On a recent Saturday in a retirement home in the northeastern French village of Kunheim, happy hour started early.

As a bartender poured beer and champagne, residents of the Roseliere nursing home and dozens of their guests mingled in the spacious lounge. Lively conversation, music and laughter filled the room just before lunchtime.

Several elderly women in wheelchairs sat at a table sipping glasses of kir, a French aperitif that combines white wine with blackcurrant liqueur.

After obtaining a liquor license, the retirement home has opened a bar to the public, and seniors -- many of them in their 90s -- say they love the idea.

"It makes us see things in a more positive light!" Colette Knoery, 96, told AFP.

"People see each other and drink together. That's important."

Robert Kohler, d

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