Strangely, few Parisian bars have had the same idea as Moonshiner. The concept is simple and has been popular for a long time in London, New York and Berlin: the secret. Behind a telephone box, underneath a kebab shop or on the other side of Smeg fridge, these ‘speakeasy’ bars are inspired by the clandestine drinking spots of prohibition-era America, tucked away in odd places that the passing drinker would never discover if he didn’t already know it was there. The more hidden the bar, the better...
Born during the Prohibition era in 1920s America, the concept of the ‘speakeasy’ has endured much longer than anyone could have predicted. These mysterious yet glamorous hidden bars – normally accessed through weathered shop fronts, normal-seeming pizzerias or run-down launderettes – were originally envisioned as an outpost for illicit drinking, but have recently found a new 21st-century home in trendy European metropolises like Paris. Thanks largely to word of mouth, the concept has proven immensely popular with both in-the-know bobos and intrepid visitors craving a decent cocktail away from the tourist trail – often with the added bonus of glitzy dress codes, virtuosic jazz musicians and dazzling décors.
Think we’ve missed a great speakeasy in Paris? Let us know in the comments.