Sullivan Doh : Le Syndicat (Paris)

sully

Sullivan is a bartender at Le Syndicat, Paris. He shows us 2 cocktails, one is cognac and dry curaçao based and the other one is eau de vie of citrus (cédrat) from Domaine Mavela in Corsica based

Sullivan introduce yourself
Hi I’m Sullivan, and I’m co-founder and bar manager at Le Syndicat, Paris. The bar opened less than a month ago. I studied at Ferrandi and used to work in haute cuisine. There is the same kind of view in the food industry, as the cocktail one. Make the customer happy with different flavours. I worked as a waiter, but the creative side attracted me, so it was a choice between becoming a chef or something else. I love small talk with clients, so I chose the bar for its creativity and the contact with others. Of course cocktails are related to quality, fine products (as in haute cuisine), so I wanted to keep this spirit. I’ve been doing this for 6 years and I’m happy, it’s my passion and I feel fulfilled.

The classic you want to show us
Smoking car (twist on a side car)
30ml of cognac
30ml of dry Curaçao Pierre ferrand
20ml of lemon juice
10ml orange blossom
Smoke of bitter orange peel

The bar or party you dream of
The bar of my dreams would be like mine, Le Syndicat. It’s chic and impactful. With the bartender station I designed, at the same level of the top bar, the clients can see everything. It’s not about showing off, but there’s no need to hide either. We are in front of them doing our job transparently.

To have fun with my friends, it’s more about them than the place. It can be anything from a high level cocktail bar to a small local bar, like le Mauri7  just opposite my bar, it’s where I spend a lot of time. The beer is cheap, you have a pinball machine and a good ambiance. You come with your friends, meet other people, it’s the kind of bar where it is more like a community, so you know everyone, no need to have friends with you to have a good night. What I like, is meeting people.

The spirit you like the most
For a long time I have had a real fit with cognac. I love the smell, the flexibility, the complexity and the richness. It’s one of the spirits people don’t really drink a lot.  I try to teach my colleagues, my clients and my friends. This is one of the reasons I decided to participate to Le Syndicat project. Because in the other bars I used to work at, I was the one championing cocktails based with cognac, calvados or other french products. And you have to know that 97% of the cognac is dedicated to exportation. That’s unfair.

Which product do you want to highlight at this moment
The pomace, because it’s about not well known flavour. I discovered it during my meandering journey with my business partner Romain Le Mouëllic. Arbois’ pomace, Gewürztraminer, Burgundy and other different grapes. It’s an interesting product, hard to work with, but amazing.

The cocktail signature you want to show us
Le Sudiste
40ml of eau de vie of citrus (cédrat) from Domaine Mavela in Corsica
20ml of orange and rosemary syrup
20ml of lemon juice
Foam of mauresque (orgeat and aniseed)

Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender?
You should go to Mabel and interview Joseph Akhavan

See you next Monday, 8th of December to discover a new bartender