Cocktails on the Cote D'azur - The French Riviera

Cocktails on the Cote D’Azur. Just saying it makes your mouth water. The French are not famous as cocktail drinkers, but there are two places in France that contradict this: Paris and the French Riviera or Cote D”azur. Possibly because of the high number of well-to-do French and foreign tourists. Parisians like to think of themselves as far more sophisticated than the rest of the country, mixed cocktails go hand in hand with this view of themselves and many have second homes on the Cote D’Azur.

The Cote D’Azur is possibly the most expensive place in France to buy a drink and cocktails costing hundreds of dollars are not uncommon. During busy times, Jimmyz bar in Monte Carlo will not let you sit at a table unless you buy a bottle of wine or spirits and prices start at $400. Although the view is good, the chances of bumping into a celebrity is what most people come for. But Jimmyz is well past it’s heyday and there are far better places to try. For my money, the chocolate Martinis at the Colombus are worth a trip, but this is more of an indoor bar and everyone wants to sit outside and do a little people watching in Monaco so Columbus is probably best visited during the winter.

So where are the best places to enjoy a cocktail on the French Riviera?

If you are drinking almost anywhere in Monaco be prepared to spend some serious money. The only exception is Stars ‘N’ Bars, an American themed sports bar, where the cocktails go for around $20, although a soft drink will set you back about $7. It boasts widescreen TVs and a fairly good view from the terrace. If you’re feeling a little homesick and in need of a Margarita, this is the place for you. Zebra square has arguably the best view over the harbor and serves a great vodka martini, but the service is spotty, depending on whether you have an “in” with the staff or how busy they are. It helps to be a pretty, young female. You need to book a seat on the terrace after about ten p.m. The square outside the casino is good for people watching. For Piano bars, the Sass café on the Avenue Princess Grace offers something a little different. The piano bar is good for a late night tipple and there’s a great party atmosphere.

Cannes has probably more bars per square meter than any other town on the coast and is rightly famous for it’s nightlife. “La Croisette” is the famous stretch of beach front where many of the cocktail bars are situated. Le Festival, on the beach offers a beautiful wood and leather covered bar with an enormous terrace on which to sit and watch the sun go down. Compared to Monte Carlo, the prices are positively cheap; a typical cocktail runs from $8 to $15, but the champagne cocktails are to be recommended, particularly their Singapore sling. 72 (named for it’s address) is another favorite on La Croisette, with a perfect people watching terrace directly opposite one of the most popular beaches in Cannes. During the summer it stays open until four in the morning seven days a week and is perfectly placed for an aperitif before enjoying some of the other dozens of bars around. No night spot is complete without a standard-issue Irish bar, and Cannes has a selection; Morrison’s, a couple of blocks in from the beach front is a good one. They serve a great pint of Guinness, but don’t expect any fancy cocktails; live music, shouted conversations and English football on the TV are the order of the day here. The nightlife in Cannes tends to start late and go on a long time, so it’s probably best to start your evening no earlier than nine o’clock.

It’s not possible to think of the south of France nightlife without thinking of St.Tropez. The VIP room and the Papagayo Club in are two of the most famous and expensive nightclubs in the world and the guest list reads like a who’s who of the movie and music world. If you want to go celebrity watching, these are the places to go, although the local security firms will make sure the watchers keep their distance. Once again, be prepared to spend a lot of money. For cocktails and people watching, the Café de Paris on the port is excellent, with a wonderful old-fashioned zinc bar. It is almost always busy, with a lively crowd. Take a seat on the Terrace, order a drink, sit back and count the Ferraris parked outside, or watch the semi-naked girls playing in the bay.

If you are looking for something a little quieter, possibly the best cocktails on the entire south coast are to be had just a few minutes boat ride away at Le Beauvallon. A shuttle boat runs regularly across the bay from St Tropez. The beach bar of Le Beauvallon offers a stunning view of St Tropez and serves the best Daiqiri or Margarita for miles.

Combined with the view, a spectacular deck and service to kill for, Le Beauvallon is arguably the best place to enjoy a cocktail on the Cote D’Azur. The Hotel St Charles in Juan les Pins has an interesting seventies-style cocktail bar designed by Per Aase, but is to be avoided at the weekend if you are looking for a quiet drink; the resident DJs turn up the heat on Friday and Saturday nights. And do not expect to see much in the way of plus size swimwear on the beaches.

Antibes has hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, but a favorite watering hole is Extreme. Great beers, good cocktails and an impressive snack menu, in the heart of Antibes. Once again, there are so many other places around, you’ll be spoilt for choice.Just don't expect to be able to buy any Inexpensive cocktail dresses.

Further inland the night life tends to start a little earlier and be a little less frenetic. Le Café du Moulin in Vallauris offers live music in a restored old olive millhouse. No cocktails, but a good selection of beer and wines accompanied by authentic French or Gipsy music. The café Brun in Biot also offer live music on selected nights, but one of the attractions of both Vallauris and Biot is the more authentic French feel and less touristy approach to service. You’ll be served just as though you were French.

The Cote D’Azur offers something in the way of a drinking venue for just about every taste. Traditional French, Algerian, Irish and English pubs, cocktails ranging in price from normal to “Oh my God, I can’t believe it was that much money.” Whether you are looking for a $6,000 bottle of champagne in a private club in Monaco, a pint of Guinness in a loud Irish pub, or a quiet cocktail watching the boats in the bay, you will be able to find it.