French Toast

You may not be aware of just how many cocktails were created in Paris — most of them during the Prohibition Era in the U.S. — but we do have the French to thank for the sidecar, the Bloody Mary, the French 75, and the mimosa. The staff of the Hotel Meurice, which has a gorgeous bar just off the Rue de Rivoli within walking distance of the Louvre Museum, came up with a lovely bubbly cocktail for the millennium that’s since become its signature drink. Sipped either in the bar or in the beautifully restored Jardin d’Hiver dining room, it is best appreciated if you’re wearing your new ensemble from Chanel or Saint Laurent and eating beluga caviar from silver spoons. Otherwise, you can just make it at home, sit in front of the fire, and watch a French soccer game on cable TV.