Paris Underground Bars Part I

As you friends know, I am no stranger to Paris and have both lived and worked here for many years. However, last week with the help of my amazing friend Olivia, I saw a side of Paris I have never seen before– the underground bar scene. Olivia and I decided we were going to check out 4 different bars in one night to get a good sense of the underground bar scene in Paris. I am going to split this post into two, so I will review the first two bars we visited in this post, and in tomorrow’s post I will finish the last two and give you an overall review of all 5. I hope you enjoy a view into the underground!

The first two bars we visited were: Moonshiner and Le Syndicat

I. Moonshiner

Located in the 11th arrondissement right next to the Bastille monument, Moonshiner is the definition of Classic American Speakeasy in Paris. The menu is whiskey heavy, the decor was in the style of Prohibition Era in America where drinking was outlawed so everyone spoke quitely (speak easy) about drinking out of fear of getting in trouble with the police.

My lovely friend Olivia and I acting silly. 

 

The interior is very dark, the cocktails are strong, and the vibe very trendy and sexy. It was a fantastic start to our underground tour. 

As you can see above, the walls are decorated in classic speakeasy style with darks walls lighting up the liquor, mostly high end whiskeys. Once we had our first cocktail and planned where we would go for the rest of the evening, it was off to the next location!

 

II. Le Syndicat

Contrasting with the American style of the first Bar, Syndicate is synonymous with everything French! Tapping into the recent gastronomy trend of local resourcing, the managers of Syndicate are only concerned with French everything in this bar: French cocktails, French decor, French wine, you get the idea.

Not only is everything French, but they also pride themselves on utilizing the best of local ingredients. All liquors and mixers are house made –for example, their lemonade is made fresh from scratch everyday using only local ingredients, as are all other fruits and vegetables. It is great that this trendy has made its way to Paris and is being used with a French twist by local bar owners.

 

My drink was made by hand with the freshest of ingredients right in front of me. Brought a whole new definition of hand crafted cocktail.

The cocktails were truly beautiful to look at here. 

We finished our hand crafted cocktails and were ready for some fresh air and trip to our next destination. Stay tuned for Part II of this post tomorrow. Drop me a line below and let me know what you think of the first two places. I would also love to hear about your favorite underground bar in the event that I am in your city soon. Leave me a comment below and recommend a place :)