September always brings something new to Paris. Everyone is back from their month long holidays and ready to launch into new projects for “le rentrée.” Among those new projects, there is always at least one anticipated bar opening. This year, that opening was Gravity Bar.
The menu features a dozen cocktails priced at 11 and 12 Euros covering a range of base spirits. The selection is packed with ingredients that won’t be immediately recognizable to the average drinker: Gentiane Salers, Maurin Kina, Galliana Ristretto, etc. These kinds of non-mainstream ingredients (well known in the craft cocktail world, less so outside of it) can either elevate or crush a menu. And it takes a skilled professional to pull this off with aplomb.
Fortunately, that’s exactly what they have with Michael Mas behind the bar. Having worked at Experimental Cocktail Club and le Mary Celeste, he’s been in the game long enough to more than prove his mettle with a muddler. There is a lot to recommend here, but I am partial to the Corleone Manhattan (Maker’s Mark, Vermouth Punt e Mes, Liqueur Galliano Ristretto, Absinthe Bourgeois)
The open kitchen turns out a small selection of dishes like roasted zucchini with ricotta, honey & pecans or duck with beets, apple and pistachios ranging from 7 to 12 Euros. The savory cake with tomatoes and crème fraiche sounds deceptively simply, but packs some fabulous flavor. They also have a selection of bar snacks from 3 to 6 Euros like fried sea snails with aioli or os a moelle with toast. They also have marinated olives for the less adventurous snackers out there.
The décor is surf-inspired, but don’t be mislead into thinking you’ll be walking into a beach bar full of flip-flop clad servers. From behind the bar flowing along the ceiling is a cool and modern interpretation of a sculpted wave.
If this is the first you’ve heard of Gravity Bar, it won’t be the last. And if you have heard about it, but haven’t been yet, it’s worth the detour.
Gravity Bar
44 rue des Vinaigriers
75010 Paris
