Friday Five

Every Friday I turn 52martinis over to five other savvy drinkers for their opinions on the best cocktails in Paris. This week some of my favorite friends, fellow cocktaillians and foodies give up the goods.

Impeccably gracious Colin Field, the man behind the world-renowned Hemingway Bar of the Ritz, says “My favourite bar at the moment would be the bar of the Regina hotel with Christian and Jerome holding the Fort. The hotel is very old world which I love and the bar is positively 1900's. The feeling is very cosy and the cocktails - not to mention the company - is and are fantastic.”

Fab foodie, world traveler, cocktail enthusiast, LUPEC Seattle founder and one of my very favorite drinking partners, Wendy Miller says: “Paris used to be quite a wasteland for cocktails but over the last few years it's grown up nicely. And although I enjoy quite a few of the lounges in the city, I really love Prescription. Whether ordering a gin gin mule or a classic martini, the drinks are well made, the atmosphere is comfy, they use nice glassware & the prices are great! Can't wait to sit at the bar there again soon.”

Half of the stellar Liquid Liquid team, which organizes Cocktails Spirit, and simply one of the one of the most in-the-know (and nicest!) people in Paris when it comes to cocktails, Thierry Daniel says: (NOTE to readers: translation coming shortly on this, but I'm rushing out the door and didn't want to hold up the posting!) A l'heure de l'apéritif en ce début de période hivernale, j'aime ouvrir mes papilles au Forum avec un Black Sazerac. Joseph Biolatto et son équipe exécutent les drinks d’une manière quasi instinctive qui se révèlent pour autant d’un parfait équilibre. Après le dîner je file me réfugier au bar de l'un des hôtels les plus mythiques et intimes de Paris, l'Hôtel rue des beaux arts à Saint-Germain. Derrière le bar, Carlos Madriz a tiré cette adresse vers les repères de la mixologie à l'image de son Strawberry Wilde. Ensuite, j'aime retrouver des amis au troisième bar des trois garçons, le Prescription Cocktail Club pour siroter un Florida Taragon jusqu'au bout de la nuit.

Adorable foodie, Clotilde Dusoulier author of both Chocolate & Zucchini and Clotilde's Edible Adventure in Paris as well as a contributor to ELLE à table says: My favorite cocktail spot in Paris remains the Experimental Cocktail Club because it's small, it's cosy if you can score one of the little tables in the back, and I like their Strawberry Alarm Clock, a sweet and sour cocktail made with organic strawberries and organic vodka."

The dangerously charming Philip Duff, “Your Man In Amsterdam,” saloonkeeper, cocktail chap, drinks guy, presenter, writer but definitely no model...says: "My favorite cocktail bar in Paris is Bar Le Forum on the Boulevard des Malesherbes because it's classic without being boring, modern without being noisy or packed, and you can drink there in the afternoons as well!"

Wednesday Cocktail Adventure: L'Hotel

L’Hôtel
13 rue des Beaux Arts
Paris 75006
+33 (0) 1 43 25 64 81

Oscar Wilde’s famous last words, “Either that wallpaper goes or I do” were uttered three floors above the bar in L’Hotel where you can now order a L’Oscar Wilde. Back then it was called Hotel l’Alsace and he stayed there for some time without paying his bill before (bad pun warning) checking out. The current “Oscar Wilde” room is on the first floor and decorated with various Wilde memorabilia.

L’Hotel is a short walk from Saint Germain des Prés and well worth a visit. Nice hotels are nice and serve up nice drinks and nice food. There are lots of nice hotels in Paris. But, I was especially taken by L’Hotel. I’m trying to come up with a name for the décor. So far, I can only say “nouveau old”. It’s one of those places with well upholstered chairs in comfy arrangements, fireplaces, and bookshelves lining the walls. It looks old, but it’s probably not. Sometimes this look works and sometimes it doesn’t. It did for me at L’Hotel. I would have taken more photos, but tonight there was a camera crew filming an historian for a television show, so I couldn’t really wander about snapping away.

I ordered a “Dry Martini” off the menu. The bartender asked me if I wanted vodka or gin (even though the Dry Martini is listed on their menu as “gin and vermouth”.) House gin is Tanqueray. They also had Bulldog, Hayman’s Old Tom gin, G’Vine and Hendrick’s

My nice bar-guy chilled the glass while pouring my gin. He offered me a choice of Martini or N.P. for vermouth (took Nouilly Pratt). He threw in a few drops of Angostura at my request, stirred it up and topped it off with a lemon twist. A small dish of spicy Japanese crunchies came with my drink.

He did a nice job with the martini, but the crunchies were a bad bar snack with the filming. I only ate the small quiet ones since I didn’t want the big ones to interfere with the recording. I sat there – sucking quietly on my nibbles – and took a closer look at the bar. Apparently, cute famous boys drink here. On the wall behind the bar are photos of other celebrity patrons: Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, Sean Penn. (At least I think it was Sean Penn - without my glasses and with the glare, I’m not quite sure)

For my second drink I took – how could I not? – the L’Oscar Wilde. I got a glass of Jameson, red vermouth and Angostura bitters. It was garnished with some seriously alcohol-infused cherries and an orange slice. After eating the hot snacks and the killer cherries, my palate was pretty much shot, so it was hard to judge the Oscar Wilde.

After drinks at La Gare last time, which are around the same price as-off-the menu drinks here, I was thoroughly pleased with L ‘Hotel. Non-alcoholic drinks are around 4 – 5 Euros. A martini off the menu is 13 – 14 Euros. (Mine was a few bucks more with the upgrade on vermouth and gin). I’d like to go back and check out the restaurant whose chef worked at the 3 Michelin star Ledoyan previously. The cocktails were solid for Paris, the prices reasonable for a hotel bar, and the atmosphere was cozy and warm. Even though I can’t rate this as one of the best cocktail bars I’ve ever visited, it’s one of my favorites in Paris for now.