A new, discreet cocktail bar has opened its doors in Paris and left us with a good taste in our mouths. Here, the recipe for Lone Palm :
-1 part old-fashioned American charm mixed with modern Parisian class
-Vintage music stock composed of all-vinyl records seasoned with 50s and 60s laid-back surf tunes, jazz-riffed beats and classic oldies (Ã la Chet Baker or Sinatra)
-A measured dose of Polynesian-spiced décor (Palm-tree printed lampshades, wraparound aqua blue lit tiled bar)
-13 carefully crafted exotic cocktails (half original creations, half classics)
-3 bottled exports (Red Stripe, Anchor Steam, Hop Ottin’ IPA)
-A pinch of David Lynch-inspired surroundings
-Equal parts top-quality vodka, rum, whisky, tequila and gin
Shaken, not stirred, the combined ingredients are served in a dimly lit, 1950s retromodern setting (conceptualized by artist Olivier Chiron) that will take you from Paris to Palm Springs in a single gulp.
Concocted by Benoit and Cédric (also of Le Tiki Lounge, their first boozy venture with a Neo-Hawaiian theme), the Lone Palm is a welcome exception among all the other stuffier, slightly more expensive bars à cocktails crowding Paname these days.
Drink prices cap off at 10 euros and drop to 7 for all cocktails during the 6 to 8 pm Happy Hour. That’s a rare gift in a place that uses the same ingredients and liquors as its Parisian counterparts charging the minimum 12 euros a pop.
We recommend the signature Lone Palm, made with a Beefeater gin base that’s brought out by notes of dill, cucumber and lemon zest and enriched with Thai basil syrup, lime juice and a splash of old Jamaican ginger beer.
Or sip on the Salton Sea, a damn good spicy mélange of red pepper and cilantro-infused El Jimador tequila, exotic syrups, lime juice and green tabasco sauce, served in a salt-rimmed Martini glass.
The friendly, plaid-clad barmen put just as much effort and care into the traditional selection of drinks as they do into the invented creations, so should you have a taste for a classic Bloody Mary or Dirty Martini, by all means, drink up.
Located on rue Keller, away from the other ghetto touristy areas of Bastille, Lone Palm is the kind of place where you could take your coworker, girlfriend, boyfriend, new fling, best friend or even your classy Grandpa. Pull up a few stools at the bar or one of the perimeter wall coves. Or if conversation calls for quieter, cozier conditions, get there early enough to snag one of the two booths in back.
If you’ve ever felt like you were born in the wrong era and periodically daydream of Palm Springs or Miami Beach circa 1950, break out your best comb over, stock up on Lucky Strikes, and saunter on over to Lone Palm the next time you need a stiff drink.
Warning label : Booze responsibly. As for the doe-eyed Betty’s at the bar and nostalgic beats in the background ? Not to be consumed in moderation.
Lone Palm
21 rue Keller
75011 Paris
Métro : Bastille, Voltaire
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6 pm to 2 am
Prices : Cocktails (7 to 10 euros; all at 7 euros during happy hours from 6 to 8 pm), wine (4,5 euros/glass, 21 euros/bottle) bottled import beers (6 euros), Amstel draft (3 euros/demi, 5 euros/pint), Murphyâ’s red (4 euros/demi, 7 euros/pint)
Phone : 01 48 06 03 95
Website : http://lonepalm.fr
Article : Stéphanie Holmes
