Now that Old Fashioned Week has wrapped up, there’s a new cocktail event to look forward to with the Paris Cocktail Festival, a three day long affair that promises to democratise cocktails with some interesting boozy events. I stopped by their press conference recently and it sounds like a programme with plenty to please both newbies and old hats like me.
The organisers behind this event feel that “The cocktail is no longer the preserve of trendy Parisian bars and is ready to reach out to all professionals: local bistros, large hotels or well-known restaurants. Non-professionals are ready to experiment and to make cocktails at home. After cooking and baking, cocktail-making is set to become the favourite new pastime of epicureans. We’re betting on it. And with fewer ingredients, basic equipment and simple techniques, there is no end to the possibilities!”
With that in mind, not only have they arranged for a few dozen or so bars to offer special cocktails for the occasion, but there will be workshops, conferences and other goodies.
More specifically, you can look forward to:
Diner des Epicurieux at Dersou
The bar already known for cocktail/food pairings will be putting on a special dinner in celebration of PCF on 25 November, Friday. Tickets are 90 Euros and limited to 30 places.
Rallye du Cocktail
On 26 November, Saturday afternoon, individuals and/or teams of curious cocktailers will meet at the Carmen for a Cocktail Rally that will cover the 2nd & 9th arrondissement and take participants through a route of trails, tests and learning experiences. Prizes for the winners!
Cocktail Bus Tour
If you don’t feel like running all over town by foot, metro or velib for the Rallye, hop on the Cocktail Bus Tour led by none other than France’s most famous cocktail historian, Fernando Castillon, for a historical view of Paris’ cocktail scene with visits to spots like Ritz, Fouquet’s, and Harry’s bar.
Cocktail Ciné Club
Each night of the weekend, you’ve got the chance to revisit the late 80’s with screenings of the classic film featuring a young shaker tossing Tom Cruise, Cocktail! In addition François Monti, cinema cocktail expert, will be onsite to talk drinks in the movies from James Bond to Man Bites Dog. The soirée will finish with cocktails from the film.
Cocktail Day
On the final day, the festival pour on a day long tasting event at the Elysée Montmartre. This is good news not only because it will be a fun event, but also because it will give festival goers a chance to check out the Elysée Montmartre after the fire a few years caused significant damage and shut it down for works.
Costs for events range from 20 to 90 Euros depending on events. Entry on cocktail day is 25 Euros (free for professionals!) Check out their site for up to date news on the bar programme and more.
And, incidentally, we’re making some changes around here and posting up additional news to just the bar reviews. So, keep coming back to the site for the latest in Frenchie cocktail news, new booze, product reviews and other worthwhile tidbits.
