Paris Planning & Cocktail Recipes!

I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since my birthday in Paris, that also sadly, means it’s been 6 months since the awful terrorist attacks that were caught up in at the time. As our first Paris trip was a bit of a disaster to say the least, finally the time has come to start planning to go back and visit all the places we missed out last time. When we visited, understandably, everything was closed, so once we knew we were safe to walk the streets again (we hid in our hotel room until it was safe to leave) we walked around the empty streets, with the shops closed and barricaded behind their metal shutters, I didn’t feel I got to see the real Paris at all. (You can read all about our experience in Paris during the terrorist attacks here)

I can’t wait to go back soon and see everything people talk about, the sparkling light show on the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa and to try macarons and pastries from Ladurée. We also need to book to go back to the Moulin Rouge – which was my surprise 30th birthday present. Vee had lined up such a special night, which was the most romantic gesture anyone has ever done for me, it was a real shame we didn’t get to go, but at least we were safe. Instead we sat in our hotel room, (literally metres from the Moulin Rouge!) in our pajamas and watched the Moulin Rouge movie on the iPad which was a sweet alternative but not what I expected to do on the night of my 30th! One day we’ll go back and I will get to wear my gorgeous sparkling necklace she bought me for the night.

So, I’ve been spending many an evening recently, with a Gin & Tonic in one hand and a notebook in the other, avidly scribbling down things we could see and do on the next trip. One of the most helpful sites I’ve found so far for planning our return visit (which will be a SPECIAL one!) is The Times Insider City Guides – this has everything you need about the city and more, whatever your tastes are. I’ve also been consulting my oracle for all inspiration – Pinterest, which is fab too, of course. Although I could chat about Paris all day, for this post I want to focus on one point and that’s COCKTAILS.

No city break would be complete without a few amazing cocktails so I’ve been planning some unique and chic cocktail bars I want to check out next time we are in the city. Two places on my list for a visit are the secret cocktail den, L’entree des Artistes which is apparently where the likes of Scarlett Johanssen and Natalie Portman hang out and Le Perchoir as everyone needs to visit a rooftop bar when in a beautiful city like Paris. I’m sure there will be plenty more cocktail spots across the city to discover along the way too.

As I was plotting my Paris cocktail extravaganza, I was excited to see this collection of cocktail recipes created by JJ Goodman of the London Cocktail Club. He is a high-profile mixologist and from these videos, he certainly knows his drinks. Inspired by The Times feature, Six Coolest Bars in Paris, he’s created some Parisian cocktails and some handy videos to show us how to make them. I thought I’d share a couple of my favourites, to get us in the mood for some Parisian cocktails!