Gingeur (trade name) or a gluggable non alcoholic wine

[mint]

Where to buy Gingeur, the best ginger beer I have ever, ever tasted since childhood?  I had it recently in a salon de teh and made a note of the name.  If anyone know where I can buy it in quantity, please tell!

Or do you know a non alcoholic wine which tastes like the real thing and doesn't make you gag?

I'll explain a little......I have no problem not drinking alcohol in French households because they always do have and offer soft drinks but, in British households, I am never offered an option so I just have to ask for a glass of water.  Then, whilst all the alcohol drinkers get their drinks endlessly "refreshed", nobody seems to offer me other than the one initial glass of H20.  I have now determined to take my own drink and not have to suffer the indignity of people asking me endless questions about not drinking and feeling increasingly disenchanted about being the odd one out.

Any suggestions on either option would be immensely helpful, thanks.

[YCCMB]

No idea where to buy your ginger beer, mint, but totally empathise on the "being offered a drink" thingy. I have eventually found that, among my British friends, admitting frequently that I don't drink wine (99% of the time) because I actually actively dislike the stuff has finally filtered through and become an accepted fact. And so it should, because it's true. Now, if I go to friends for a meal, I am offered a selection of alternatives and access to as much of my chosen drink as I wish. Although among my friends group, the drinks during meals are always self-service, so no waiting for the hosts to offer refills....

[cajal]

[quote user="mint"]

I'll explain a little......I have no problem not drinking alcohol in French households because they always do have and offer soft drinks but, in British households, I am never offered an option so I just have to ask for a glass of water.  Then, whilst all the alcohol drinkers get their drinks endlessly "refreshed", nobody seems to offer me other than the one initial glass of H20.  I have now determined to take my own drink and not have to suffer the indignity of people asking me endless questions about not drinking and feeling increasingly disenchanted about being the odd one out.

Any suggestions on either option would be immensely helpful, thanks.

[/quote]

Perhaps continue to visit the French abodes frequently and aviod the British abodes like the plague? Or just stay chez vous with some glug from here.

[Tancrède]

[quote user="mint"]

Where to buy Gingeur, the best ginger beer I have ever, ever tasted since childhood?[/quote]The answer is very simple  -  you have to brace yourself and Make Your Own.  It will be perfectly delicious and immeasurably better than anything you had in a Salon de Thé.

I make five gallons of ginger beer at the beginning of every summer.  And another dose later if it promises to be a heat-wave.  It is as cheap as chips and much easier.  And it all seems to go with remarkable rapidity. 

It is one of those things, like pickled walnuts, elderflower cordial, piccalilli, going out to catch live Chanterelles in the woods, and sloe gin, which enhances life out of all proportion to the slender amount of effort required.

[mint]

Might as well ask me to shoot my own rabbits (not that I get much chance to eat rabbit) and smoke my own salmon!

Life is too short to be faffing and fiddling about.  And what is wrong with a bit of instant gratification, I ask you?

[andyh4]

You have my sympathies Mint.

OH cannot drink alcohol because of her meds. Something that does not please her at all.

WE have failed to fins any non-alcoholic red wine that comes close to even the worst gut rot red from the worst vineyard in the world.

Our Super U stocks a brand of rose called Grain d'Envie Syrah. OH likes it but I think it has a somewhat chemically after taste.

Super U and Auchan also stock a brand called Bonne Nouvelle. AS stated the red is dreadful. The white is quite pleasant but would never pass for a white wine. The rose however we both find very good, and to be honest I worry that if I were given some alongside some f the local alcoholic rose wines, I might just not spot it as the alcohol free one. It will never endanger a really high quality wine, but I don't think that is what we are talking about.

For effervescent wine replacement, you could try d'Artigny - grand classic. [Don't bother with the flavoured varieties unless you like that sort of thing.] It is a bit like a cross between a fizzy white wine and fizzy dry apple juice, but drinkable for all that.

Taste is such a personal thing that I thin you will just have to search out various products and trying them out.

[mint]

It'll have to be the rosé then, Andy.  If you ever find that ginger beer, let me know.  Your OH might like it too.  Google it, even the bottle looks good and Made in France as well!  I have only had it the once last week after a long and not particularly rewarding afternoon and I swear that nectar couldn't have tasted better.

Tancrède, thank you for "salon de thé";  I couldn't for the life of me remember how to spell it and it looked wrong even as I wrote it down.  I think I only went to that place because it looked clean and you get to sit under a huge roof in les halles in the square. 

Nowadays, I often have a non alcoholic beer and I was once served one that said 0% instead of the usual <1%.  I don't much like lager type beer, even alcoholic ones, and I shy away from most fruit juices as they are just too sweet and look yucky!

[Théière]

How about Mocktails Mint? google for receipes.

[fittersmate]

I googled Gingeur - company called gingeur.com

The site includes a map showing where the product can be found. Hope this helps.

[idun]

I too have had a problem over the years when out with friends dining at a restaurant, and wine has been ordered. Everyone who knows me, knows that I very rarely even have a 1/3 of glass.

I simply order what I want, and if they re order something, if I want something I order then. Getting over my shyness, was a good thing, because otherwise I would be sat with water...... and I HATE, really hate drinking water!

If at someone's home, I either take my own, or ask for a coffee and if I know that I'll fancy tea, take some of my own, as I have a problem with tea these days sadly, digestive problems.

Truthfully, I don't like it when it feels like someone has gone out of their way to buy soft drinks for me, as I have to fancy what they have on offer, and often their idea of what I might like is way off the mark.

Re your ginger beer, sorry, cannot help mint.

[Loiseau]

I agree about soft drinks, when proffered, not being ones that you actually like, idun.

During the recent heatwave, I was offered a jug of chilled water with strips of cucumber peel floating in it, and thought it deliciously refreshing. And soooooo easy to knock up!

[idun]

And cucumber, love it and it would be repeating from here to next week if I had it. 

Over the last few years my innards have become very 'sensible' (love that french word)! [:D].

I like lots of different mocktails, and I am rather fond of some of the J2O spritz, but not all.

In general I don't like chilled drinks, and never ever any ice in a drink, I was put off ice in drinks 42 years ago.....

I do drink water, warm and gulped down half a pint at a time, as I know I need to drink it.

[mint]

[quote user="fittersmate"]I googled Gingeur - company called gingeur.com

The site includes a map showing where the product can be found. Hope this helps.[/quote]

Hi fittersmate, long time no see you here!

Yes, I have looked at that site and have come to the conclusion that they only sell through selected outlets.  Certainly I had it for the first time ever last week.  I even looked at Amazon and indeed they had different types of ginger beer but not this one.

If you get a chance, do try it.

Trust all well chez vous[:)] 

[Jazzer]

Coma across this

https://www.delidrinks.com/167_gingeur.

[mint]

Jazzer, you are clearly MUCH better at finding stuff on the internet than I am!  Thank you for your efforts for finding that and posting.

I'll have to have a good scout round that site to see what other drinks there might be as you have to buy quite a lot before they'll deliver.

I'm sorry to say I had a right old strop yesterday, blaming OH (of course![;-)]) for stocking up on all sorts of drinks that visiters might like and there was one miserable bottle of fizzy water for me.  It was equally my own fault for not going out in the heat and traipsing out to supermarkets searching out drinks.

I was in a MOOD (huge) and wasn't going to take responsibility for drinks (not normally my province).  This morning, I bought tons of stuff, non alc wine, beer, beer with citron flavour etc etc, all suitable for ME!  Yes, very childish but I felt better after the shopping trip and have tried 2 or 3 different drinks.  The best thing was a bottle of concentré de réglisse (so, aniseed) which was good in fizzy water, very refreshing but nothing like pastis, alas!

[Judith]

I think the problem, Mint, is that so much that is non-alcholic is so sweet, compensation perhaps for lack of alcohol.  When we were young, and good Methodists (who in those days were teetotal), I remember my father having lost of fruity style cocktails.  The other thing we used to drink was Shloer, a slightly fizzy, definitely not too sweet, apple juice.  Did see it some time ago back in the shops in England, but unlikely to be here I suspect.  We still have the lovely shaped glasses which came with purchase, so shows we drank a lot.  Last time I tried it, I found it too sweet, but much less sweet than the bottled fruit juices you get here. 

I have seen good unsweetened fruit juices here, and the name escapes me ... if it comes back, I'll tell you!

[mint]

You are so right about these drinks being too sweet.  I don't like any bottled fruit juice that I see; there is always gunk at the bottom of the bottles and it makes me heave just looking[+o(]

I'll have to think about mocktails as suggested by Teapot.

Yes, I remember Shloer, sparkling and yes, probably too sweet.  Me, I was always watching my weight and buying clothes that were too small just so that I could lose a size to get into them.....oh, the foolishness of youth!  I was a PLJ girl:  remember that disgusting and bitter lemon juice that was slightly yellowish green?

[fittersmate]

Hi Mint, glad to see that Jazzer found an outlet for Gingeur and hope that you manage to get some. Will definitely try it if I come across some in a salon de the or somewhere similar. I also remember PLJ and trying to like it - ugh!

[idun]

I used to like sweet drinks but don't any more.

In France I would buy quality sirops I liked quit a few of them, especially the aniseed. I was fond of fraise but I would only mix it with sparkling water. Of course this is a vichy fraise in a cafe or bar. the only sirop I never liked in France was lime, and once I got hold of a bottle of Rose's, but that was disappointing.

Bane of my social life, the lack of a variety of good soft drinks.

And you were right getting in a strop, I do about this and it is what others find unimportant......strangely you should hear the blokes if they reckon the beer is off, or making a big fuss is the 'measure' doesn't quite make the mark!!!! But I am making an unnecessary fuss if I want a decent drink!

[nomoss]

The only bottled water I really like is Vichy Catalan, but it seems to be a bit expensive outside Spain. It has a very distinctive taste.

[url]http://casavostre.com/vichy-catalan-eau-minerale-naturelle-gazeuse-1-2-litres[/url]

The only fizzy drink, with practically no sugar - La Casera. Also Spanish.

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Casera[/url]

[Judith]

PLJ certainly still exists, yes, I used to quite like it, but find it just a little too sour now.  Sure I've seen it in some English sections of some supermarkets here, but not often!

When I was  poor and driving, I found soda water (plain) was an acceptable alternative to the usual lemondade available in pubs.  Now real lemonade is a different beastie again, but is usually best home made!

[mint]

[quote user="idun"]I used to like sweet drinks but don't any more.

In France I would buy quality sirops I liked quit a few of them, especially the aniseed. I was fond of fraise but I would only mix it with sparkling water. Of course this is a vichy fraise in a cafe or bar. the only sirop I never liked in France was lime, and once I got hold of a bottle of Rose's, but that was disappointing.

Bane of my social life, the lack of a variety of good soft drinks.

And you were right getting in a strop, I do about this and it is what others find unimportant......strangely you should hear the blokes if they reckon the beer is off, or making a big fuss is the 'measure' doesn't quite make the mark!!!! But I am making an unnecessary fuss if I want a decent drink![/quote]

Thank you, idun, for being so understanding about me getting in a strop.  I thought, bad enough that I have to drink water at other people's but, if it's in my own home, I expect my needs to be met!

Here is a link to what I was saying:

[url]http://www.antesite.com/[/url]

Second line of pictures, the one with the red top that says réglisse but it's aniseed, as far as I can taste.  Nice small, flat bottle, easily popped into a handbag and the recommended 15 drops added to a glass of l'eau pétillante. 

Having read too many Victorian novels, I fancy that I might be the heroine in a romantic novel and I am ailing and counting laudanum drops into my drink![:D]

[idun]

We all have the right to have a strop when we are not suited.

Sometimes sounding reasonable or saying nothing, just won't do!

[Judith]

Well, would you believe, what did I find in our "drinks" cupboard today (a limited selection that's for sure) but Rose's lime juice!  Bought, I suspect, last year when I was off wine due to medication ... not, I think, ever as sharp as PLJ, but definitely something to try again when non-alcoholic needs must!

[idun]

Thanks Judith, that is the word I was trying to think of, 'sharp', as I didn't find the Roses Lime as 'sharp' as I remembered ?