Pierre Marquet: Nami Cocktail Club (Paris)

Pierre Marquet is head bartender at Nami Cocktail Club in Paris. He makes us two cocktails, one with Gin and Maracuja Syrup and the second with Mezcal and Tequila.

Pierre introduce yourself
My name is Pierre Marquet and I’m based in Paris. I originally studied management and sports because I understood that working in an office was not my cup of tea. I was fed up in France, so went to Mexico and got a job in a hotel. This is where my career really began… I started on reception, then moved to the floor and finally began behind the bar. I stayed a year and came back to France to work at l’Hotel du Collectionneur where I learnt a lot. I moved to the Big Mamma Group where I learnt about team management, creativity, stock management and everything you need to know in a management role. I was lucky enough to be spotted by Giacomo from Paradiso who was looking for people to work on his new menu so I moved to Barcelona for a year. Now I’m back in Paris where I manage Nami bar as partner, with Guillaume Guedj and Enguerrand Cantegrel, and head bartender and I am the ambassador for Gin Mare and the Vantguard catalogue in France and Benelux. We chose a Japanese name because we are based under a gyoza bar and Nami means wave. Our cocktails are not Japanese though, they are more street-style cocktails. We use ingredients like bissap, lassi and panela and seasonal fresh fruits.

The classic you want to show us
Gin fizz
20ml of Orange and Maracuja Syrup
20ml of Lime Juice
50ml of Gin Mare
Top with Hibiscus Soda

The bar you dream of
My dream bar would have a very long bar, so I could stay close to my clients, chat with them and understand what they want to drink. If you don’t want to sit at the bar, a small menu with easy drinks would be available too. I’d like a rooftop bar somewhere in Spain or South America because I love the heat. We would serve finger food, like tacos or gyoza (like here in Nami) because I think it’s great to have food with cocktails. Another element I’d like from here is the luminous wave above the bar, I think it’s a good way to change the ambience of a bar. Music would be a mix of hip hop and Latino.

What do you do in your time off
I spend time with my rugby friends and play on Saturday mornings. I set up a club here in Paris, named “Les 15 boucliers”, meaning the 15 shields. Otherwise, my other go-to is restaurants, especially ones from South America. For instance Luz Verde, for fusion French-Mexican cuisine or Café Chilango for the ambience. If you like ceviche, Pacifico is the place to go to.

The spirit you like the most
I am more into gin, because of the aroma which can be bitter or sweet, and it mixes well with acid notes. My type of gin is more on the herbal notes like Gin Mare, Monkey 47 or Oli’Gin an olive-based gin from the South of France.

What makes a good cocktail
Balance is the cornerstone of a cocktail so everyone can make a good cocktail if they follow this rule.

What ingredient do you enjoy using in cocktails
I love citrus. When I wake up, I drink orange juice, my favourite ice cream is lemon and my favourite juice is pomelo. Citrus is part of my life. In a cocktail, it will give the sourness to a drink, but we should use less common citrus fruits, for example, I love to use clementines when they are in season.

The signature cocktail you want to show us
Panela Sour
1 egg white
15ml of Mezcal
30ml of Tequila
15ml of Panela Syrup
15ml of Lemon Juice
15ml of Grapefruit
Smoked with Orange Zest, Cinnamon Stick, Sesame and Laurel

Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
I really liked the Barcelona cocktail scene so I would recommend bars in El Born. Even if there are great classic bars like Boadas or Dry MartiniI think you should try Paradisoand other types of bars like Dr Stravinsky, Bar Savage and Creps al Born. Here in Paris, my first love is Copperbay, but you should also check out Sherry Butt and Dirty Dick.

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