T+L gets cocktail tips from Colin Field, the best bartender in Paris.
Some say he’s telepathic. Walk into the Hôtel Ritz Paris’s legendary Bar Hemingway on any night, and head barman Colin Field will reveal his uncanny talent for divining what you’d like to order, be it a stiff Sidecar or a peach-nectar Bellini. “Being a bartender is all about communication,” Field says. Witty and gregarious, the expert mixologist has become synonymous with the bar itself, a lively Right Bank spot whose 90-year history of high-profile patrons includes Coco Chanel, Truman Capote, and Kate Moss (who happens to be one of Field’s closest pals). Born in Rugby, England, 80 miles north of London, Field had clear career goals from an early age: at 14, on his first trip to the City of Light, he knew he wanted to be the quintessential garçon. It’s been three decades since he moved to Paris, and Field has become something of a cultural ambassador for France, speaking French as rapidly and animatedly as he does English, and having traveled everywhere from Mumbai to Bratislava to share his expertise and promote the French ingredients he so obsessively sources for his own memorable concoctions, such as the Serendipiti—the drink he calls “France in a glass,” made with Calvados, champagne, and bittersweet apple juice. Still, he’s deeply rooted in the cozy Rue Cambon space he’s decorated with his collection of vintage gramophones and typewriters. Of a career that’s newly in vogue, Field says, “I’m in love with bartending. It’s a vocation—and a serious business.” Drinks for two $80.
Rule 1: The caliber of your cocktail is directly proportional to the quality of your alcohol: Take time to understand its origins.
Rule 2: Keep your drinks simple, with no more than three ingredients—one alcohol base, one perfuming agent, and one body.
Rule 3: You only need a shaker for fruit juice, eggs, syrup, or crème. When in doubt, use a mixing glass.
