There was a time, about three French Presidents ago, when the only place you could get a decent cocktail in Paris was Harry’s New York Bar. Harry’s Bar remains an institution, of course, and the dearth of cocktail bars is not a criticism: for a culture centred mostly on wine, champagne or a kir royale has always been the aperitif of choice rather than a martini. But that has all changed in the last decade and exponentially so on all my recent visits. Little Red Door is already somewhat entrenched in the ‘scene’, followed by The Cambridge, Le Mary Celeste, Cravan and various others, but it’s now getting tricky keeping up with the newcomers: Stolen Moon, Bar Nouveau, Danico are just a soupçon – bars that aren’t just able to stir a Negroni (never pre-batched) but are now breaking boundaries and changing how we think about drinks.
On this most recent jaunt to Paris, one particular newbie impressed. Bar De Vie, located underneath the restaurant Comptoir de Vie, opened in summer 2025 and it shares the restaurant’s sustainability and seasonality ethos, championing French producers and minimising waste in what they call a “farm to glass” movement (that may sound a little pretentious but the bar is very down-to-earth – so much so it’s underground).
For the subterranean cocktail bar, all of the action takes place around one communal table with a counter top looking like raspberry ripple ice cream or a cross-section of radicchio. This immersive experience reminded me a little of Kwãnt in Mayfair or Unseen Bar in Milan and, if you’re in the right mood for it, it’s conducive to interesting conversations with staff and fellow guests alike. You can expect a little theatre too: as there is so little freezer space available, they use a bubbling cauldron of liquid nitrogen to instantly cool the glasses, which is quite awesome to see.
Starting with the ‘Amelanchier’, this pink foamy number was a delightful concoction of Amelanche liqueur and dry gin. The ‘Blackberry’ was another liqueur-based drink, laced with blackberry vermouth and French whisky, served straight up and looking like a martini Dracula would drink (but actually a bit more like a Manhattan or Rob Roy in a way).
“Amelanchier”
“Blackberry”
“Chinotto”
Perhaps my favourite on this visit though was the ‘Chinotto’, based on Chinotto liqueur, blackened kumquat and a non-descript bitter aperitif – it had that Campari-esque bitterness but, like all the best cocktails, was multi-layered in flavour despite its simple appearance. The menu structure is also extremely simple: at the time of writing, every drink is 15 Euros, with non-alcoholic alternatives available.
As always, it’s not just about the drinks and any concomitant ‘theatre’ but the service – on this visit, the Anglophone staff (Little Red Door alumni), also fluent in French, switched between languages and were extremely accommodating and friendly. It felt like having a drink in your neighbour’s secret garage bar but you’ve only just met.
Also I loved how the staff actively recommended other bars and restaurants, such as fellow newcomer Abstract just up the road, or Danico in the other direction towards Palais-Royal where they insisted I try the ‘Tarte Tatin’ cocktail (seriously, imbibe that whilst you can as the menu will change again soon). There’s none of that ‘Battle of the Bands’ of the Britpop era when Oasis and Blur would slag each other off; quite the opposite, and indeed it’s in everyone’s interest. A bit more of that mutual support in the UK would be welcome, actually.
Bar De Vie is a standout opening for 2025.
22-24 Rue Saint-Sauveur
75002 Paris
France
December 2025
