There is another great south-western French drinking ritual in which I was always too nervous to participate. That was until, transformed by Marseillais “Dutch courage” at the Fête de l’Huma, I joined in on what I had previously only referred to affectionately as “oh no, it’s that Ricard-hey-hey-crowdsurfing-caterpillar-thing… again.”

I probably need to set the scene a little further, and I’ll start by elaborating upon that which ISN’T personally humiliating (for once). I’ve observed, with the rational detachment of a sociologist, this ritual a number of times. The first – my “baptism of fire” to French drinking culture – was at the raucous Mont-de-Marsan street party, when hundreds of revellers dropped to the street in a seemingly spontaneous and impromptu display. Sitting on their bottoms, close together in a line with parted legs, a man (more often than not) at the front of the line jumped on the outstretched hands below and was carried to the back of the row, where he ceremoniously took his place to prepare to receive the next crowdsurfer. I almost wrote it off then as one-off behaviour, but then seeing at subsequent parties and wedding receptions, I realised that a certain song triggered it all off.

The song, Un petit ricard dans un verre à ballon by Les Ricounes, is about a drink, Ricard Pastis, which is an aniseed and liquorice flavoured long drink popular in the south of France.

I can’t resist any hyperbolic description, so here is an excerpt from the company website to describe what happens after the shot of Ricard is poured:

Next comes the ritual moment when a splash of water gives a glass of Ricard its first frisson of freshness, followed by the first sip in which it reveals the infinite wealth and generosity of its flavours.

This is when the appearance of the drink changes from dark translucence to a soft, dense, custard-like colour. I love watching this transformation so much, that quite often I will agree to have a Ricard, before remembering that I really don’t like the flavour very much at all.