The bar at the Ritz is all about the atmosphere and the setting; it's small but luxurious, intimate, with kind of an English-club vibe given by the wooden panels and the comfortable leather chairs. As the name says it very well, it celebrates Ernest Hemingway ad you can feel his presence everywhere from the rows of newspapers and books on the shelves to the photos on the walls. Story is Hemingway and a group of American soldiers arrived here in 1944, "freed" the Ritz from Germans and celebrated by ordering a round of 51 dry martinis.

Head barman Colin Field presides over the most sophisticated cocktails in Paris. He prides in being able to prepare drinks suited to the mood of the client and being the inventor of the Ritz Side Car, the most expensive cocktail in the world, a 400-euro concoction made with pre-phylloxera cognac.

Hotel Ritz, 15 Place Vendôme, Paris
Tel: 01-43-16-30-30
http://www.ritzparis.com