12 Fashionable Cocktail Bars in Paris

The most up-to-date hangouts in Paris’s constantly changing cocktail scene

Related article: The Best of the New in Paris

LES AMBASSADEURS, HÔTEL DE CRILLON

Soaring gilded and frescoed 18th-century walls and ceilings and a sumptuous décor make Les Ambassadeurs the most glamorous watering hole in Paris. Champagne is the drink to imbibe here. 10 Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris, Tel: 01 44 71 15 00, website: www.rosewoodhotels.com

HERBARIUM, HÔTEL NATIONAL DES ARTS & MÉTIERS

Expressive creations concocted from herbs, flowers, berries and fruit chosen as much for their fragrance as for their flavour. Make your choice by sniffing from a perfume flacon. 243 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris, Tel: 01 80 97 22 80, Website: www.hotelnational.paris

LES GRANDS VERRES

Nothing is ever wasted here, as ingenious cocktails are invented from whatever happens to be on the menu at the time. The ingredients are mixed with some wildly imaginative combinations of the house’s syrups, herbs and artisanal spirits. 13 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 Paris, Tel: 01 85 53 03 61, Website: www.palaisdetokyo.com

LE JACQUES BAR

This adorable lounge in the hip Hoxton Hotel is a firm favourite with guests and locals alike. The cocktails are inspired by the flavours and colours of Morocco. It only seats 20 people at a time, so try to get there early to stake your place. 30-32 Rue du Sentier, 75002 Paris, Tel: 01 85 65 75 00, Website: www.thehoxton.com

BISOU

You can’t miss this friendly neighbourhood bar on boulevard du Temple. Just look for its pink awning. Fancy something different? Speak to the barman, a respected expert known and loved for crafting cocktails to his customers’ tastes. 15 Boulevard du Temple, 75003 Paris, Tel: 01 40 27 82 85, Website: www.facebook.com/bisoubar

CARBÓN

Carnivores are flocking to the newest unabashedly meat-centric Marais hotspot, where the food is divine, the wine is plentiful, the crowd is beautiful, and the cocktails served at the long table d’hôte are crazy good. (Check out Mina downstairs too.) 14 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris, Tel: 01 42 72 49 12, Website: www.carbonparis.com

LE RENARD

A sleek and chic new bar near the Canal Saint-Martin, it offers some of the city’s yummiest cocktails for about half the price you’ll pay anywhere else. A tempting bar menu makes this a very congenial spot to settle in for the night. 6 Rue du Renard, 75004 Paris, Tel: 06 40 38 99 39, Website: www.facebook.com/Renardbar

LE MARTA PARIS

Champs-Élysées jet-setters in the know are flocking to this hidden gem in the legendary Hôtel Le Fouquet’s for its sumptuous décor modelled on a louche Parisian boudoir. Plush velvets and divans invite languorous evenings nourished with luscious cocktails. 46 Avenue George V, 75008 Paris, Tel: 01 40 69 60 85, Website: www.hotelsbarriere.com

BARANAAN

Near the Montorgueil market street and shopping district, take a voyage to Bombay at this hidden Indian cocktail bar serving up surprising elixirs accompanied by delicious naans and rollicking Bollywood videos in a vintage train car. 7 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 75010 Paris, Tel: 01 40 38 97 57, Website: www.baranaan.com

BALAGAN

Tucked away in the Balagan restaurant, a new foodie haven in the Paris-Vendôme Hotel, just steps away from the rue Saint-Honoré, Bar Balagan’s lavish Pillow Talk décor, Middle Eastern mezze dishes, and yummy juice-based cocktails are bang on trend. 9 Rue d’Alger, 75001 Paris, Tel: 01 40 20 72 14, Website: www.balagan-paris.com

THE SHELL

Bijou seems to be a Paris trend these days, but this little gem in the brand new Hôtel des Grands Boulevards, with seating for about 12, opens onto a stylish patio bar with plenty of space to drink and dance the night away under the stars. 17 Boulevard Poissonnière, 75002 Paris, Tel: 01 85 73 33 33, Website: www.grandsboulevardshotel.com

LE 1905

Up the stairs, above Vins des Pyrénées (which opened in 1905), this colonial-style space, complete with ceiling fans, globe lights and veranda, serves quintessentially refreshing drinks with and without alcohol. 25 Rue Beautreillis, 75004 Paris, Tel: 01 42 72 64 94, Website: www.vinsdespyrenees.com

From France Today magazine