Lulu White is South Pigalle's New Orleans cocktail bar, named for the legendary Storyville madam. It is among the most committed absinthe rooms in Europe and the rare Paris bar that has stayed serious without ever feeling precious.
The room itself is the size of a small Storyville parlour, all tile and marble and gas-lamp light. The cocktail programme runs along two lines: the New Orleans classics (Sazerac, Vieux Carré, Ramos Gin Fizz, Absinthe Frappé) and a rotating original list that uses absinthe in places you wouldn't expect. The bartenders are some of the most technically proficient in the city.
The Absinthe Frappé here is the benchmark serve. It is built slowly — three ounces of green absinthe, fresh mint, simple syrup, soda water, all whipped over crushed ice — and arrives looking exactly the way it should. The Ramos Gin Fizz takes the prescribed twelve minutes of shaking and earns the wait. Order either and you understand the bar's appetite for old work done correctly.
Lulu White is small enough that walk-ins on a weekday before nine usually find a seat. After that, expect to wait. The bar runs late by Paris standards and is one of the only places in South Pigalle still doing serious cocktail work past 1am.
Best time to visit: Weeknights early evening for a quiet seat at the counter; weekends require reservations. The room is at its best between 8pm and 11pm.
What to order
- 01
Absinthe Frappé
- 02
Sazerac
- 03
Ramos Gin Fizz
- 04
Vieux Carré
- 05
Death in the Afternoon