug. It's been a long time since I had it, but I remember it was quite carbonated and had a real tang on your tongue and you'd better watch how much you drank if you don't want a sore head in the AM. Pam

Cidre is hard apple cider, either doux (sweet) or brut (dry). Generally carbonated. It is a traditional Norman drink, and very tasty.

Alsatian reislings can be very very good.