In a country considered a wine capital, France’s cocktail culture has long played second fiddle. While Paris is home to institutions like Harry’s Bar (which claims to be Europe’s first cocktail bar) and the birthplace of classics like the Prohibition-era Boulevardier, the city’s cocktail scene historically hasn’t had the same edge as New York, London, or Singapore. Parisians preferred starting the evening with an apéritif like Provence-favorite pastis or French bitter Suze. The mentality shifted when Experimental Cocktail Club opened its doors in 2007, paving the way for a new generation of cocktail bars that have become as much a destination as the city’s most celebrated bistros. Not only are Parisian bars topping lists of the world’s best, they’re redefining the city’s cocktail and sparkling wine culture through nonalcoholic drinks that transcend the passé “mocktail” moniker.
“The city’s most exciting bars, Palace hotels, and restaurants are no longer treating nonalcoholic cocktails or sparkling wine as an afterthought but as a true extension of hospitality,” says Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger, co-founder of French Bloom, the first alcohol-free sparkling wine sold at Roland-Garros (the French Open), which is crafted in France from organic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. “In a city shaped by café culture, Champagne culture, and long aperitifs that turn into dinners, it actually makes perfect sense—Paris has always celebrated connection, conversation, and moderation through ritual rather than excess.”
Whether you’re toasting to tennis at Roland-Garros or plotting out your next Paris itinerary, here are Frerejean-Taittinger’s top picks on where to find the city’s most versatile nonalcoholic drinks, from haute hotels to speakeasy-style bars where ingredients are so fresh, they’re sourced from nearby farms.
Ritz Bar
“Ritz Bar has been an early pioneer in embracing a more modern vision of luxury hospitality for the next generation,” says Frerejean-Taittinger. “Their cocktail program this summer is a perfect example—many of the cocktails can be enjoyed with or without alcohol. Same name, same glass, same experience—you choose.” Anchored by a striking, zodiacal constellation-carved brass lantern, the circular bar is a more modern alternative to the hotel’s famed Bar Hemingway, a leather- and antler-adorned ode to the American writer who called the watering hole (and city) home. The cocktail menu blends astrology and biodynamics, with drinks revolving around cosmic rhythms. The nonalcoholic Racine is designed entirely around roots—ginger, vetiver, turmeric, liquorice—while the Feuille cocktail focuses solely on leaves, blending mint, blue spirulina, blackcurrant bud, aloe vera, and patchouli.
