While Paris’ café culture is famous around the world, and lingering over a bottle of wine on a terrace is one of the city’s favorite pastimes, it’s fair to say that the capital hasn’t always been a leader in the global cocktail scene. That is, until recently. Parisians’ thirst for cocktails isn’t exactly new, but it hasn’t always been homegrown. American expats played a huge role in kick-starting the local cocktail scene around a century ago during Les Années Folles (known stateside as the Roaring ’20s), and many of the city’s iconic bars during the time catered to tourists and expats. It wasn’t until the Experimental Cocktail Club, which set out to serve great drinks in a stylish setting, opened in 2007 that the Parisian scene saw a full revival. Today’s local bartenders are putting their own stamp on things. At modern Paris bars, some menus have their foundations in the lesser-known French classics, while others look outside of France for inspiration; some bartenders play around with local vintage spirits, others with ultra modern lab techniques. Anything goes now, and that’s perhaps the greatest sign that cocktail bars have become an integral part of modern Paris. This list is intended to give you a taste of where the city’s drinks scene stands right now. While once it would’ve been easy to pick the top five cocktail bars in the city—there wouldn’t have been many more—now Parisians are almost spoiled for choice.

Paris

Where to drink in

With only a limited time in the city, here are the can’t-miss places to drink.

Around the corner on Grand Street, Fresh Kills (from Richie Boccato) has been quietly serving some of the best cocktails in Brooklyn for nearly a decade.

NOTABLE AND NEARBY

• When outdoor seating is available, the wisteria-draped garden (book ahead on Resy) might fool you into thinking you’re somewhere between Louisiana and Provence. • While Maison excels at the A-list classics, look closely and you’ll find lovingly executed takes on B-side hits, like the Yellow Parrot and the Obituary, that make the case for revival.