In Memoriam: Forest Collins

 
In Memoriam: Forest Collins

By Allison Zinder and Emily Monaco

On a still and frigid day in January, the Père Lachaise cemetery’s crematorium in Paris greeted a crowd, all coming to bid a final farewell to Forest Collins, much-loved member of the food and drinks community in France.

Shortly after her move to Paris in 2001, Forest began relentlessly promoting the burgeoning cocktail scene via her blog, 52 Martinis. The most widely consulted English language blog and online guide to Paris’ cocktail bars, 52 Martinis established Forest as the foremost authority on the Parisian mixology scene. From there, she went on to launch the podcast Paris Cocktail Talk on World Radio Paris. Her interviews with industry professionals once again confirmed Forest’s status as an expert in the field, and she was quoted and/or interviewed for such illustrious journals as the London Financial Times, UK Sunday Times, Le Figaro, The New York Times, and L’Express. She was also named Academy Chair for France for the World’s 50 Best Bars. Forest gained further prominence in the cocktail world by writing for Serious Eats, Drinks International, Rumporter, and Drinks International. In 2023, her first book, Drink Like a Local: Paris – A Field Guide to Paris’ Best Bars, was published.

Often described as a force of nature, Forest was born in Sweetwater, Texas, but throughout her childhood, she moved with her family to England, Washington State, and Hawaii, before finally making Seattle her home during her college years. She moved to Europe in the late ’90s, finally settling on Paris after stints in Prague and Annecy, France.

Forest’s natural talents included a well-developed sense of hospitality and an ability to gather people around a common cause. Forest’s attention to detail, intelligence, and often irreverent sense of humor gained her a loyal following of friends and colleagues, and her generosity of spirit and bon vivant attitude towards life itself made her a charismatic, captivating star of any room.

Emily Monaco, Allison Zinder and Forest Collins at the bar of Monsieur George. Photo credit: Jean Hwang Carrant

Forest’s warmth, wit, and indomitable spirit informed everything she did, from her job at UNESCO as part of the Global Ocean Observing System’s Management Team to her role as president of the France chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a philanthropic organization for women in the food and drinks industry. She was a consummate hostess, accomplished cook, and a magnet for creative, passionate, ambitious people. She leaves behind, far too soon, a legacy of like-minded people she effortlessly wove into a community of mentors and mentees, friends and colleagues.

Anyone who has encountered Forest will know that any words attempted to describe her fall short, but we feel certain she’d applaud our efforts (probably via a message riddled with voice-to-text SNAFUs) and invite us over for one of her house Old Fashioneds.

She will be sorely missed.

Lead photo credit : Forest Collins. Photo credit: Caroline Wyatt

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