The Grand Prix / Four Seasons George-V

We know you, secret admirers of luxurious drinks, always on the lookout for a new discovery in the  less explored world of top-end bars. Unfortunately, hotel bars, even if the word hotel itself is a synonym for luxury and style, can sometimes leave much to be desired. Of course, exceptions exist, and that’s where things become much more interesting. We’ve decided to highlight some of the greatest hotel bars in the world, starting with a tour of the famed George-V bar at the Four Seasons Paris.  

Built in 1928 by André Terrail, owner of the world-famous restaurant La Tour d’Argent, the Four Seasons George-V Hotel is one of the most prestigious hotels on the planet. The bar is a feast for the eye: beautiful antique furniture, soft lighting, an atmosphere that makes you want to linger for hours imagining nightlife in 1930’s-era Paris. The bar crew are really welcoming and friendly, lead by Gildas Lambert, 33, who’s been working at the George-V as Bar Intendant for the past seven years. This smiley young man almost didn’t get into bartending at all. “After high school, I started a career as a professional skateboarder”, he recalls. As he realized that this part of his life would only be brief and might well be full of injuries, he decided to keep searching. “I was working at an organic grocery store, and one of our regular customers told me that her husband might have a job for me. She told me that he had a restaurant, and I ended up working at the Intercontinental Hotel (now the Westin). He gave me a chance to work, I started at the bar and I fell in love with it!”
  
Working in the world of luxury, with customers “that are very aware and well informed about cocktails” is a constant challenge. That’s the reason why the George-V’s bar menu changes frequently. Every six months, half of the menu disappears and his replaced by a whole new selection of homemade cocktails. “We choose a theme – right now, it’s Japan – and we create a series of cocktails based on it”, he explains. A small part of the menu evolves on a daily basis with cocktails based on rare products. The day we stopped by the bar, the menu offered vodka infused with Iranian caviar (230€ for 5cl!). “If we sell everything today, it will change tomorrow,” Gildas says.  Even if the menu is exclusively built around exotic creations it doesn’t mean that the bar crew can’t serve you a properly made classic drink. “A few years ago, we made a study and realized that we’re able to do between 300 and 400 cocktails”. Some of them have been created with the help of famous customers. The Pink Pearl, for example, was invented by Kylie Minogue, with a little help from Gildas. It’s a sweet cocktail made of vodka, fresh lime juice, cranberry juice, yellow Chartreuse and crème de pêche.  

For this time of the year, Gildas recommends a hot cocktail. He confides us that he and his team are working on a rum-based drink infused with pineapple. It hasn’t been named yet, but we’ll sure give it a try as soon as it hits the menu. And should they choose Havana Club as its base, we won’t argue…  

Photos courtesy of Four Seasons / Used with permission