Cantillon Brewery Tour
Bars
Blue Fox Budapest Bar Review
The Blue Fox is a hotel bar. I point this out because hotels are places where all kinds of people go. Including the kinds of people who would order a Cosmopolitan, or a Midori Sour. Which is all to say that from the get-go, hotel bars are a little bit hamstrung by the need to pander to a broad range of clientele used to sucking down syrupy abominations.
Does the Blue Fox succeed in rising above in the face of this adversity? Read on to find out.
Anonymous Bar Prague
When we heard there was an Anonymous themed bar making solid drinks in Prague, we knew we had to go.
Berlin Cocktails: Beckett’s Kopf
I keep wanting to call this place Beckett’s Kampf. Kampf means “struggle” (as made memorable by a certain infamous book). Kopf, on the other hand, means “head.” Here is the sign from Beckett’s Kopf. Maybe it will help me remember the distinction:
In my defense, Beckett looks like he’s been through a lot
Berlin Cocktails: Lost in Grub Street
Lost in Grub Street is a weird bar with a weird name in Berlin’s business district. It was literally empty when we got there at 8PM on a Saturday; the bartender had to follow us in (he was sitting outside). He blamed “weekends in the summer,” which to me seem like good times to be in the bar business, but maybe things are different in Berlin (?)
The theme of the bar is “big bowls and short drinks.” Being as how there are only two of us, we skipped the punch bowls.
Bonus points for the double-wide cocktail napkin to accommodate the palate cleansing water.
Le Syndicat Redux
We couldn’t help it; after the incredible drinks from our first trip, we went back for more at the best bar in Paris.
The C4. Now that’s my kind of breakfast.
Paris Bars VI: A La Française
This was one of our favorite spots in Paris. Unlike the other bars I’ve reviewed, A La Française operates on the traditional bistro model; outdoor cafe seating, a limited drink list, and full menu of delicious food. A second bar downstairs has a larger selection of bottles and stiffer drinks. I’ll cover it all.
Paris Bars V: Mabel
Rum is having a moment in Paris, and Mabel is at the center of it. I’ll get into the review in a moment, but first I have to rant a little about rum.
Paris Bars IV: Lulu White
The bar at Lulu White uses a pretty ring of old-timey Edison bulbs.
Lulu White is a really neat spot; they’re doing three things I’ve never seen from another cocktail bar.
The View Outside Google Paris
Nothing says “lighthearted megacorporation” like a wall of steel bars in bright primary colors