Monte Carlo is so beautiful at night, with the lights replacing the sun’s radiant glow, as they dot the night skyline with a beauty and sparkle like no other city. When it comes to nightlife, I love clubs, bars and all that jazz, but I also love refinement and that is what Monte Carlo gives you – the best of both.
Buddha Bar
First up I head to Buddha Bar, which has this lovely terrace overlooking the sea. Its a thing of pure beauty.
Unfortunately there is no space on the outside, so I head inside to the lounge, where I am seated in a beautiful plush setting. The seats and decor inside has beautiful mixed European and Oriental theme and the food and drinks menus for the lounge have a focus on sushi, sake and wonderful fusion dishes. There is a restaurant upstairs the ambience makes you feel like you’re in Hong Kong.
The host that looks after me is amazing. She doesn’t live in Monaco, but travels here for work. The service is amazing, she takes me through the cocktail menu and offers some lovely suggestions! and here they are…
Warsaw Mojito (Citron vert frais, menthe fraîche, elderflowers, vodka, jus de pomme)
A refreshing cocktail perfect for the European summer, with the fresh taste of lime, the beautiful floral taste of the elderflowers, vodka to dull the senses and sugar to give a lovely energy boost to kick-off the evening.
Oh my Dog (Citron vert frais, pama, gin infuse poivre blanc, sirop framboise – rose, limonade)
The drink mixes the lovely citrus flavours of the lime and lemonade, with the fresh juicy sweetness of the raspberry and the botanical notes of the gin. The rush of raspberry flavours defines this drink. Its such a lovely drink to dull the senses and sip on recline on the plush sofa.
Electric Daiquiri (Sirop de sucre de canne, jus de citron vert, rhum brun infusé à la fleur de Séchuan)
This cocktail was chosen amidst much debate with the host. She need to choose something exotic and she settled on this. The interaction of the lime and Szechwan pepper catapults the cocktail on the pedestal of creativity. The uniqueness of the Szechwan pepper defines the drink, its unique aroma, the hints of lemon and of course the trademark tingly numbness of your tongue. It is a taste sensation. I love it.
I then finish up and decide to head off for a bit more Monte Carlo nightlife.
Le Bar Américain
I first came to this bar over eight years ago and remember the experience fondly. Its a beautiful jazz bar inside the Hotel de Paris.
I arrive and select a table outside and soak in the views of the ocean (not quite visible in the photo), and of course the beautiful stone railings and palm trees.
I decide to order some food and they tell me they only serve food inside. So I decide to venture in and select a comfortable table in the dimly lit bar and relax, enjoying the ambience and charm of this place. Its the best!
First a cocktail has got to be go here… I chose a cocktail to match the sunny Riviera and the charm of this Jazz Bar – The Golden Cinnamon (Vodka Elyx absolut, apple juice, fresh mint, cinnamon and Malibu).
The fruitiness of the apple, the refreshing mint flavour, spice and depth of the cinnamon, the coconut in the Malibu and of course the spice and crispness of the Absolut Elyx all combine to deliver a fresh, smooth, silky cocktail. It glides through the tongue with little bite and with full flavours interacting with every single taste bud along the way.
If you haven’t come across it before, Absolut Elyx is a premium single-batch vodka from Absolut. Every batch is produced in a hand-operated still in Sweden with maximum exposure to copper (they change the copper parts every batch to maximise the vodka’s exposure to the copper).
Feeling a little peckish (and lets face it I have already had four cocktails), I opt for the club sandwich.
We have a crusty toasted bread with soft jelly like boiled egg white and crumbly yolk, layered on top of succulent tender chicken pieces and tomatoes and lettuce with various sauces on the side. A lovely sandwich… typical for this sort of hotel – nothing beats the charm and comfort of a club sandwich at a hotel bar.
So there you have it… a sample of the Monte Carlo bar scene. There’s a whole lot more, so I better keep moving. Good night!
1 comment