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!"

Friday Five

Because sometimes you want to hear someone besides, me, me me! Every Friday, 52martinis gets the scoop on the best cocktail stops from five in-the-know Parisians and cocktail aficionados.

Kim Laidlaw-Adrey, fab girl about town of both I Heart Paris and GoGo Paris says: My favourite place for cocktails in Paris right now is the Prescription Cocktail Club on the left bank. There's a chic yet laid-back vibe, it's an in-the-know place without being pretentious and the cocktails are expertly made and absolutely delicious. Perfect.

Gentry de Paris, tenacious, tempting and all around tantalizing burlesque queen says: I like Fabrice at La Villa because he makes the best Manhattan in town with my favorite difficult-to-find Van Winkle Rye.

Xavier Padovani, global brand ambassador for Hendrick’s and simply one of the coolest cocktail guys I know : This up and coming winter when visiting Paris one will start the night at the George V with a Hot George Punch and may probably somehow end up seeking L'Experience at Montorgueil’s best kept secret Experimental Cocktail Club.

Joseph Biolatto one of the masterminds behind the Forvm as well as one of my fav bartenders in Paris says: Mon bar préféré à Paris est le bar du Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme pour la qualité des produits sélectionnés et pour le service impeccable de Yann Daniel et de son équipe.

Doni Belau of Girls' Guide to Paris (keep an eye out for the new Girls' Guide launching in a few days!) says: One of the Girls’ Guide’s favorite places for cocktails in Paris remains L’Alimentation General on rue Jean Pierre Timbaud in the 11th arr. The bar/café sports a fabulous French blue exterior and décor reminiscent of a General Store and the crowd is of course young and hip. This wine/beer and cocktail bar serves up spectacular drinks as well as an eclectic mix of music ranging from hip-hop to jazz. No matter how great the drinks are – the atmosphere is king here. This is an excellent place to start a pub crawl as there are several more trés kool places on the same street and of course you can sneak around the corner to Oberkampf if you are in for the long haul.

A special thanks to friends and fellow cocktail enthusiasts who agreed to do the first Friday Five....because sometimes first is scary!

It all began on a Wednesday...

A few months back, I embarked on a personal project to find the best cocktails in Paris. Every Wednesday, I visit a different cocktail bar early evening and order two drinks. I start with a Martini and then follow with something different (the house ''specialty" if there is one). I've been posting reviews on my Wednesday Cocktail Adventures over on eGullet (where you can find my comments on Harry's, Experimental Cocktail Club, Flute, Murano, & le Fumoir). Expanding on that, I've created "52 Martinis" to document my Parisian tipples and sips on Wednesdays and occassionally other days, if motivated!

Wednesday Cocktail Adventure: Experimental Cocktail Club

For searching convenience, I've cut and pasted my earlier entries from eGullet before my blog existed, so there are no photos for these first few:

Experimental Cocktail Club
37 rue St Sauveur
Paris 75002

For my first Wednesday Cocktail Adventure, I decided on the aptly named Experimental Cocktail Club. I hadn’t heard anything about this place, and didn’t have high hopes, but I was immediately surprised. This small bar, with dark heavy curtains, low cushy chairs and sofas, has a lounge-y, relaxed feel. The menu features about 10 different specialty cocktails and a selection of whisk(e)ys, bourbons, and ryes (including some interesting looking Japanese whiskeys) As far as I could tell they do not serve beer or wine.

I don’t really believe in testing bartenders’ ESP and expecting them to know exactly how I want my drink. So, when he began to ask questions about how I wanted my martini (which I already see as a plus – he’s not just going to throw something together for me) I explained exactly what I wanted: 1 part vermouth & 4 parts gin. I noticed that they had grapefruit bitters listed as an ingredient in another drink, so I asked for a drop or two of that as well. The martini was stirred, the glass was chilled and it was very nice, indeed. Another thing I especially appreciated was his avoiding an upsell on me. Their house gin is Plymouth (I believe – I’ll check my notes which are elsewhere and edit if that’s not correct) but I had asked for a step up from the house. After a bit of thought, he, instead, suggested that with the addition of the bitters the house would work better. (which leads me to believe he was putting some serious thought into how the drink would taste) My second drink was off the menu – a Chicago Fizz – and also very nice.

Some other things that raise this bar in my estimation: They stock a variety of bitters. They have a selection of uncommon and interesting brands of spirits. When the bartender ’t answer a question about some of their ryes listed, he made a point to get the answer during the evening and came over to give me the information before I left.

Thus, my low expectations were completely surpassed. For the quality, service and careful preparation, I’d gladly go back. And, as a bonus, the cocktails were very reasonably priced by high end Parisian cocktail standards. (10 – 12 Euros) The bartender/owner said he doesn’t believe that there is another place in Paris that is putting as much conscious thought into their cocktails – with the exception of hotel bars where you are going to pay much more. (and, from my current experience, I’d agree with that…although future Wednesdays will tell)

It’s worth noting that I was there early evening on a week night. After talking to the owner, I get the impression that the weekend nights turn into more of a loungey/hipster vibe and the crowd is less interested in high end cocktails than listening to the DJ while downing vodka crans. So, while for cocktail purposes I might avoid it at those times, the others who were with me are looking forward to checking it out on the weekend for the music and atmosphere.