Clandestino: cocktail bar and speakeasy in the heart of Paris - permanently closed

Fancy a cocktail evening off the beaten track? Let us take you on a tour of Clandestino, a cocktail bar offering original creations accompanied by gourmet tapas. The icing on the cake is a speakeasy in the basement!

Looking for a gourmet aperitif with tasty cocktails and irresistible tapas? We're taking you to a Parisian bar that could well delight your taste buds! Welcome to Clandestino.

Nestled in the Haut-Marais district, a stone's throw from Rue de Bretagne, this favorite cocktail bar welcomes you for tasty aperitifs. Upstairs, you'll discover a trendy decor, with skateboards on the ceiling, crates behind the bar, and raw materials. And if you venture into the basement, you'll discover a cosy lounge with comfortable sofas under the subdued light of candles and Tiffany lamps: the Clandestino speakeasy. A little bonus: it can be privatized!

Two rooms, two atmospheres. And a bar for everyone. The two barmaids at Le Clandestino each have their own particular universe that deserves to be discovered. The barmaid in charge of the speakeasy cut her teeth in London, and her experience has given her a pronounced taste for gourmet cocktails with whimsical dressings.

Upstairs, the genius of shakers is Juliette. Of Corsican and Turkish origin, she honed her craft in Greece and takes great pleasure in pleasantly surprising us by bringing forgotten or even little-known spirits back into fashion. Both can improvise cocktails to suit your tastes and desires. But believe us, it's better to trust them and let themselves be drawn into their respective worlds.

For us, she imagines a fruity first cocktail with Tequila, Luxardo, Morello cherry syrup and fresh basil, ideal for prolonging the spirit of the fine weather. The second, more smoky and tangy, is made with Pisco, lemon juice, tobacco liqueur and fresh orange, enough to awaken the taste buds. Here, most of the syrups and juices are homemade, and Juliette doesn't hesitate to shake her cocktails with fresh fruit or fruit peel, depending on her inspiration, to guarantee maximum natural flavor.

Then, when we gave her carte blanche, Juliette chose to surprise us with a very herbaceous cocktail based on Gin made in Pastis, orgeat syrup, lemon juice and suze, and a second, rounder, more gourmand cocktail composed of grapefruit juice, fresh mint, pink lillet and tequila. Right on target, we loved it.

Delicious cocktails that deserve equally tasty tapas. Fortunately, with Benjamin, the bar's chef and co-founder, we're in good hands. The menu is all homemade, with seemingly simple yet effective recipes.

The runny perfect egg is combined with a chorizo cream and a second of artichoke, and is a real crowd-pleaser. The tuna tataki literally melts in your mouth, as do the carrots and the delicious stuffed piquillos topped with pesto.