Drinking in Paris is a different ball game to London. It’s more moderated; the French aren’t completely pickled at 5pm on a Tuesday.
Until recently, however, Paris’s drinks scene was surprisingly limited. Who remembers the viral tweets of people ordering oat milk lattes and being told ‘no’?
Although many of Paris’s bars are institutions, immortalised in romantic ideas of Hemingway ordering a dry martini at Les Deux Magots, getting a decent craft beer or a soft drink not laden with sugar used to be tricky. No longer. A new wave of sobriety has swept through the capital, this one full of joy, colour and fermented juice.
Gone, too, is Paris’s reputation for bad coffee, with hipster-happy cafés left, right and centre. Even the cocktail bars have had a makeover: Hemingway could have had his dry martinis on tap.
Whatever your tipples, here’s where to drink in Paris.
Bonjour Jacob, Paris 6
It’s a sacrilege to write this in a newspaper, but at Bonjour Jacob, ditch the news and dive into the escapism of coffee table travel magazines. A vinyl and indie magazine shop-cum-café, the coffee is strong enough to jet-propel you around Paris all day. There are now three in Paris, the others at Canal St Martin and Printemps Haussmann, but the monochrome branch in Paris 6, which looks a little like a cassette tape, is the most aesthetic. Matcha lattes with oat milk are always on the menu.
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Jah Jah by Le Tricycle, Paris 10
Crates of fruit stacked along the walls give you a vitamin boost just by looking at them, and that’s exactly what you get from Jah Jah by Le Tricycle’s juices. It’s hard to decide which is more colourful, the drinks or the window display. Hibiscus or ginger are mainstays, and the ‘guest’ juice changes daily. There are regular evening events and DJ sets where you can boogie around, goblet of fruit in hand, with no fear of a hangover.
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Café Pigalle, Paris 9
A better cup of coffee is hard to come by. Café Pigalle is the epitome of Pigalle’s gentrification. Wood panelled rooms with ceramic and cork lamps, it’s like a mash-up between an IKEA showroom and a Finnish sauna — worlds away from the neon lights of neighbouring sex shops. Pair your coffee with a snack, the (very salty) dark chocolate and sea salt cookies are heaven for those that aren’t usually sweet tooths. Limited savoury dishes sell out early.
Le Clos Montmartre, Paris 18
Le Clos Montmartre isn’t a bar at all, but a museum and a vineyard. Once, when it was full of monasteries and monks produced the majority of the country’s wine, Île-de-France was the largest wine producing region of France, outstripping Burgundy and Bordeaux. Now, there are (understandably) very few vineyards in central Paris. This is the oldest, and the first grapes were harvested here in 1934. For €39 you’ve a tour of the vineyards, a tasting, and entry to the museum.
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La Sobrellerie, Paris 19
In a concept that would make many old Franchouillards roll their eyes, Paris’s bistrots are (finally) starting to embrace alcohol-free options. Non-drinkers who’ve ever bemoaned being stuck with a sugary soda or a tap water rejoice, ‘sobrelier’ Benoît d’Onofrio has invented a range of fermented, all-natural and short circuit drinks to pair with any dish — all alcohol-free. As d’Onofrio says, a sommelier is “one who studies drinks, not just wine”. Although he has plans to open a restaurant with a weekly rotation of guest chefs, at present you can only taste his creations in his workshop, La Sobrellerie.
114 Rue de Meaux, 75019
The Honey Moon, Paris 11
It could be argued that this is a bar for people who hate cocktails (ironic, when the menu has 27 of them). In fact, it’s a bar for people who hate the faff that comes with cocktails. The first bar in France to serve exclusively cocktails on draught changes its menu each week, and prices are extremely reasonable (no more than €14 euros for an alcoholic beverage or €10 for a mocktail). It fills up as soon as the doors open, but the ease of pouring cocktails like pints means that however buzzing it is, you’ll never wait long to be served.
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Bar Les Ambassadeurs, Paris 8
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Guillotining their monarchs didn’t stop the French fascination with everything that’s glittery and gold. Unfortunately, a night in a palace hotel will set you back several thousands. Fortunately, some have found a way of (almost) catering to the masses. Sure, a cocktail at Les Ambassadeurs, Hotel de Crillon, will set you back €30, but the decor is worthy of Versailles. Think walls painted with cherubs, mirrors and gold gilding, and chandeliers heavy enough to decapitate a royal. Flavours are seasonal and original. Butternut squash with whisky and maple syrup? It works.
La Bar Fondamental, Paris 9
Now somewhat of a countrywide institution, it’s hard to beat L.B.F. for French craft beers. The original is in Pigalle, sandwiched between drag clubs and sex shops, popular with moustache-twirling hipsters. Expect pine infused beers, flavours such as pepper and raspberry or sour apricot, and plenty of crafty brewery classics. You can even take a workshop and learn to brew your own.
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