CLOSED | Mabel – For Rum Lovers, For Bar Lovers

10. June 2017

Mabel is still one of my favourite bars in Paris. My adventure last year was amazing. Warm welcome, perfect hospitality, rum as far as the eye can see and all seamlessly stitched together with an organic approach.

When I took my seat at the bar, I immediately remembered the perfect level of the bar counter and the super comfortable bar stools. They pay attention to every detail. The menu is easy to understand, the rum flights are a good opportunity to try different sorts of rum, and the freshly prepared grilled cheese sandwiches are the right bar food. The sumptuous and greasy sandwiches form a perfect contrast to the fine and delicate cocktails. The glassware is puristic, the ice cubes are clear and the ears are treated well. The place has a huge selection of rum and some people say that Joseph is one of the best bartenders in Paris.

But what makes a bar a really good one? A bar to fall in love with?

It is the heart and soul of a bar. Mabels heart and soul are Joseph and Samantha. They love what they do and you can feel it. The atmosphere is relaxed and the focus is on the drinking experience rather than the show behind the bar. This is exactly what I expect from a bar visit. I just want to recover from the daily routine. Reliability and quality are some more factors to make a bar special. I was already impressed on my first visit. The same high standard, the same high and sophisticated level of the drinks, and still the delicious grilled cheese sandwiches.

The menu has changed a bit. There are ten new drinks and ten old drinks have stayed. Each cocktail is inspired by a classic drink with one or more special ingredients like for example the homemade cola sirup, togarashi, fenugrec, that are mixtures of exotic spices. I tried so many drinks and all of them were perfectly balanced. I also like the fact that all drinks are described with two adjectives, that gives the main character of each drink.

I started the night with the Sombre Detune, I already had on my first visit. Dry & smoky character with well-chosen products. Firstly with a Santa Teresa Rum 1796 and secondly with a Whisky Compass Box Blend, that I haven’t seen in many bars before. I remembered the flavours as soon as I took my first sip. I go to so many bars and sometimes I am a bit bored by the unique flavour profils. This bar is really different for me. It was time for a second drink, „smoked & slightly acid“. The Safeword is based on a single malt whisky infused with toasted sesame oil, spiced with Génépi Intense (a kind of Chartreuse), Maraschino, fresh lemon juice, Spanish bitters and some black cumin. My last drink for the first night was the Blockbuster Daiquiri based on Rum Chairman’s Reserve with cola sirup made of Pedro Ximenez, some lime juice and popcorn bitters. On my next visit I had Yes We Cane, Lost in la Mancha and Nutty by Nature. Last one comes pre-bottled and is a kind of milk punch with clarified nut milk, refreshing coconut water, banana, spices and of course rum. I cannot say which one was the best because all of them are absofuckinlutly amazing.