A rooftop garden serving cocktails flavored by the bees and flowers of Provence.
The French Riviera is one of those places where the hired man of the clock just seem to slow . All your obstinate worries fade away until all you feel is a vibe ( as the kids are wo nt to say ) . There ’s a calmness for all who stroll the Mediterranean breaker — exalted and azure — in Cannes . The background is such that you wish you could just drink it all in . At the Bar du Fouquet , inside the antechamber ofLe Majestic Hotel , Emanuele Balestra is doing his best to accommodate such tilt .
The bar theater director for the 5 - star seaboard resort has forgather a cocktail which buzzes with place of origin . To make it work , he enlisted the help of a mysterious artillery — several thousand of them , to be exact . “ TheBomb Honeyis my celebration of the honey we cultivate on the rooftop at Le Majestic , ” he excuse . “ It was created to amplify the flavor visibility of our own make of beloved [ sold exclusively at the hotel ] , which holds its own distinctive flavour give by the unique mood of Cannes and the specific microclimate on the rooftop of the hotel , where our bees inhabit . ”
But dearest is only one elbow room in which these fussy bees are helping craft the signature cocktail . There ’s also a refreshing herbal blast in each sip , for which the insects dally a vital role . “ The herbs and plants used in the boozing are from the hotel ’s garden , ” summate Balestra . “ They are pollinated by bees kept in four hives on our rooftop . The bee are multifloral and they forage specifically on a type of peak commonly found in the one-time town of Cannes called ‘ Brouillard Blanche . ’ This means the love has a very specific taste perception with note of caramel . ”
Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes
At the cocktail ’s alcoholic base is a fruity , apple - forward aperitif from Normandy called 30 & 40 Double Jus . “ It tastes like a intermixture between cider and calvados , ” allot to Balestra . It ’s the only ingredient in the Bomb Honey whichisn’tsourced on - site . And its lighter test copy ( 23 % alcoholic beverage ) ensures that the ensue drinking is suited for repeated , late - good afternoon sipping .
Drink This Honey-Kissed Aperitif Steps Away from the Beach in Cannes
At Bar Galerie du Fouquet, cocktail whiz Emanuele Balestra makes a buzz.
Your sundown will be that much sweeter , to be sure . But even though the Bomb Honey is intended to elicit a literal explosion of ambrosia — as evidenced by its dud - mould serving vas — the drink is temper in its saccharine leaning . “ There ’s a vegetative side that come from Thai Basil as well as the softness that the bergamot dear provide , ” the barroom man contend . “ It is totally reminiscent of the variety of herbs and plant surrounding our hive . ”
And those insidious savoury notes mean that it could play as more than simple aperitif . It actually pair well with a Greco-Roman preparation of Duck Magret — racy , roast , and ever - so - fruity in its death penalty . If you ’re a fan of sip - capable skill , however , you ’ll believably need to pair the drink or else with extended conversation at the bar with Balestra . It does n’t take too long here to uncloak the military personnel ’s true identicalness as a mad scientist of mixology . He might even take you on a tour of his on - web site ‘ cocktail research laboratory . ’
“ I have a unique access to bartending at Le Majestic , ” he says . It ’s a modest understatement from a guy who regularly mess up around with an echography machine and a roto - vap in his downtime . “ I experiment with spirit and aroma using scientific methods and res publica - of - the - art technology to break in down the molecular structure of ingredients and forgather new flavor profile . ”
Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes
It assumes the shape of homemade tincture , bitters , jellies — even edible perfumes . “ My work is informed by my years studying odour at Robertet , the populace drawing card in sustainable rude raw materials , ” he explain .
That expertness is physically represented on a rooftop garden which feature global influence : geranium from the Congo , citrus and herbs from Italy , St. Basil the Great from Thailand . All of it is necessary for the sort of cocktail you ca n’t get anywhere else on ground . He ensure us , “ For me , the non - alcoholic ingredient are just as important as the alcohol-dependent ingredients . ”
The same go for the chalice in which the drink is do . For an approaching card , Balestra has partner with a glazer in the neighboring Greenwich Village of Biot to create usage stemware that , as he says , is “ designed to capture and enhance the scent , scents and ingredient of the drink like never before . ”
Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes
The Bar Du Fouquet is a particularly appropriate scope for such showstopper . Its elegantly appointed interior houses no pocket-sized part of celebrity during Cannes ’ eponymic film fete , hold each May like a shot across the street . noble room overlooking the Riviera on the floors above start at $ 300 per nighttime . We suggest ordering an superfluous Bomb Honey to your elbow room to help drink in the view . A plenty of hard piece of work hold up into its creation . fortunately , all that ’s required of you is to sit back and bask it . Challenge accept .
Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes
Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes
@emanuele.balestra
