Chloé is a bartender at Pas de Loup, Paris. She shows us 2 cocktails, one is rye whisky based and the other one is bourbon based
Chloé introduce yourself
Hi I’m Chloé and I’m a bartender at Pas de Loup, Paris. I am 21 years old and I have worked in bars for 2 years now. Originally, I didn’t think I would be a bartender, as I wanted to work with kids as a childcare assistant… but I missed the registration, so I had one year to wait. I began a one year bartending degree. Working in a bar was nice, but nothing more. During that year I worked at Papa Doble, a cocktail bar in Montpellier. There, with my boss Julien Escot and the bar manager Julien Lopez I really learnt about the job, the cocktail world, the spirits, the way to work and customer service. They really taught me about everything and I became passionate and fell in love with cocktail bars.
The classic you want to show us
A la Louisiane
30ml of Rye whisky
30ml of benedictine
30ml of red vermouth
4 dashes of peychaud bitter
3 dashes of absinthe
The bar or party you dream of
The way the bar looks when you enter, your first impression that’s an asset. After that, the bartenders are the soul of the place and of course the cocktails. With bad drinks, your party can’t be great. Then, it’s the ambiance, the music and who you are with. It’s the whole package.
The spirit you like the most
When I began to work in a bar, I used to love vodka. Sorry I know it’s a cliché, but it’s so easy to drink and to work with. Now I love gin. You can make everything with it, from a classic to a twist or a creation. Not everyone likes it, that can be an issue. That’s why I like to work on it, to change the flavour according to peoples tastes. It’s a challenge.
What makes a good cocktail and which product do you want to highlight at this moment
A good cocktail is just well balanced. Nothing more, nothing less.
I love Suze, even if it’s old school. But it’s difficult to make it tasty because of its bitterness.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Sale gosse
50ml of sesame bourbon infused
15ml of Suze
20ml of lemon
20ml of vanilla syrup
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender?
In France, of course Papa Doble in Montpellier, it’s a nice place with different kinds of cocktails, from easy drinks to more connoisseur ones. In Paris, two hotel bars, Bristol and Park Hyatt Vendôme. Not too posh, the bartenders are very friendly and you feel at home. Another style, the Copperbay in Paris, they make classics like a Rosé Pamplemousse, that is great. In London, I love the Nightjar, they are crazy. I’ve been lucky to make a two hours master class with Marian Beke. As well Artesian, another Palace hotel bar, but you just come as you are, you don’t have to be dressed up. The bartenders are very cool, the cocktails are unusual and amazing.