WHERE TO DRINK IN MONACO: THE BARS THAT MATTER

The Hôtel de Paris has been standing on Casino Square since 1864. The Bar Américain has been serving cocktails inside it for almost as long. It is, by any measure, one of the great hotel bars in the world -- not because of the view (though the view of the Casino is excellent), not because of the prices (which are what you would expect), but because of the atmosphere. This is a bar that has been doing the same thing, in the same room, for over a century. The marble counter is original. The brass fittings are original. The barmen know what they are doing.

The house martini is made with Noilly Prat vermouth and a gin of your choosing, stirred to the correct temperature, served in a coupe glass with a single olive. It is not the most innovative cocktail you will ever drink. It is, however, the most correct. The Negroni is similarly impeccable -- Campari, sweet vermouth, gin, stirred, orange peel expressed over the glass. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The Bar Américain is the kind of place where you dress for dinner and mean it. It is also the kind of place where, if you arrive at 6pm and order a martini, you will still be there at 9pm, and you will not have noticed the time passing.

The Blue Gin is Monaco's answer to the question: what if a cocktail bar had a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean? The answer is: it would be very good, and you would spend more time there than you planned.

The bar is part of the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, and its terrace extends over the water -- literally over the water, with the Mediterranean below and the Riviera coastline stretching in both directions. In summer, this is one of the finest places to drink in Europe. In winter, the enclosed bar is warm and intimate, with a cocktail list that leans heavily on gin (as the name suggests) and Mediterranean botanicals.

The signature cocktail is the Blue Gin Spritz -- house-infused gin with Mediterranean herbs, prosecco, and a sprig of rosemary. It is better than it sounds. The gin selection is extensive -- over 80 varieties -- and the barmen are knowledgeable enough to recommend something specific rather than just pointing at the shelf.

COYA is a Peruvian restaurant and bar that has no business being this good in Monaco, and yet here we are. The cocktail programme is built around pisco -- the Peruvian grape brandy that is the basis for the Pisco Sour, one of the great cocktails of the world -- and the results are consistently excellent.

The Pisco Sour at COYA is made correctly: pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, Angostura bitters. It is shaken hard, served cold, and arrives with a foam cap that holds the bitters pattern for long enough to admire before drinking. The Chilcano -- pisco, ginger beer, lime, Angostura -- is equally good, and more appropriate for a warm evening on the terrace.

The food is also worth noting. The ceviche is excellent. The tiradito is better. But you are here for the cocktails, and the cocktails are the reason to come.

The Café de Paris is not a cocktail bar. It is a brasserie -- a large, loud, tourist-heavy brasserie on Casino Square that has been there since 1882. It is also, despite all of this, worth visiting.

The reason is simple: the location. Sitting on the terrace of the Café de Paris, with a glass of rosé and a croque monsieur, watching the Ferraris and Lamborghinis circle Casino Square, is one of the essential Monaco experiences. It is not subtle. It is not cheap. It is, however, exactly what Monaco looks like, and you should see it at least once.

The coffee is good -- a proper Italian-style espresso, served in a small cup with a piece of dark chocolate. The rosé is cold. The people-watching is world-class.