Le 300 introduces cocktail menu reimagining classics
Le 300 Bar, located at The Maybourne Riviera hotel in the south of France, has introduced a new cocktail menu, Identité.
The menu reimages classics, telling a story of place, landscapes and utilising native botanicals foraged at and around the hotel.
Drawing from a background in herbalism, head mixologist Julien Lecharpentier highlights the produce of the Mediterranean, from the South of France, Greece, Turkey, and Morocco.
“The goal of this menu is to introduce new life into classics. Complicated things in the South of France don’t work. When you work in a hotel bar you need to make things easier for customers, so that’s why I select products that aren’t too complicated and only during the right season. We are in a holiday destination and a lot of people want classics, so that’s why we have created a menu from that,” Lecharpentier told DI on a trip to the venue.
On using seasonal produce, Lecharpentier continued: “For example with strawberries, we can keep the good part of the fruit during the good season, freeze it, and keep it for when it’s out of season. We prefer to use fresh products, the alcohol inside is important, but I think the process of the product and the seasonal variation is the most important part. I prefer the balance with fresh produce too.
“I also love to change the glassware from the classic cocktail, it creates a different illusion for the customer and adds an element of surprise. We need to change the rules sometimes,” Lecharpentier added.
Signature cocktails include the Olea, a Mediterranean Margarita made with Milagro Silver Tequila, Mezcal Vida, Oli’still Manguin, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, strawberry, and olive oil, and the Salvia, a savoury twist on the Dry Martini, combining Grey Goose vodka, Cocchi Americano vermouth, and sage butter. Other highlights include Helios, a reimagined Manhattan, balancing Macallan 12 Double Cask whisky with Corsican muscat wine, osmanthus flower, and brown butter.
The bar focuses on eco-conscious practices where possible, with the menu using biodegradable alga paper, created from the invasive and surplus algae found locally.