Classique has the cure!
An ex-pharmacy, now Parisian bar that stars natural wine in its cocktails
The Classique team, Hugo is in the shades, Ben is at far right. Note the pharmacy logo on their t-shirts.
Hi! Can you introduce yourself?
I am Benjamin Leigneur, co-owner of Classique, with Hugo Combe. We opened our bar, an ex pharmacy, almost 4 years ago.
I met you last year and you were starting to create the first Cépages menu using wine as a main cocktail ingredient. What inspired it?
Cépages, which means “grape variety” was born from a passion for simplicity and attention to detail. We wanted to highlight the purity of flavor while integrating an element often overlooked in mixology—wine. Each of the 12 cocktails pairs a single grape variety with a classic mixology technique, creating a unique balance of tradition and innovation.
Dirty Martini
Why focus on wine in cocktails?
Wine is a great ingredient that people don’t use much in cocktails. It has rich flavors, many layers, and something elegant that makes it perfect for mixing drinks. We wanted to try new things and show our guests how well wine can mix with spirits and techniques like clarification or fermentation.
The idea was to start working with natural wines since the beginning, and we thought, why not try cocktails with natural wines in them. We are in France and we want to highlight our natural French wines.
How does this fit into Classique’s philosophy?
Our goal was to make the classic bistro feel more fun and a little more exciting. Wine has something very elegant and sensual, and using natural wines also fits with our idea of being more eco-friendly. We choose wines from producers who work in a natural and sustainable way, so each cocktail is both high quality and good for the planet. Our guests are often surprised by how well the flavors mix—this is exactly what we wanted!
In using natural wines in your cocktails, do you have to take special care, do they break down easier? Harder to mix? Oxidation?
We have to be really careful; we have to use the whole bottle because natural wine can break down in a few hours. We have to make sure that when we open a bottle we use it all. The same goes for the wine served by the glass. This way we avoid waste.
What was the biggest lesson you learned in experimenting with wine in cocktails?
The wine is not as stable, sometimes its taste depends on the phase of the moon when it when it was harvested, We have to be more creative.
You use different techniques such as fermentation, clarification and distillation Can you give us an example?
Also emulsion. We make a foam from Jura Savagnin wine, it is an oxidated wine, and we turn into foam for our dirty martini. It is one of our best sellers.
Devil’s Margarita
How has the public received your wine cocktails?
At first we didn’t know how it would be received, but when we really explain the menu we found people were very interested in our menu. For the second menu, many people came to try it, so we think it has taken hold.
Do you think you are bringing wine drinkers closer to cocktails or cocktail drinkers closer to wine?
Actually, it’s both. The good thing with the menu is that you can try the wine by itself, so people who like a certain wine can try a cocktail and vice versa.
What about food pairing with your cocktails?
Its mainly seafood because it works vry well with wine, like oysters with the dirty martini, In that cocktail we put salmon eggs on a spoon as a garnish,
Artist’s rendering with the still-intact pharmacy emblem
What is the average ABV in the wine cocktails?
It’s kind of low, Almost all our cocktails are on the low abv side. The alcohol component is under 18%,
You have launched Cépages 2 recently. How does this differ from Cépages 1?
Cépages 2 entailed more research, more tasting, We came into it with deeper knowlege about the wine makers after our visits to the makers, We also honed our techniques. Our menus are seasonal, so they will change with the seasons.
What do you plan to do for the next version?
We keep some of the best sellers, but always add new cocktails to take advantage of whatever the season offers. The summer version will be more fruity.
How do you source your natural wine producers?
We work with three different agents who suggest producers. We also try to get out in the field. In September we plan to go to the Alsace, because we really like Alsace wine.
What is the breakdown of clients choosing cocktails vs a glass of wine?
We are near Montmarte so we get a mix of locals and tourists, with more locals. We sell a lot of wine and even beer, even through that is not our main focus. We are known for our cocktails and our natural wine.
How do you source your natural wine producers?
We work with three different agents who suggest producers. We also try to get out in the field. In September we plan to go to the Alsace, because we really like Alsace wine.
Do you see other establishments making wine cocktails?
Now it is started, but I think we are the only one in Paris doing strictly natural wine based cocktails.
Care to drop down the rabbit hole with me? I found out about other countries who have taken up this trend!
Apparently, the French are not the only ones using wine in cocktails. Of course, vermouth, a fortified wine, has been used since cocktails were cocktails, and champagne in a French 75 is nothing new. However, at Vinitaly I found a Puglian winemaker who has given his red wine a fresh twist.
Francesco lo Noce of Calitro winery took over from his nonno 12 years ago and is looking for new ways to use his Negroamaro. This is a throwback to the summers when Francesco was a little boy—he remembered that nonno would take a bottle of Negroamaro out of the fridge, or drop in an ice cube, to have a refreshing summer sip. “So I talked to my sommelier friend and we tried to create something similar to a sangria—a twist on a Negroni with Negroamaro, peach vodka, Campari, and soda.”
It was very refreshing, especially after many samples of red wine! The drink was launched for Vinitaly and it doesn’t even have a name yet. I suspect Francesco is not done experimenting, and I think other winemakers are looking over his shoulder. The beautiful label recalls the doilies nonna used to make, the rose window of the church where the wine was brought, and the lights of the festa di San Giuseppe, organized by nonno.
Next it’s on to Florence for Florence Cocktail Week, where Julian Short from Sin and Tax from Johannesburg. For Julian, wine in cocktails is nothing new. The people in Jozi are open to new things, and when Julian started putting wine cocktails on the menu, they have become a trademark.
Here are excerpts of our discussion:
Where did you first see wine in cocktails?
Apart from Spritz and French 75, its probably the New York Sour, a whisky sour with a red wine float-- that spurred me to experiment with reds, non sparkling whites, and my newest obsession orange wines.
How many wine drinks are on your cocktail list?
On our list of about 30 cocktails, about 10 have wine as an active ingredient. We strive to promote local products, such as brandy instead of bourbon, as well as a offering a modern local wine list.
For you, what is the next frontier for wine in cocktails?
The next frontier is to do more research and keep learning, making it accessible. In South Africa, you can’t get away from the discussion of wine, it’s so fascinating. On our new menu, we make a new winter melon wine for a cocktail. After we have processed the melons, we sous vide them and add to Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin to create an interesting and sustainable wine.
So… watch this space—wine and cocktails are flirting!
Ramos
5 rapidfire questions
Your go to cocktail bar in Paris (besides your own)
Danico, Cambridge, Bar Nouveau.
If you were to open a Classique in another city where would it be?
New York or London
Your latest wine discovery?
Guichet, a producer from Alsace, a maceration from different Pinots
If you could share a cocktail with a French character from history who would it be?
Serge Ginsburg
Your last drink after a shift?
Early in the week, a small beer, at the end of the week, maybe a Boulevardier