Article by Melissa Ladd

So you know I love love love the Hôtel Edouard 7. I got an eye popping tour of the rooms and suites topped with a fabulous dinner back in the fall of 2015. Well, Frank and I were back there in March, sipping cocktails off the brand spanking new Bar E7 menu. We were incredibly impressed with the cocktails of the head barman Paolo, but he has moved over to a cocktail bar in Paris, and the delightful Evangélie (Evy) Daumen has taken over with what would seem a little sprinkle of fairy dust! Her cocktail menu sparkles as much as it entices and epitomizes everything that this plush boutique hotel stands for, subtly cozy and stylish details. And I love the feminine touch behind a cocktail creation. So Parisian!

We were welcomed with the usual warmth that Lucile (Head Manager) offers when at Hotel Edouard 7 events.  It’s so lovely to be treated like friends and with such panache! There were lovely little bites to eat from the Bar E7 tapas menu, and we were invited to test the cocktails of our choosing.

I tested three of Evy’s creations, her first ever cocktail that she created  while working behind the bar at a prestigious Parisian palace hotel and was allowed to make only one personal drink per shift. It took her more than a few shifts to perfect her creation. The result is just delicious. Iced Grog (pictured above), dark rhum with bergamote liqueur, cane sugar syrup and lime with cloves and cinnamon served in a crystal tumbler glass. It was a delightful blend of cozy spices and sweetness with the juicy freshness of the lime was perfect for warming up on a dreary March evening.

But I was in love with her Edouard 7 signature creation, the S’heaven. Most champagne cocktails always seem so fruity and repetitive, but this one…had me at my first sip. Served in a champagne glass, a dried vanilla bean garnishes and flavors this drink as the bubbles of that French nectar rise and fizz sending that crème de mandarine flavor up your nose. You inhale the smell of this creamy vanilla champagne delight as you taste it’s sparkling sweetness. It’s so feminine, so luxurious, so pretty.

Last but by far not the least, Rhum Berries, was the cocktail that blew me away. It comes with dark rhum and Marasquin liquor, crème de cassis, raspberry juice and rhubarbe bitters spritzed on as a garnish served in a martini glass with a skewered raspberry. How to describe drinking it… I think I said, it’s like drinking haute couture, or something of sort. I was getting creative with my descriptions (after three pretty strong drinks). But it really was one of the silkiest, smoothest, most delicious cocktails I think I have ever EVER had.

But don’t take me word for it, go indulge at Hotel Edouard 7 and tell Evy I said hello.

Cheers!

HÔTEL EDOUARD 7 ****
39 Avenue de l’Opera  | 75002 Paris
Ligne 7. Pyramides      Ligne 8 & 3. Opéra