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CopperBay

Copper Bay from FB | parisbymouth.com

The bright, expansive bar at CopperBay is a nice antidote to the cramped, dark speakeasies that make up much of the Parisian cocktail scene. It’s unpretentious and accessible, from the perspective of pricing – cocktails start at 10, which is far lower than most other spots of comparable quality – and of service. Before ordering at the bar, clients are given a deck of cards as the menu. Each one explains a beverage and breaks down the ingredients and flavor profile into a pie chart. Servers are easygoing and attentive. They care about the presentation, potentially too much, and you may find yourself being served a cocktail inside of a plastic bag that roughly resembles a bouquet of flowers, but it’s fun.

A recent favorite during this chilly winter was the “Hot Butterhead” of fragrant calvados, rum, Velvet Falernum, and liberal chunks of still melting butter, served warm in a mug wearing its own woolly sweater. The drinks menu has a good selection of pastis in all its forms, classic drinks, and CopperBay’s own original creations which are complex, multilayered and memorable (even if in the case of some, like the cauliflower-banana rum cocktail, perhaps for the wrong reasons). By way of eats, there’s a small menu of impeccable if typical products (burrata, rillettes). Although CopperBay appears to have gone through a few soul searching iterations since opening in late 2014 – the vaguely nautical bar no longer brands itself as “Mermaids & Magic Potions” for example – it’s hitting its stride right now.


                                                                                — Catherine Down, January 2016

Practical information

Address: 5 rue Bouchardon, 75010
Nearest transport: Jacques Bonsergent (5), Strasbourg Saint-Denis (4, 8, 9)
Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday; Open Tuesday-Saturday 6pm-2am
Reservations: Reservations not accepted
Average price for dinner: 10-19€
Style of cuisine: cheese & charcuterie
Website   Facebook

Additional Images

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Reviews of interest

52 Martinis (2015) “For the food menu, they’re focusing on local vendors and turning out a menu of munchies comprising rustic breads, cheeses, meats or My Crazy Pop popcorn with flavors like Roquefort & nuts or wasabi & sesame.”

Le Figaro (2015) “«Il y a seulement douze cocktails (à 10 et 11 €) dont six cocktails signatures», précise Julien Lopez, orginaire de Montpellier. Parmi les créations, le Faluka, aux accents libanais relevés par un sirop de datte, ou encore le spectaculaire The Beast, à base d’infusion de graisse de viande fumée et bourbon. Pour accompagner les élixirs, des petites nourritures servies dans de jolies barquettes en bois. Les produits proviennent des commerçants du quartier (la charcuterie italienne de Capri Bazar, le pain au goût de châtaigne de Liberté). Mais ici aucune obligation: celui qui veut une mauresque (à 3 €) peut aussi passer une bonne soirée.”

Time Out (2015) “Le CopperBay: Mermaids & Magic Potions est un joli bar au design un peu froid, habillé de bois et tendu de cordages, une invitation à prendre la route du rhum mais aussi celles de la vodka, du gin ou du bourbon grâce aux savants mélanges secrets et étranges concoctés par Elfi, Julien et Aurélie (des maîtres en mixologie, tous déjà réputés et primés pour leurs compétences).”

World’s Best Bars (2015) “The tempting drinks menu features numerous classics as well as a small selection of house creations and the majority of drinks are at pocket-friendly prices (at least by Paris standards – around the 9€ mark). The Black Julep is a case in point, a creative and elegantly presented drink flavoured with fig extract and blackberry. It’s a real treat. There’s a good list of wine, beers and other aperitifs to choose from and they’ve more recently introduced an enticing food menu for those who want something tasty to pair with their cocktails.”

Paris Bouge (2015) “Copper Bay, immense, est décoré par les architectes et designers de RoWin’Atelier à la façon d’une cabine de bateau, avec beaucoup de bois, de cuivre, des cordages. Les grandes baies vitrées et les lumières bien dosées en font un endroit plutôt cosy, dans la calme rue Bouchardon: les trois créateurs des lieux, Elfi, Julien et Aurélie, tous bien expérimentés dans le milieu du bar et du cocktail, ont voulu une ambiance loin des habituels speakeasy trop sombres, mais plus proche d’un dépaysant apéro sur la plage.”

Photo via CopperBay’s Facebook page

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