Discover the Trendiest Cocktail Bars Reviving Paris

© Marta / Pete Casta - Céleste / Vincent Leroux - The Honeymoon

Paris is a party! And when it comes to ideas for enjoying the cocktail hour, Parisians are not left behind. To satisfy the cravings for chic drinks with your loved one or with friends, cocktail bars compete with glamor and exciting recipes concocted by increasingly sophisticated mixologists. The Do It In Paris afterwork team has dedicated themselves to exploring the new addresses that are making waves. Cheers!

Climbing to the 10th floor of Paris's most luxurious hotel for a drink? Challenge accepted. Until March 31st, Cheval Blanc Paris sets up its ephemeral cocktail bar under a transparent bubble, like a couture igloo placed on the terrace with panoramic views of Paris. Magical… Sit on the sofas and armchairs under the bubble or directly at the high tables facing the bar for a suspended moment in a decor of leather and brown velvet that gives the impression of being nestled in a real 60s Mad Men-style lounge.

Love Potions: it's unprecedented! On its menu, Céleste offers cocktails made from vintage spirits, some dating back to the 1920s, acquired from auction houses. A must-try: the Absinthe By Jimmy (with absinthe dating back to 1950) with Angostura bitter, lime juice, and sugar for those who love aniseed flavors, or the Clacquesin Bulle (around 1940) with cassis liqueur and champagne, very mild. However, expect to pay €69 for these extraordinarily delicate curiosities, unless you prefer the house creations like the Wasabi Sour with Roku gin, yellow lemon, vanilla, and wasabi (€35).

Chic Snacks: as a foodie promise, we've rarely tasted appetizers of this quality. It must be said that Japanese chef Takuya Watanabe spared no effort in the proposals, including lobster and mango temakis (€38) or trout (€28) of anthology, well settled on their small wooden supports, or a toro ikura with shiso topped with trout eggs (€36).

Céleste at Cheval Blanc Paris, 8 quai du Louvre, Paris 1er. Until March 31, 2024, every day from 6pm to 11:30pm. By reservation only.

© Vincent Leroux

Nestled on the ground floor of the Hotel Fouquet's Paris on the Champs-Élysées, Marta takes you into a wonderful world by offering a dive into a flower bath. This enveloping space, like a jewelry box, plays the all-over card by adorning itself from floor to ceiling with a velvet fabric with delicate floral motifs. Even the waiters' uniforms and the DJ booth match the decor! A soft universe that embraces you like a sincere hug...

Love Potions: beautiful as it is, Marta remains above all an excellent cocktail bar. A confirmed penchant for the tender Shining with rum, maple syrup, chocolate & orange bitters, and coconut water (€25) and for the promising Delirium with gin, basil, and lime juice (€22). Among the classic options, a good find is the naughty Pornstar Martini, vodka, passion fruit puree, passoa lemon, and champagne shot (€20).

Chic Snacks: feeling peckish? Order the delicious burger signed by the chefs of Fouquet's and the accompanying fries, which arrive on a silver platter and carefully packaged in an adorable packaging in the colors of the place (€29).

Marta Paris, 46 avenue George V, Paris 8th. 06 79 63 39 99. Open Thursday to Saturday from 9pm to 3am.

© Pete Casta

This charming pocket bar with Art Nouveau style proudly displays its mirrors topped with arabesques, its horseshoe bar counter, its 1900s lighting, and a soundtrack in harmony. Behind the shaker, Remy Savage, best mixologist 2022, sets the pace for a team (wearing Nike TNs!) dedicated to ensuring a good time for its guests. Too vintage? The basement leads to a completely different atmosphere, darker with plants hanging from the ceiling where you can sip on techno-augmented versions of the six house cocktails.

Love Potions: when you take your place behind the bar, a milkshake machine catches the eye... Upon inquiry, it's the magical tool for making the Ramos (€13), which is rare in bars because it needs to be shaken for a very long time. It's also one of the stars of the place, with vanilla and peaty notes, displaying a radiant whiteness topped with a creamy foam. Bitterness prevails with the Jasmine (gin, Campari, and citrus) while Le Gustave with its gold leaf and flower petals is more delicate yet surprising with its notes of olive, chamomile, and agave.

Chic Snacks: here, you come to taste the epitome of creative cocktails in small groups (12 seats upstairs)... and that's it! No food is provided, and given the size of Bar Nouveau, we recommend opting for an early aperitif... since it opens at 4 pm!

Bar Nouveau, 5 rue des Haudriettes, Paris 3rd. Open daily from 4pm to 1am.

© @bar_nouveau_ and @audrey.carpe

Things are buzzing in Issy-les-Moulineaux! Five minutes from the metro, the Domaine de la Reine Margot Paris Issy - MGallery hotel has settled in a former 17th-century building, inhabited for 9 years by Queen Margot herself and then for 300 years by priests. The deal? A huge classified garden, a brand new building designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, a bistronomic table, a classic cocktail bar (though very beautiful) near the restaurant, and... a rum bar hidden in a chapel! It's hard to get more unusual than this desacralized neo-Gothic curiosity...

Love Potions: in the sacristy, we find bartender Fabien who tells the story of the estate as well as that of the some 400 references of agricultural rums, arranged or of English, Spanish styles... available for tasting (four rums of choice, €45). The sacred surprise to offer to your +1? A Memorable Moment where you reserve the privilege of having the chapel to yourselves (€100).

Chic Snacks: to temper the tasting, accompany the rums with long parmesan tiles or vegetable dips from the garden and chestnut hummus (€9).

Monastic at Domaine Reine Margot Paris Issy - MGallery, 3 cours de la Reine Margot, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux. 01 87 53 65 70. Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6pm to 11pm.

© Nicolas Fagot Studio9

Mesures is the brand-new hidden spot in the heart of the Marais created by two friends Guillaume Castagnet (Castor Club, Très Particulier) who takes care of the bar and musician Benoît de Bonnefamille who manages the turntables. In this intimate space, no frills: raw materials, a dozen tables, and a few chairs at the counter to enjoy an atmosphere inspired by Japanese jazz kissa bars with a playlist of jazz, soul, funk, pop, and disco.

Love Potions: for cocktails, choose from signatures, seasonal, and classic all very sophisticated (€14). Our favorite? The Singe en Hiver (perfect for Gabin and Bébel fans) which combines Calvados, apples, raspberry, and a cumin infusion. Another discovery is the decadent Makea Negroni: a blend of gins, roasted pineapple white Vermouth. A delight!

Chic Snacks: what's also worth it are the dishes with Japanese inspirations signed by Cyril Pham (Ogata). Ultimate crush for the hayashi rice, shredded beef bathed in soy sauce and miso (€16), which still makes our mouths water. Opt also for the Caesar salad which goes well with everything (€11) and the very comforting hot dog (€8).

Mesures, 58 rue de Saintonge, Paris 3rd. 06 79 63 39 99. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30am to 3pm, Tuesday to Wednesday from 6pm to 1am, and Thursday to Saturday from 6pm to 2am.

© AgenceLFM

Connoisseurs of well-crafted cocktails are familiar with the Vieux Carré, a classic born in New Orleans in the French Quarter of the same name. It is found here twisted with calvados for a chic French version and at friendly prices (€10). With its long counter, cozy duck blue armchairs, and small mezzanine, the cozy decor is perfect for romantic rendezvous according to the barmen themselves, Anthony Bonnafoux, former head bartender of Jacopo, and Renaud Eliazord, ex-Silencio. In an eleventh arrondissement stingy in good mixology addresses, we don't miss out on this pleasure.

Love Potions: the very hot Douce Flamme (€12) with French gin Citadelle, Sriracha, bell pepper, raspberry, and lemon has many assets to spice up the evening. Another more cuddly option: the suave Verger (€14), elixir based on vodka infused with walnut married with buckwheat and pear. To pull out all the stops, we bet on a custom-made drink, imagined based on your desires. Seduced? You can also order it by the bottle (€80) to enjoy its sweet aromas longer.

Chic Snacks: small plates complement the aperitif including a hummus topped with grilled buckwheat, homemade tapenade, or coppa, bresaola, Savoie tome, and truffle brie carefully selected (from €6 to €12).

Vieux Carré, 59 rue de Montreuil, Paris 11th. 07 57 84 37 37. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm.

© Solenne Carreras

There's something quirky and decidedly disco about this large bar devoid of bottles. The green, white, and purple neon lights immediately immerse you in a retro-futuristic atmosphere rocked by a playlist with nineties vibes. Behind the counter, instead of traditional bottles, copper tubes run along the wall and are all dressed with 38 chrome taps from which surprising potions are poured, concocted by Ben Cooper and Mike Jordhoy, formerly of Lulu White in Pigalle. Everything is served on tap and comes directly from the basement where the laboratory of these two alchemists is installed, who were tired of making cocktails rather than spending time interacting with customers. The advantage of tap? The wait is reduced, and you can also taste before ordering!

Love Potions: the two proprietors love to share their passion, so, to help navigate through a menu that revisits classics (Manhattan, Sex on the Beach, Margarita, Cosmopolitan), we are guided by the main characteristics: with or without bubbles, with or without lemon, or both. It's very clever and playful at the same time. The love cocktail for Ben? Without hesitation, the Pink Pussycat (€12), a blend of beautiful pink flavors like raspberry, cherry, grapefruit, and Creole bitters. The tangy balance of the Honeymoon or the silky Mizuwari based on Scottish whisky, genmaicha tea, and vanilla soy sauce seduce adventurous palates.

Chic Snacks: here too, you don't come to feast. But a concise menu of spreadable treats entices the most gluttonous who can't imagine sipping a cocktail without dipping into hummus, tapenade, tzatziki, or a delicious spicy muhammara.

The Honey Moon, 15 rue Saint-Sabin, Open Wednesday to Monday from 6pm to 2am.

© Nicolas Matheus

Discover also the largest cocktail bar in Paris and Mistinguett, the new festive table at the Casino de Paris.