Bar 1802 inside Hotel Monte Cristo features France’s largest rum collection along with some of Paris’ best rum cocktails.
Located inside Paris’ Hotel Monte Cristo, Bar 1802 focuses on rum, rum lovers, and great cocktails made with it. The bar offers France’s largest variety of rums, making it a truly unique option, even in a city filled with a variety of distinct options. Its focus on sustainability, finds the bar using every product to its very end, recycling, and composting.
Situated in the heart of Paris’ 5th arrondissement (aka the Latin Quarter), the space itself features an almost island-like feel where wood and lush greenery fill the space, without succumbing to tiki bar vibes. Instead, the bar is a 5-star experience from design to menu. The cocktails themselves celebrate the places where the rums inside come from, helping to make Bar 1802 a must-stop for any rum lover.
Bar Manager Donovan Chouari tells us…
Please describe Bar 1802 as if you’re explaining the experience of walking through the doors and ordering your first drink.
When you enter the Bar 1802, you instantly feel good, sitting on cosy velvet couches and seats. You get hit with a smooth dim light and a warm welcome. Then, you look around and get amazed by the impressive amount of rum bottles all around you. ( We very recently passed the 1300 bottles mark ). Music varies from spanish Caribbean kind of mood to old school hip-hop songs during the night,
One of the bar members will then bring you some water and a menu, explaining to you in detail the concept behind it.
How would you describe Bar 1802 in a three-word text to a friend that you’re trying to convince to join you?
Other than Le 1802, what else is happening in the neighborhood that you’re in?
Aside from Happy Hour, when is the best time to get to the bar?
Best times to come in probably are either early in the night for a quick cocktail before dinner, or right after dinner for a cocktail or the best digestive there is, a delicious glass of rum!
Describe the average drinkers that you serve?
Talking about our guests, it really depends. We have hotel guests that just happens to come in for a drink because they are staying here, and they don’t know about the bar’s “fame”; we have avid Parisian cocktail drinkers, that go to a plethora of the amazing bars the city has to offer; and we’ve got rum connoisseurs who comes in order to taste some great rums that you can’t find anywhere else, and get our recommendations.
Please tell us more about your drinks menu.
Our menu “Origines” comes from the idea to really follow the sugarcane path geographically and historically, travelling from continent to continent and really focusing on different countries growing sugarcane, and therefore producing rums.
To do so, on every page you’ll find a continent (starting with Asia, since sugarcane was domesticated around 4000 years ago in Papouasie (aka Papua New Guinea)) that we will be working with in three ways:
- Cocktails -> that are all named after a country, in which we only use rums produced in the mentioned country in pairing with local flavors and products.
- Rum Tasting Plate -> Four half doses of rums that we selected, from the same continent, made in different ways, and, of course, with different tastes. The idea really is to teach non-rum drinkers how to properly taste the spirit, teach them where each product comes from / how it is made / tasting notes and show them that even on the same continent you’ll find a wide range of products and flavors.
- Food -> One plate per continent, made by the hotel’s restaurant, that is meant to be shared and was designed to be in pairing with cocktails of the same page. But of course you can mix it up! (shout-out to our dessert, the best Rum Baba in Paris, obviously).
What’s your signature drink–or your favorite drink currently on the menu–and why should I order it?
One of our signatures is the Antilles Française, French Indies in English.
How much do drinks cost?
Cocktails cost between 15 and 17€, barrel-aged ones are between 19 and 34€ and food is between 8 and 15€ per plate.
All the rums we have are available by the glass, starting at 15€ and reaching up to 700€. (everything is available for half a dose as well, just divide the price by two).
Is there anything to eat? If so – what’s your favorite dish on the menu?
One plate per continent, made by the hotel’s restaurant, that is meant to be shared and was designed to be in pairing with cocktails of the same page. But of course you can mix it up! (shout-out to our dessert, the best Rum Baba in Paris, obviously).
What are the distinguishing features of Bar 1802?
There is no Rum List, since there are so many, and considering the fact that we get new ones nearly everyday, we empty some at the same rate, it’d be hard to keep track of everything on paper. All the bar members know our current stock and products, and are here to help you find the perfect rum based on your criteria (region, style, tasting notes, price range, etc). And we ALWAYS let you try it before choosing, just like a sommelier would do when opening a wine bottle.
Beside this, by making a reservation via our website, we also provide a number of more complex masterclasses and rum tastings, in which a barcrew member will go as deep as possible in the explanations of everything.
Aside from the menu and rum tasting, Bar 1802 also distinguishes itself for its event program, including guests with bars among the world’s pinnacle or special nights with rum Brands ( our new “Craft Your Journey” series starting on March 28th, monthly event during which we will focus on a territory, including local music, gastronomy, culture and craftsmanship in order to show their terroir to everyone. We’ll be making special cocktails for the night, special local food of the country showcased, unique playlist with local songs and so on )
Last feature that is pretty much unique worldwide, the Bar 1802 directly makes partnerships with rum distilleries or independent bottlers. Partnerships during which we will go into their cellar and taste rums straight from the casks. If we find something that we really enjoy, the cask is emptied and bottled, resulting in an amount of bottles with a unique label featuring our bar logo, that will only be available by the glass or by the bottle at the bar. These rums ONLY exist in Bar 1802, since they were chosen by us, for us.
We release such Cuvées approximately once every 1.5/2 months.
What’s that music we hear playing on the Bar 1802 stereo?
Hours:
Monday–Sunday: 3pm to 1am
Cocktails begin at 6pm.
Reservations:
For reservations, head directly to the website.
Website:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bar1802_paris
Address:
22 Rue Pascal, 75005 Paris, France
Map: