Bar 228 inside Le Meurice in Paris is the dark-wood-and-leather palace bar where William Oliveri ran a 30-year programme of palace-grade Bloody Marys.
Food program: Bistro carte
Tip: Open 11:00-02:00. The terrace fronts the Rue de Rivoli arcade; pop in for an afternoon Pastis.
Address: Le Meurice, 228 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Combat in Paris's 19e is the all-female bar team's neighbourhood cocktail room above Belleville park. The cocktail list rotates weekly; the menu is short by design.
Signature drink: Bartender's call
Food: Snacks
Tip: Reservations from 19:00. The Sunday DJ set runs from 21:00 to 01:00 with a small dance corner.
Le Syndicat in Paris's 10e mixes cocktails using only French spirits, a rule the bar has kept since opening in 2014. The graffitied facade hides 18 seats.
Signature drink: All-French-spirits cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: No reservations. Arrive at 19:00 for stools or after 23:00 once the early crowd shifts elsewhere.
Little Red Door in Paris's 3e Marais runs a menu themed around the chemistry of plants, with custom-distilled spirits. Top 50 World's Best Bars seven years running.
Signature drink: Plant-based menu
Food: Snacks
Tip: Reservations from 18:00. The Sunday bar manager's pick at €15 is the cheapest cocktail in the room.
Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris is Colin Field's classic-cocktail temple. The Serendipity is the house drink; the bartender will recall which one Hemingway ordered.
Signature drink: Serendipity (mint, Calvados, Champagne)
Food: Snacks
Tip: Open 18:00-02:00. No standing; book a 19:00 seat for the calmer first hour.
Andy Wahloo in Paris's 3e is the Mourad Mazouz cocktail bar in a former Moroccan grocery, with mezze plates and music until 02:00. A terrace catches the Marais.
Signature drink: Maghrebi-inflected cocktails
Food: Mezze
Tip: DJ from 22:00 Thursday to Saturday. The Pomelo Sazerac is the house drink.
Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris's 2e is the trio of bartenders' original 2007 room, the one that effectively reset Paris on the craft-cocktail map.
Signature drink: Classic and twist cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: No sign on the door; press the bell. Reservations open at 18:00 for the same evening.
