Who's Who

Colin (Shep) Shepherd from the Pure Malt, Paris

This month’s Who’s Who is Colin (Shep) Shepherd - Proprietor, Manager, Barman, and Karaoke Singer at the Pure Malt. The small Scottish Pub with the Big Heart...

• Funky Paris: Hi Shep, tell us why you came to Paris?
• Shep: In 2001 I was working in London at the BBC, and when my contract came up for renewal I decided I needed a change. It was a toss-up between Paris & Amsterdam - Paris lost and I’ve been here ever since.
• Funky Paris: What are the best & worst things about living in Paris?
• Shep: Best - there’s always something to do, see, eat, drink etc. You’re only bored here if you want to be.
• Shep: Worst - taxi drivers, the price of English books, the inability to find a decent curry, Parisians ambivalence towards sport and taxi drivers.
• Funky Paris: What do you miss most about Scotland?
• Shep: A steak pie & chips with a fish cake and a pickled egg. I also miss Scottish Girls (there is something very refreshing about a no bullshit approach).
• Funky Paris: What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen in Paris?
• Shep: Raymond Domenech.
• Funky Paris: What’s the best & worst thing about running a bar?
• Shep: Best - I’ve met some great people from all over the world, many of whom I’ve stayed in touch with.
• Shep: Worst - even when I do get some time out its difficult to switch off completely.
• Funky Paris: Where do you go to eat & drink when not working?
• Shep: The Great Canadian, a cool bar owned by my mate Mark. For food, Higuma (Rue Ste Anne) for gyozas, BIA for great burgers & Sugarplum Cake Shop for coffee & comfort food.
• Funky Paris: They say that in a bar you should never talk about religion or politics. How would you define yourself?
• Shep: An atheist, liberal and a firm believer in letting people live the way they want to.
• Funky Paris: What is your current marital status?
• Shep: Single. Open to suggestions.
• Funky Paris: What’s your favorite movie & your favorite book?
• Shep: Too many come to mind. I’d say John Ford’s The Searchers (or Quiet Man) and 100 Yrs Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez).
• Funky Paris: What are your best & worst sporting memories?
• Shep: Aberdeen winning the Winners Cup v Real Madrid in 83, followed by Scotland beating France at Parc de Prince in 2008. Lows? Every time Scotland blows another major championship qualifying campaign.
• Funky Paris: If you could invite anybody, living or dead, to your dinner party, who would it be?
• Shep: Hemingway, Marvin Gaye, Frank and Dean, Audrey Hepburn and my granny and granddad.
• Funky Paris: Finally, why should our readers visit The Pure Malt?
• Shep: The Pure Malt was the 1st bar I drank in in Paris 9yrs ago. It was, and still is, a little part of Scotland in a wee corner of Paris. I’ve met so many cool people here as the small size encourages you to talk to your neighbor. On that first night I met Dave who’s been my mate ever since. In September I’m of to Spain to see him marry his partner Eric. That’s the kind of place this is. If you get that then please come along. We’d love to see you.


The Pure Malt
4 Rue Caron
75004 Paris.
Metro Saint Paul (Line 1)