The story behind Sakaba’s first cocktail menu

"Originally, for the Irasshai project, the cocktail menu for the Sakaba was supposed to be created by Christophe Davoine (MOF in the bar category and Suntory brand ambassador), but I arrived at my position earlier than anticipated. As a result, we're offering my cocktails. Nevertheless, Christophe Davoine tasted all my creations and gave them his seal of approval. He also had us take part in a Suntory training session and taught us the proper way to carve clear ice (we source ours from The Nice Company)—an exercise we perform in front of customers every day. The menu isn't intended to change completely every quarter, but it does evolve regularly according to the seasonality of ingredients and the products we sell at the grocery store. For example, our Matcha Daiquiri is about to be replaced by a curry-infused Daiquiri. This allows the bartenders to practice, come up with ideas, and gain a better understanding of Japanese flavors. It's also a chance for them to experiment."

From video games to mixology

"Before my various bar experiences—including the opening of Lavomatic—I spent eight years working in the video game industry. I was already interested in Japanese culture, and I spent two years at a Japanese institute in Paris before traveling there. As a result, I've always enjoyed drinking sake, which is why I pursued my WSET certification in sake purely out of passion. However, it's not necessarily the simplest ingredient to use in cocktails, because of its lower alcohol content and the fact that it's not always highlighted. When it comes to mixology, whisky is my preference, although I also really like rum because of my Mauritian roots. At the moment, we're using Japanese brands like Ogasawara, Kiyomi, and Santa Maria, which is a pure sugarcane rum from Okinawa. Regarding gin, our recipes sometimes include Kino Bi or Roku. We also incorporate French products from the Baccae distillery, Maison Ferrand, and the Escale à Tokyo gin by La Compagnie du Mieux Boire."

Beyond cocktails

"In addition to cocktails, our menu features many Japanese spirits for tasting, such as shochu, yuzushu, or umeshu, for instance. The bar area also hosts a spirits section where customers can purchase bottles. Finally, in the near future, we'll begin offering introductory masterclasses, and naturally, the first one will focus on sake!"

Sakaba, 40 rue du Louvre ; 75001 Paris

Open 7 days a week from 6 p.m. to midnight