The Castor Club Experience: great cocktails in a warm atmosphere.

The Castor Club opened in January 2012.

I’m not talking about a Speakeasy but rather a discreet bar from the outside, without a sign. Indeed, this was a deliberate choice, as this location was previously occupied by a bar whose clientele was used to mediocre drinks, like whiskey and coke. It became clear that discretion would attract people who understood the nature of our establishment. We wanted customers to be carried away by the novelty, as it was a different time: the public didn’t yet have the cocktail bar codes that exist today.

As for the wooden cabin style, it was chosen to create a warm atmosphere that corresponds to the name of the bar, inspired by the beaver as a totem animal. That’s why I never wanted to install a terrace - even during the Covid period - because, in my eyes, the overall experience of the bar relies on all these elements: the drinks, the unique setting, and the music. A cocktail might taste just as good on a sidewalk, with cars around, but the experience is altered.

In summary, the experience at the Castor Club is not limited to the drink alone, but encompasses the entire universe of the bar, the atmosphere.

Moreover, we are open until 4 AM on weekends, and sometimes on Thursdays, even if there may be less of a crowd than before.
The Castor Club is located in an area with several restaurants, hotels, and bars, and after 2 AM, the clientele often comes from the industry, like the teams from Cravan (Saint-Germain) or from the constellation of restaurants by William Ledeuil. Not everyone comes after 2 AM, but they often stop by for a drink or two after their shifts. Often, couples who don’t work at the same establishment meet here to kick off the weekend.

A menu that is half permanent

Everyone should be able to express themselves through their menu, and it’s important that not everyone offers the same thing, whether through thematic menus or those focused on seasonality.

At the Castor Club, out of the 12 offerings on the menu, half of the cocktails remain all year round, while the other half changes with the seasons. Additionally, we also offer a cocktail of the week.

Maintaining a stable part of the menu is an asset, as a regular clientele enjoys finding cocktails they know and love. These are somewhat the house classics, like the Chirac 95.

We have been open for over 10 years, and it’s quite possible for customers to return seven years after their last visit and be happy to find cocktails they enjoyed.

Of course, we may sometimes make small modifications to suit the tastes of the time, like “de-sweetening” certain recipes, for example. But these remain minor adjustments.

How do we determine that a cocktail is emblematic of a bar? Based on sales, if it has made an impression on customers... Typically, when a customer discovers a cocktail and returns another time with friends insisting that they try that specific cocktail. Not to mention that there can also be an emotional dimension on my part.

Regarding the flexible part of the menu, among the six cocktails present, three recipes change every two months, depending on seasonality and what we want to work on.

We do, however, ensure that certain spirits remain on the menu. For example, if we change a cocktail with tequila, we will offer another type of drink with the same alcohol or a very similar spirit. However, we don’t have a set template. Logically, we will offer a bit more long drinks in summer, and in winter, there is always a hot cocktail.

The central idea is to offer diversity on the menu.

Cultivating a sense of mystery to spark a dialogue with customers.

On our menu, the name of the cocktail and its ingredients are listed; no indications about the flavors. This is a deliberate choice, motivated by the customer relationship I wish to establish.

Indeed, the Castor Club does not have servers: all customers are at the bar and talk with the bartenders. A menu that doesn’t provide all the information upfront aims to establish a dialogue and awaken curiosity.

The philosophy is similar with the bottles on the back bar, where we only have brands that are almost nonexistent in large distribution. Thus, customers lose some of their references, leading them towards new tastes, without being able to retreat to reassuring, already known products.

Similarly for non-alcoholic cocktails: absent from the menu, they are made on request, following the preferences expressed by customers.

The cocktail of the week as a path for experimentation

The cocktail of the week allows for a bit more experimentation: trying innovative techniques, new products, and seeing how customers react.

Of course, before a cocktail is released, it is tasted by the entire team. Afterwards, I modify it very regularly, which allows us to retaste and adjust closely, while observing reactions, whether it pleases or not.

Our regular customers can even sometimes participate: at the beginning of the service, if there’s someone we know well, we let them taste it to get their opinion. This way, the progression is faster.

This cocktail of the week formula works well: it interests us and encourages us to always seek novelty. It’s a collective result, but potentially also the work of a bartender who has really worked on their cocktail alone. It’s an opportunity for them to offer - after validation - to customers, for a week, a truly personal recipe.

Various sources of inspiration

Inspiration comes from the most diverse elements: a product discovered at a trade show that we want to work with, a technique to highlight, or even the name of the cocktail.

For example, the recipe for the Banana Flip - currently on the menu - is inspired by its name. It calls for two ingredients: banana and an egg, but the rest was free.

It’s important to have a basic idea to then develop it based on available products and techniques. But sometimes, one might simply want a cocktail that fits a specific vibe.

Knowing how to evolve without losing one’s identity to endure

I don’t think one could launch the same type of establishment today: a somewhat confidential cocktail bar, without food offerings, where neither beer nor wine is served, but spirits for tasting.

The Castor Club has undergone very few changes in the past ten years - even the playlist has remained - to maintain its identity.

When opening a bar, you never know exactly what will happen, as you build with the customers, especially in the first year. It’s necessary to adapt, to understand what works, and how to engage customers with us, make them return, please them, and encourage them to talk about the bar to build a reputation.

Once this foundation is established, it’s better not to disrupt everything, as these are the reasons for success.

For example, currently, low ABV cocktails are in vogue, but we preferred to keep the recipes somewhat as we have been making them from the start, meaning slightly stronger drinks, with pronounced alcohol flavors.

Similarly for the use of the Rotavap: everyone is using it now. It’s fun, but it sometimes standardizes drinks a bit too much in my opinion.

Two nights a week behind the bar

I usually work behind the bar on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I enjoy it, and it’s not too demanding a rhythm. It’s an opportunity to have direct contact with customers, but also to work with the bartender team:  Louis Bonnevie and Krennen Martinez.

Being together for an entire evening allows us to discuss, to experiment with recipes for future cocktails; the exchanges are different from those I might have when I just pass by.

Moreover, it provides more pleasant working conditions (4 days a week) for the bartenders who compensate for the longer hours related to late closing on weekends.

A Castor Club school?

Is there a Castor Club style? I think it’s a question for those who have worked here (laughs).

I’m not exactly sure of the answer. I sometimes find small elements in the recipes of former staff, but since it has always been a collective effort, it doesn’t belong to me.

When a bartender works here, I explain my ideas and ask them to follow them. So, it must infuse somewhat. It’s true that Guillaume Castaignet – co-founder of Mesures - and Raphaël Blanc – head bartender of the Ducasse Paris group, alongside Margot Lecarpentier (Note: also the founder of the bar Combat) - started cocktail making with me.

I certainly had some influence, but they are naturally curious and have had other professional experiences since then. Moreover, they were already making very good cocktails at the Castor Club.

The cocktail as a personal mode of expression

I opened a very classic café-bar-restaurant in 2005 and wanted something a bit more personal, with more sophisticated products. Additionally, my grandmother always drank cocktails; she traveled a lot, and it was something classic at home. I knew how to make a Dry Martini by the age of 11, as she would have one as an aperitif - even an Old Fashioned - and she loved taking me to palace bars. So, it was a universe that was somewhat familiar to me and where I perceived the potential for growth in Paris.

The location on rue Hautefeuille suited my project for the Castor Club. I trained by reading a lot - I have a substantial collection of cocktail books at home - about spirits in general, their origins; and then I also drank a lot of cocktails. I knew how to run a bar, manage it, and the creation of cocktails came quite quickly. Subsequently, with experience, if the initial idea is strong enough, it’s possible to create recipes without too much touching the bottles, sitting at your desk with a pencil.

A Lebanese bar scene marked by the United States

I started drinking cocktails there 20 years ago and have always known impressive back bars. There weren’t necessarily high-quality spirits - typically fifteen different vodkas - but having many bottles was part of a bar’s decor.

For me, it’s influenced by the United States where even in a small dive bar, you can find between 50 and 70 bottles behind the counter.

Surprisingly, despite everything that’s happening, restaurants and bars continue to open in Lebanon. These places are often frequented by customers from the diaspora who return for vacations and are looking for what they know from their country of residence.

As a result, there are still quite specific establishments - like Kissproof, whose Beirut address expanded to Paris last year.

Generally, bars try to incorporate, to some extent, local ingredients into their recipes: orange blossom, gum arabic, zaatar, infusions with local herbs, or an excellent local blackberry syrup. However, arak is not often used in cocktails, except in a few small places.

It should be noted that in Lebanon, there has always been a great love for going out: going to restaurants, having a drink, going to clubs on weekends, it’s truly part of life.

Menu (March 2024)