Matthew is a bartender at Lulu White, Paris. He shows us 2 cocktails, one is whisky and dubonnet based and the other one uses tequila and red dolin.
Matthew introduce yourself
Hi I’m Matthew, and I’m the head bartender at Lulu White, Paris. I began bartending because I needed to find a job to pay for my studies and in the cocktail bars I learnt a lot. Then I moved London where I experience a totally different environment. I worked in a 5 star hotel One Aldwych, where they created conceptual cocktails with unique products and first class presentations to match, then the Ritz where I was producing more classic cocktails. That’s where I really learnt my craft and my colleagues there introduced me to a deeper understanding of this industry.
The classic you want to show us
Macgregor’s Debt (Rob Roy twist)
60ml of red Dubonnet
30ml of Chivas whisky
1.25ml of gentiane
1.25ml of rum 3 rivières
The bar or party you dream of
It would be kind of a small pub/bar seating around 40-50 people, with an outside area as well. Quite simple with nice tasty drinks and not exclusively cocktails. Cocktails would be a feature but they would not be the main concept of the bar. I would use more bespoke and small artisanal products.
My girlfriend Keltoum mainly decides, but we both love cocktail bars. So we go to several cocktail bars to see what everyone else is doing. Otherwise we stay at home to chill or go to local Korean restaurants as I am a big fan of Korean food because of the fermentation processes they use, I really like that.
The spirit you like the most
At the moment I love fortified wines or eau de vie. I love having a fruit taste in a drink and adding syrup is the way to modify a drink. Because I like short dry drinks, eau de vie is the ingredient to add to have a fruity floral aspect, that gives a direction to the drink.
What makes a good cocktail and which product do you want to highlight at this moment
Balance obviously, but I would also add the simplicity of the recipe and ingredients. When you read the menu you can understand how the drink would work. So how the main spirit is present in the drink, but modified at the same time. In the end a good drink for me is one I want to have a second time.
It would be vermouth, because it can change the direction of a drink even with a strong spirit. It adds body and flavour to the drink, even if it’s low in alcohol and delicate. I can make a low alcohol drink with a lot of good flavour and taste. Then I can drink several of them without getting too drunk. Vermouth allow you to sip at your cocktail.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Mark Scott.com
30ml of red dolin
30ml of cold brewed coffee
15ml of tequila Calle 23
1.25ml of Absinthe
1.25ml of Rose water
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender?
I would say 69 Colebrooke Row or Zetter Townhouse, because I like the work of Tony Conigliaro, simple drinks with great flavours mashed up all together.
This is our last post for the summer break. Have fun, be safe, drink lot’s of cocktails and see you for another interview the 24th of August.
Cheers
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