Citron Pressé is a chilled lemon drink served in French cafés. It means literally, “pressed lemon.”
It consists of a tall glass filled with ice cubes (no doubt one of the rare times you’ll see an ice cube in France.) Poured onto the ice cubes is the juice from a freshly-squeezed fresh lemon.
This is brought to your table, along with a carafe of cold water, a teaspoon, and granulated white sugar on the side, either in packets or in a bowl.
You add water and sugar to adjust the drink to your own taste, and stir with a spoon.
You can also use a still mineral water instead of plain water, but it’s not meant to be a fizzy drink, as sparkling mineral water would make it.
A Citron Pressé is meant for sipping because of its tartness. You get both the tart-sweet taste, and the crunch of the sugar crystals.
