Doni Belau, the creator of the very successful website Girls Guide to Paris has just written Paris Cocktails, an elegant collection of over 100 recipes inspired by the City of Light.
I ran into Doni earlier this year at a bar where I was interviewing Forest Collins of the blog 52 Martinis and she told me she was doing research for her new book. She later invited me to come to Paris Soirees with Patricia Laplante Collins where she demonstrated and shared some cocktail recipes, a preamble to the book.
Many months and cocktails plus 50 bars later, the finished product is impressive, even to a mostly non-cocktail drinker. First, I love the clever and elegant cover, cherry red with a cutout of a martini glass with a map of Paris behind it. The information in the book is not only entertaining but also useful with listings for 100 bars, soiree planning themes (including a Midnight in Paris Party), insights into mixologists and bartenders,shopping lists, and enticing photos.
In the first chapter, Doni writes about how when she came to Paris in the late 80s it was near impossible to get a mixed drink anywhere, even though there was a history of the cocktail culture in Paris dating back to the 1800s, and how the cocktail made a big comeback in 2007 with the opening of the first modern day cocktail lounge The Experimental Cocktail Club.
Excellent coverage of the Paris bar scene includes a broad range of cocktail venues, from dive bars to elegant hotel bars to trendy craft bars making artisanal cocktails to wine bars to outdoor cafes.
I also love the names of some of the cocktails and the appetizing ingredients: Amour a la Francaise, Suze and Soda, Rosé Salty Dog, Tijuana sizzle, Oh My Dog, 100% Winter Vitamin, Baron of Brooklyn, and Sade’s Taboo.
And yes Martha, you can make these delish cocktails at home.
Click here to order a copy of Paris Cocktails by Doni Belau
Photo courtesy of Paris Cocktails
Photo courtesy of Paris Cocktails
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 195 euros per person (about $210)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
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