The nose knows: sniffing out Emanuele Balestra
This interview was first published in Excellence Magazine, volume 30. Let’s learn about Emanuele, considered the Nose of the bar world!
I met Emanuele when I walked into his bar at Le Fouquet’s in Cannes, at the Barriere Majestic hotel, one of the poshest in town. His demeanour was striking: impeccable in his natty vest, alert blue eyes, and a sense of excitement in his voice. The first thing I noticed was an array of perfume bottles in a wooden box on the bar. I needed to know more about him.
Emanuele, you are Italian, where were you born?
In a little town called Crenna near Gallarate in Lombardia. My grandparents had a trattoria and from the age of eight, I was already helping serve the customers, standing on a few crates of San Pellegrino. My aunt Pinuccia even paid me and I would buy Panini football stickers like my friends. I lived for the smiles of our customers. That’s how I got my love for serving people.
When did you leave Italy to work abroad?
My first stop abroad was in Brussels, where I learned about sophistication. The Belgians love good food and a good drink and my Italian background was a help in the industry. I polished my skills and travelled to Glasgow, to Polynesia and back to Brussels, before I was called to work for the Trump organization in Chicago. I actually had a meeting with “The Donald” who told me I could have any budget I wanted but if he did not recoup his investment in a year and a half, I would be fired. In this period, I created the concept of the “Liquid Kitchen”, learned everything about management, bar design, finances, and I was able to put it all into action. A tough lesson, but it has served me well. Things were going great and I had no intention of leaving the USA when my father fell ill and I decided to come back to Europe. Here I started a collaboration overseeing the bars at Hotel Mamounia in Marrakesh, Morocco. And that’s where the story of aromas begins.
Emanuele in the garden of the hotel
How so?
I discovered some of the amazing herbs and spices of Morocco, and the Mamounia had magnificent grounds, so I planted a two hectare botanical garden filled with plants flowers and spices that I was able to use in my cocktails. I studied the uses of the different botanicals and it opened up a world that I will never finish exploring. And I learned other things, like the meaning of a sincere smile, and the virtue of patience. After a short stint in Mauritius, I got the call to join the Hotel Barriere Le Majestic in Cannes.
Where you are still today. How was the bar when you arrived in 2009 and how has it changed?
It was completely different; they were doing the basics but there was no real direction. The management gave me carte blanche and I made sure everything I did was measurable. Most of all, they let me plant a garden in the front as well as giving me a rooftop space where I have additional plants and my beehives. Being in Cannes must have been written in my destiny, because I met some of the great perfumers of Grasse and after knocking on many doors, Maison Robertet, the world leader in aromas, took me under their wing and taught me many things about aromas. I spent hours amid the aromatic plants used to make perfumes in the garden of the International Museum of Perfumery in Mouans-Sartoux and often took cuttings for my own garden.
Sidebar (se c’e spazio) A distinguished address Le Majestic, the five-star Palace-Hotel par excellence, is the only Cannes Hotel to be a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World organisation. The hotel, with its 360 rooms and suites has also received numerous prizes and awards, including the “Luxury Hotel” prize at the World Luxury Hotel Awards and the “Best Hotel”, “Hotel Best Architecture” and “Best Resort Hotel” prizes at the International Hotel Awards in London. It was also named “Best Hotel France” and “Best Convention Hotel France” at the International Hotel Awards in 2015.
The insect hotel
I noticed your garden has some little insect houses, how to they work?
With my team, we have created an ecosystem using plants that repel parasites with the addition of little insect houses made from different materials to attract wasps, dragonflies and ladybugs, our insect helpers who eradicate predator bugs. This ensures a system of natural pollination and pest control, and we can avoid the use of pesticides.
How did you get the idea to create your “edible perfume” for cocktails?
It was a natural progression. After over four years of experimentation, and the use of technical equipment such as ultrasound and rotavapor, two years ago I started with verbena and one year ago I obtained a copyright of the technique I am using to obtain extracts specifically made for cocktails. Keep in mind that this is just not an aromatic garnish; the perfume has to enhance the cocktail’s ingredients. It all has to be harmonious. My collection of aromas is constantly growing.
Tell me about your honey production.
What makes yours different?
I am not saying mine is any better than others, but they are my bees. I know them, I care for them, and I think because of that they produce superior honey for me. As in food, knowing your ingredients intimately creates a strong bond when creating a cocktail.
La Vie en Rose cocktail
Ingredients: Vodka, lemon balm, spherical rose-infused ice balls
For the ice
Place a handful of rose petals into lukewarm mineral water. After a few minutes, once the petals start to lose their colour, filter. Use the flavoured water to make an ice ball. To decorate the ice, slip a beautiful rose petal and one or two leaves of lemon balm into the mould.
Preparation
Place 8 cl of vodka, a large sprig of fresh lemon balm and the ice ball into a shaker.
Roll the ice ball around in the shaker so that it comes in contact with the lemon balm without breaking.
Filter and pour into a glass.
Add a new ice ball.
I noticed you have some unusual glassware as well.
Emanuele practicing the skill of the glassblower
One of the glasses he designed, created by Biot.
Another lucky alliance is with the Verrerie de Biot just outside Antibes, a family business run by Anne and Serge Lechaczynski. Their trademark is glass with many little bubbles inside created by immersing the hot glass into a solution of bicarbonate of soda. They offer immersive visits and if you are lucky, you can even try blowing a glass yourself. We work together on projects and I get to design my own glassware for the bar thanks to Biot. Some of my glasses are folded down in such a way so that your nose will meet the fragrance before your mouth does. It’s all part of the experience, says Balestra.
Smell is the most primitive sense, and without it, our world would be a duller place. So many memories are tied to scent, and through the course of time the nose of Emanuele has been filled with scents from all over the world, allowing him to share them with guests who taste his cocktails.
Emanuele prepares a drink in a signature glass and it’s time to add the finishing scent. He asks me if I am right or left-handed. “Why?” I ask. “Because I will spray your cocktail as well as the hand you drink from; that way every time you raise your hand to your face, you will get a whiff to go with the taste of your cocktail.”
It is an aroma that I will forever connect with this bar, and this remarkable aroma master, Emanuele Balestra.
Five questions for Emanuele
What is your favorite smell? My nonna’s minestrone- what memories.
Have you ever been stung by one of your bees? Oh yes, but that’s OK..
If you could have your own bar anywhere in the world where would it be? The village of Mougins, absolutely unique.,
Your favorite bar machine or tool? My pruning scissors for my herbs.
Can anyone wear your perfume? Yes, but just on the hand.
Where you can find Emanuele
Instagram:
Website: