World's best bartender Jennifer Le Nechet's favorite bars

When it comes to cocktails, it's hard to believe that food-centric Paris used to be a beverage backwater.

Yet until a decade ago, you'd have to look hard to find an original craft cocktail in the capital feted for its wine and cuisine. Coq au vin, or mouthwatering filet de bœuf rôti, washed down with a glass of fine Burgundy: mais oui! But a real craft cocktail? The scene was decidedly parched.

But the times they are a changing.

Now you can take your pick of cool cocktail dens in the City of Light, as ambitious bartenders get creative with freshly sourced ingredients, rethinking traditional drinks and sometimes resurrecting the French spirits of yesteryear. (Think Bénédictine, Chartreuse and Suze, a 19th-century aperitif made with gentian, a bitter-tasting plant that grows in the mountains of the Jura.)

In a testament to how far Paris has come, the world's current cocktail champion -- as determined at the annual World Class competition -- is Paris-based Jennifer Le Nechet.

The prestigious event convenes the top bartenders from 56 countries, and for the first time in its history, a French bartender clinched the title of "World's Best Bartender" in September 2016.

Le Nechet also is the first female bartender to garner this award. No small feat considering nearly 10,000 bartenders entered the competition.

Jennifer Le Nechet created a steampunk-themed bar as part of the World Class competition.

Held at the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami, the international championship was a four-day series of intense challenges to winnow down the contestants to just six finalists.

When asked to dream up three "cocktails of tomorrow," Le Nechet focused on environmental sustainability: one concocted without ice or water to highlight the alarming state of the oceans; the second, made with hot gin and water vapor in a French press, referred to global warming; the third, sounding the alarm about soil pollution, recreated the scent of the forest after a rainstorm.

The six finalists had 24 hours to open their own pop-up bar, working with the same limited budget to envision the décor and ambiance.

While the other finalists rented equipment from a shop specializing in film sets, Jennifer and her team hit Target and Home Depot to source materials for her steampunk-themed bar.

"I wanted to recreate an old Paris metro station, and we picked up some household hardware materials to make 'train tracks' on the floor of the bar."

On the plane from Paris, she also lugged homemade syrups, bitters and colas -- painstakingly padded with bubblewrap. (Her three-person team helped with the 14 pieces of luggage.)