The joy of citron pressé: why dry July in Paris makes a refreshing change

Giving up alcohol for a month wasn't hard, even in the aperitif-loving capital. But it opened my eyes to one of France's simplest pleasures

I'll admit, it's much stranger to do a dry June" or a dry July" than a dry January". As a friend from London quipped to me on a recent visit to Paris, she doesn't so much expect to reach August with a summer beach bod, as a summer belly, the fruit of too many crisp beers at barbecues.

In Paris, especially, it's easy to find yourself slipping from terrace to terrace in evenings that stay light until late, an apero here, a glass of wine there. It's not a city that drinks to excess - but it does perhaps drink excessively, especially with a craft beer industry worthy of pulling market share away from wine and bobo wine bars fighting back with bright and energetic natural wines scoured from across the continent.

Alexander Hurst is a France-based writer and an adjunct lecturer at Sciences Po, the Paris Institute of Political Studies