Article
What did people drink in bars in 1852? A history of 19th-century cocktails
15 May 2026 · By L'Univers Café
Punches, sours and juleps: when L'Univers Café opened, Nantes bars were already serving the ancestors of modern cocktails. A dive into the glasses of the 19th century.
The first bar mixes of the 19th century
When L'Univers Café opened its doors steps from Place Graslin in 1852, the word "cocktail" was still young. In bourgeois cafés and popular taverns alike, people drank absinthes, vermouths, orange liqueurs and local eaux-de-vie. The first American cocktail books, signed by Jerry Thomas, crossed the Atlantic and inspired European bartenders. In Nantes, an open port to the world, exotic spirits arrived by ship: Caribbean rum, London gin, Scotch whisky.
Sours, juleps and punches: ancestors of the modern menu
The Whisky Sour, Mint Julep, Tom Collins and Sherry Cobbler are among the great classics of the era. Many still appear today, in modernised forms, on our cocktail menu. These recipes share a simple logic: a spirit, a sugar, an acid, sometimes a bitter.
The living heritage of 1852 at L'Univers Café
That heritage still inspires our bartenders and our immersive nights, which revive the atmosphere of the great 19th-century bars. To drink a cocktail at L'Univers is to extend a conversation begun more than 170 years ago, in the same Graslin district.
To go further, discover our cocktail menu or the programming of our events.
Author: L'Univers Café