Didier Gauducheau

Just a few steps from one of Paris’s least charming spots (Les Halles) has suddenly appeared one of its most charming. Le Ballroom du Beef Club, the month-old clandestine cocktail den from the team behind the popular hideaways Experimental Cocktail Club, Curio Parlor and Prescription Cocktail Club, leaves no doubt that Paris has arrived as a serious mixology destination. In the space of just a few years, the scene here has evolved from an experimental “cult” to a full-blown cocktail culture—largely thanks to Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros, and Romée de Goriainoff, the handsome young triumvirate behind the quickly expanding Experimental empire (they have a spot in London and will open their first New York outpost later this month).

Didier Gauducheau

This time around, the team has upped the ante. Upstairs, The Beef Club is a stylish steak house (we can’t wait to settle into one of those mid-century modern chairs for a night of carnivorous hedonism), and downstairs, the cavernous Ballroom du Beef Club offers a sensationally sexy setting where you can slip in for an after-work drink or linger into the wee hours of the night.

Didier Gauducheau

By 9pm on a Wednesday, multiple groups had already discreetly tucked themselves into the bar’s various dark nooks, and at around 10pm each night, the bar’s second lounge space opens to accommodate the larger late-night crowd.

Didier Gauducheau

But in addition to providing a place where many a make-out session will inevitably go down, this is a sophisticated spot where both cocktail connoisseurs and the uninitiated can come to experience the work of skilled bartenders, who can improvise based on a client’s tastes and curiosities.

Experimental Cocktail Group

When we went, we sat at the bar and observed veteran mixologist Inko, whose roguish charm is trumped only by his skill behind the bar (he previously worked at Experimental Cocktail Club China Town in London). His first trick was an off-menu concoction called “Le Temps de Cerises” that he had learned from a former ECC colleague. (It’s this institutional knowledge that has set apart the Experimental bars over the years—members of the team often work at more than one spot, sharing recipes and continually taking the art of cocktails to the next sublime level). A combination of sherry, Peychaud’s bitters, cognac, grapefruit juice, and house-made almond syrup, this drink was smooth and refined, with a perfect balance of flavors and a subtle snap of citrus.

Experimental Cocktail Group

We were also intrigued by the Ballroom’s modern twists on classic cocktails. The julep contained 12-year-old El Dorado rum, Amaro liqueur and fresh mint, and it was a bit bolder than a typical bourbon-based julep—dry rather than sweet, with a bitter finish and strong hit of mint. The Pondicherry Mule seamlessly blended cardamom-infused vodka, Angostura bitters, ginger beer and lime juice, topped off star anise.

Didier Gauducheau

During our visit, co-founder Olivier Bon stopped by the bar, where Inko offered him a strawful of whatever he was concocting, like a mother bird feeding its young—assuming its young has a penchant for booze. Olivier explained that he and his partners have always tried to create havens where cocktail-cravers can enjoy sophisticated drinks in cool-but-relaxed settings, where service is friendly and the vibe is open and international.

He’s certainly achieved his goal with the Ballroom du Beef Club, and as soon as we save up a few more centimes (cocktails are 12-15€ a pop) we will definitely be back for more.

The Beef Club: 58 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 75001. Tel: 09 52 52 89 34. Open Monday-Saturday, 7pm-2pm (sometimes later).

Related Links:

• Check out TMagazine’s review of the Beef Club here
• Alex Lobrano stirs up a little controversy with his review
• For more from these cocktails gurus, check out  Curio Parlor or the Prescription Cocktail Club

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Didier Gauducheau, photographe, 06 03 54 39 73. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Badaude’s new book, London Walks

Stay at The Zetter Townhouse:London’s newest and hottest hotel is a clutter-chic bijou Georgian townhouse in the quiet square behind the original Zetter Hotel. Bedrooms are a riot of eclectic 19^th century fun. Mine had a bedhead and wall panel taken from a French 3^rd Republic carousel, an ipod dock housed in a red retro radio and, most stunningly, as well as the state-of-the-art drench shower in the bathroom, a mahogany-pillared bath set into an alcove in the bedroom.

Zetter Townhouse

Downstairs mixologist Tony Conigliaro’s hot cocktail bar looks like a London pub (busy Victorian paintings and pleasingly eccentric taxidermy) only more comfortable. Kick back on one of the cozy sofas and let staff serve you tapas-style snacks as you study the innovative drinks menu. With so many clever inventions it was a tough choice, but I wasn’t disappointed when I ordered a Somerset sour (apple brandy, cider, gomme and lemon) – a heavenly ice-cold balance of sweet and sour. My date went for a sharp Richmond (Chivas Regal, apple honey & Lillet blanc ). Both arrived in cute retro glasses — the perfect finishing touch. We picked at a platter of delicious pates and Parma ham, fresh buttery radishes, English cheeses and sardines on toast pimped with a pimento puree, accompanied by a carafe of aromatic Jurancon sec (£30 for 50cl). We felt too full to make use of the bar’s table tennis room afterwards.

Zetter Townhouse

Rooms from £185. The Zetter Townhouse Website.

Eat at: St John.This is hardly news to residents, but if you only eat out once in London, you won’t find an experience more British than Fergus Henderson’s legendary ‘nose to tail eating’. If the whitewashed restaurant pushes the abbatoir look a little beyond your comfort zone, the meaty menu lives up to the ‘everything but the squeak’ premise. The last time I was there I had a roasted marrow bones with parsley salad (£7.10) followed by Calf’s liver and shallots (£18.40) . Was there a part of the menu that wasn’t offal? The British cheeses and Eccles cakes (£6.80) were sublime.

St John

Drink at: Experimental Cocktail Club: If you’ve come over from Paris for the weekend you’ll recognize the newly-opened sister to Paris trio of trendy cocktail dens (the Experimental, the Curio Parlor and the new-ish Prescription). Anyone who’s visited the Paris originals will recognize the experience: dark cave-y bars lit with chandeliers and a louche, bohemian, speakeasy vibe. Most cocktails are around £10 – on the pricey side but then you won’t be drinking any happy hour Sex on the Beach. Open until 3.30am, drop in anytime for an inventive Havana, made with cigar-infused bourbon or a St Germain combining gin, elderflower, cucumber juice and chili. If you’re feeling really flush, choose from a selection of 1950s-70s spirits at around £100 a pop. Oh yes and, just like at the Curio Parlor, you might encounter slight difficulty in finding and getting through the battered, discreetly signed front door. But I guess that’s half the fun.

Excerpt from Badaude’s London Walks (click through for larger image)

Visit The John Soane museum: English eccentricity at its best.  Sir John Soane, architect of some of Georgian London’s most famous buildings, designed his own residence to show off his collection of antiquities. Every room is crammed with curiosities from Roman busts to Egyptian mummy cases and rooms of paintings by Hogarth (one of my favourite artists) installed on clever foldaway panels.

Excerpt from Badaude’s London Walks (click through for larger image)

Take a walk along Regent’s canal, the disused waterway that has become the way for hip Londoners to get from their homes in bohemian Hackney to their jobs (which are, so far as I can tell, mostly at the liberal Guardian newspaper or creative businesses near York Way where the canal ends).

Regent’s Canal (C. G. P. Grey)

Have a nose round Saint Pancras – one of the most interesting areas of London right now – where you’ll find the bustling station of the same name (which conveniently houses the Eurostar and the restored glory of the Saint Pancras Renaissance hotel), the new British Library, the Gagosian Gallery and the soon-to-be-finished centre for London Art Colleges.

Shop at: Liberty. Not as flashy as Selfridges, as fashionable as Dover Street Market or as posh as Fortnums, Liberty is still my favourite London department store. I’d always thought the shop, so entwined with 60s hippie chic, was named after the concept (freedom).

Liberty (Canon Snapper)

It turns out it was actually named after its founder, Arthur Lazenby Liberty, and that its famous Arts and Crafts ‘cottage’ exterior was built half a century after the pioneering boutique of its day had started selling fabrics by the late 19^th century’s edgiest designers (including William Morris). The iconic department store stocks an eclectic and intelligent mix of British and international designers and a quirky selection of beauty products – the perfumery is particularly good. You can still buy the original fabrics by the metre as well as just about anything you can imagine covered with one or another famous ‘Liberty print’.

Related Links:

• Camille from Paris in Pink shares some sweet shots from her latest trip to London
• For more updates from Badaude, check out her blog
• For more info on the May 30 event at Shakespeare & Co, click here

Written by Badaude for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Despite what Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald might have you believe, Paris has not historically been a cocktail-drinking town. Even today, the traditional pre-dinner drink—the apéritif or more familiar “apéro”—usually takes the form of a glass of champagne, a kir (white wine with a splash of cassis), or a pastis (an anise-flavored liqueur favored by pétanque-playing French gentlemen of a certain age).

This is beginning to change, especially among Paris’ young branchés (scenesters). Just as “speakeasies” are cropping up all over downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, drinking holes that serve serious mixed drinks are on the rise in Paris. Skilled “mixologists” are at the helm of both renowned institutions and newer establishments, and they continue to raise the bar on both the quality and inventiveness of the cocktails they pour.

www.marieclaire.com

Nonetheless, one must know where to go. We know how seriously Paris takes its food, but unfortunately, the same rigorous standards are not always applied to mixed drinks. If you take a wrong turn, you can easily end up with a sugary concoction that evokes kindergarten rather than the Jazz Age.

Luckily, we’ve done the work for you. Here’s our short list of the best places to score real cocktails in Paris. In no particular order:

Le Fumoir—Just across the street from the Louvre, this swanky cocktail lounge is the perfect place to kick back for a post-work martini. The refined atmosphere provides a chic backdrop for the sleek, young crowd that convenes here. Sit in the front (or on the terrace) to people-watch or curl up in the cozy reading room in the back. Take advantage of the great happy hour prices from 6-8pm on weekdays.

(6 rue de l’amiral Coligny, 75001; Tel 01 42 92 00 24)

Harry’s Bar—One of Paris’ classic “American bars,” Harry’s has been open since 1923 and is considered a Paris landmark. It’s the kind of place your grandfather probably came for drinks when he was in Paris, but it has proudly stood the test of time and continues to attract a diverse, international crowd. With its dark wood paneling and American college penants adorning the walls, its friendly atmosphere makes you want to settle into a corner table for a night of swilling and story-swapping.

(5, Rue Daunou, 75002; Tel 01 42 61 71 14)
 

vodka gimlet – www.slashfood.com

Curio Parlor—From the mixologists who brought you the Experimental Cocktail Club, Curio Parlor is Paris’ newest speakeasy. Tucked away on a quiet street in the 5^th, this dimly lit cocktail den serves up a playful menu of inventive drinks made with fresh fruit and top-shelf liquors. In the evening, you can slip into a velvet banquette for quiet conversation. After 10pm, the see-and-be-scene crowd takes over and the vibe becomes decidedly more decadent.

(16 rue des Bernardins, 75005; Tel 01 44 07 12 47)

Le Doudingue—Montmartre residents are happy to keep this place a neighborhood secret. The décor is cozy-café with a Moroccan twist. Upstairs, you can sit at tables, while downstairs has private banquettes where groups can lounge. Drinks range from well-mixed mojitos and mai thais to classic martinis—done right.

(24 rue Durantin, 75018; Tel 01 42 54 88 08)

Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel—Clichéd, yes, but this old-school bar is still the gold standard in Parisian mixology and has been considered a go-to spot since Hemingway’s “Lost Generation” frequented it in the ‘20s. Today, it is inhabited by a considerably more swanky set. Colin Field, the head bartender, has become somewhat of a celebrity among cocktail aficionados for his perfectly mixed drinks. Though they are stellar, they don’t come cheap. A Manhattan will run you 26 Euros, so save this place for when your sugar daddy is in town.

(Hemingway Bar, Hotel Ritz, 15 Place Vendôme, Paris. Tel. (33-1) 43 16 30 30)

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Mixing the perfect cocktail at the Hemingway Bar. Photo: Intelligent Travel

photo courtesy of womenmanagementparis.blogspot.com

At first you thought you’d never tire of your pre-dinner kirs or pastis on traditional café terraces. But after one-too-many botched martinis, you’re willing to start considering alternatives. And if those alternatives happen to come courtesy of a group of fresh-faced Parisians enamored with New York cocktail culture, so be it.

Determined to bring Parisians around to the idea of “real” cocktails, drawing on only the finest spirits and fresh-squeezed fruit, the team behind the Curio Parlor first landed on the Paris scene a couple years ago with the Experimental Cocktail Club, an aptly named velour-lined drinking den in the 2nd arrondissement.

Although the two bars share their inclination towards taxidermy, designer’s guild prints, rococo chandeliers and plying Paris’ trendy set with expensive drinks, the Curio Parlor feels like the older sibling; a grown-up, intimate den perfect for whiling away an evening when you’re homesick for a proper Manhattan. The ground floor is anchored by a bar teeming with bottles and vials, with a couple nooks recessed behind heavy curtains ideal for hushed conversing. The downstairs is where the late-night parties happen, with a second bar and a DJ booth for the guest acts that regularly grace the Parlor.

Although there isn’t much about the Curio Parlor that isn’t alluring, the incontestable draw of the spot is the concise yet satisfying cocktail menu (although the people-watching isn’t bad either). The signature “Strawberry Fields” finds its place (and is worth a try if only to hear the bartender slap the mint leaf before delicately setting it afloat on your coupe of fresh-squeezed berries, vodka and champagne) alongside New York standbys of days past and the occasional foray into Tiki. My personal favorite: the refreshing Copa Verde (Tequila, honey, avocado, lime).

The drinks aren’t quick to make and the regular crowd is a thirsty one, so to really have your way of the place, a weeknight aperitif-hour stop is the way to go.

Curio Parlor, 16 rue des Bernardins, 75006, Paris. 01 44 07 12 47

Experimental Cocktail Club, 37 rue Saint Sauveur, 75002, Paris. 0 1 45 08 88 09