Old Fav Cocktail Adventures: Prescription Cocktail Club

Prescription Cocktail Club

23 rue Mazarine

75006 Paris

Tel: 01 46 34 67 73

One of the reasons I write about nearly every place I visit - whether good or bad - is that I don’t want readers to assume that if a bar is not on the blog it's bad by default. But there's been an omission on my blog for much too long, which I must rectify because 52 martinis is not complete without it: Prescription Cocktail Club.

I visited Paris’ third ECC bar shortly after it opened and was pleased to see they maintained the same level of quality and service as their first two ventures (Experimental Cocktail Club and Curio Parlor.) I sidled up to the bar often and chatted with charming and capable bar staff - frequently staying much later than I had initially planned. So how could it be that after so many visits I hadn't garnered material for a post? The fact is I kept it as a go-to spot where I could kick back with a cocktail and leave the notes and picture taking behind.

And that's what makes Prescription so enjoyable. The trio behind this bar has long-established their cocktail cred so there's no need to constantly survey the service - all you need to do is sit back and trust that your drink will be well-executed whether a classic vieux carré made with Rittenhouse or a new creation. The menu also gives a nod to well-established cocktail notables with drinks like the Gin Gin Mule à la Audrey Saunders as well as offering up a selection of finger foods.

In fact, the group behind this bar has so successfully established their cocktail credibility that they've branched out into other highly competitive drinking markets with a cocktail bar in London, another in New York and, recently, a fourth Paris venue exclusively for wine.

Prescription oozes the same lounge lover style as their other spots. While the downstairs bar is the perfect place to pull up a stool and watch the bartenders work, the upstairs holds a second bar hidden behind a bookshelf to cater to the bigger crowds on busier nights (and things do get much busier late night and weekends.) Dim lighting and cool decor transport patrons to a clandestine hideaway where it's easy to forget the outside world and responsibilities - even enjoyable ones like writing about said cocktail bar.

So, although there are plenty of pretty fresh faces turning heads on the Paris cocktail scene at the moment, that doesn't mean that a faithful old companion doesn't deserve some attention.