Bar Nouveau in Paris Is the No. 1 Bar in the World
"Opened to much fanfare in 2023 by Rémy Savage (of London’s A Bar with Shapes for a Name and Artesian) and cocktail duo Sara and Hadrien Moudoulaud (formerly of Little Red Door and Le Syndicat), this tiny two-level cocktail bar in Paris’s Marais packs a lot into a petite footprint. The street-level space is a sinuous, Art Nouveau–inspired room with a mirrored ceiling, bespoke light fixtures inspired by a 1948 Tapio Wirkkala vase, a marble-topped U-shaped bar that seats just 10, and a streamlined six-item rotating drink list focused on vintage bottlings and artisanal spirits. The venue also showcases the world’s largest private collection of antique Bimini glassware, whose nostalgic shapes and bright colors complement the overall aesthetic. Downstairs is a darker, intimate den with trellised plants and exposed brick where bartenders employ modern techniques and equipment—sometimes producing highly conceptual but never overworked cocktails (for example, a centrifuged vanilla-yogurt-and-peated-whiskey infusion used in a Smokey Ramos served with an oyster-shell spoon). Drinks can have delightfully different interpretations between floors: the same recipe may be presented as an effervescent, crystal-clear aperitif upstairs and as a richer, Martini-like creation downstairs, reflecting the dual personality of the venue." - Kara Newman
