How did the idea for Vibes Riviera come about?

Manon: Yoann and I spent the past six years in London, and Vibes is a project we’d been thinking about for quite a while. The idea grew out of things we loved—music, cocktails, and more. We always imagined opening a bar in Nice, mainly because of our love for the Riviera’s heritage and that dolce vita vibe. Plus, we did miss the sun and the sea in London (laughs).

Yoann: Although London was an amazing experience for both of us, opening Vibes in Nice was a thrilling prospect. We were excited about bringing a culture of classic and modern-classic cocktails to southern France, where the scene is just beginning to flourish. The idea slowly came together until we finally said, “This is where we’re doing it!” I’m from Beausoleil, just up the road, and Manon has been an adopted local for years, so sharing that heritage made sense. Outside France, the French Riviera is famous. Whenever I said I was from the Côte d’Azur, people would say, “You must be rich!” That’s not my story. The glamour, the Cannes Film Festival, Monaco—they’re part of the Riviera’s mythology, but it’s more than that. There’s a genuine culture we want to highlight through our bar, in its décor, materials, and, of course, the drink style.

Music plays a central role, too. Back in London, it helped us envision Vibes. Our partner Bryan Gaillard is a passionate music buff. He’s put together a very specific sound system—with vintage tube amps and particular speakers—tuned to the genres we feature: mainly funk, boogie, disco, afro-beat… This musical identity is integral to the Vibes experience, because above all we want guests to have a great time. That’s why we focus so much on the welcome, the service, the hospitality.

The project goes beyond a cocktail bar.

What's the seating capacity?

Manon: Vibes has about fifteen seats on the terrace. Inside, we can host 35–40 seated guests. There are four seats at the bar—it’s a small counter.

The neighbourhood feels like a little village with lots of locals. It’s fairly young but there’s a mix of generations who seem curious about new things. A distillery—La Vadrouilleuse—is opening right next door and Famille Ricci isn’t far away. Place du Pin is a minute’s walk. It’s a pedestrian area filled with restaurants and cocktail bars like Povera by Maxime Potfer and SuperBar. That vibe is exactly why we wanted to be here.

We like to call it a cocktail bistro, because in France the word bistro evokes conviviality, accessibility, comfort. A cocktail bistro sums up Vibes Riviera: a place where you feel good—truly a neighbourhood bar, not just a bar in a neighbourhood.

How does the cocktail program work?

Manon: It revolves mainly around classic and modern-classic cocktails, with seasonal touches whenever possible. In July, when peaches are outstanding, we’ll do a peach Frozen Daiquiri. When great produce is available, we use it—we’re lucky to have an amazing terroir.

Yoann: Take a Bellini made with seasonal Riviera peaches. Everyone knows the drink, but not like that. So there won’t be a Bellini or a Strawberry Margarita in December. That said, we’re not hyper-seasonal across the whole list. Vibes is a classic cocktail bar; we use lemon and lime year-round. Our Margarita needs lime flavour and the pectin texture—an acid blend can’t replace that. Seasonality supports the drink when it makes sense, just like a good restaurant won’t serve tomatoes out of season.

The DNA of Vibes is clear, comforting, accessible drinks. We’re on a new scene and want guests to grasp the list easily—delicious simplicity, highlighting local produce when it makes sense.

That accessibility matters. Some bars showcase cutting-edge techniques or unusual flavour pairings—that’s great, but it’s not us. We love Modern Classics because they let us create drinks here—signatures that, like the Penicillin, Paper Plane or Naked & Famous, can be found worldwide thanks to their accessible ingredients.

Manon: We also change the menu every day.

You change the menu every day?

Manon: Yes!

There are about ten cocktails that change daily. We keep a bible of classic recipes—constantly adding our own—while retaining a structure of classics that can be reproduced anywhere.

Yoann: The daily change guides guests—it’s a kind of Bartender’s Choice. The bartender builds that day’s menu around available ingredients, their own preferences, and the day of the week. Will the room be industry folks who know cocktails, or mainly tourists? That lets us slip in more obscure drinks on a Sunday night, for example. Guests can always order off-menu too.

Is there a framework behind how you build the menu?

Yoann: Exactly. We balance bitterness, spirit-forward drinks, low-ABV options, long refreshers, sours, fruity, sweet profiles, plus a spread of base spirits. That’s why the daily list hovers around fifteen drinks—so we can cover a wide range of styles and flavors. It’s key for Vibes.

Manon: We also pay close attention to alcohol-free cocktails. We also carry bottled beer and a concise wine list to round things out.

Do you highlight ingredients from southern France? I saw you offer a Mauresque twist.

Manon: We put a lot of emphasis on French products in general—not just southern ones. Coming back from London, we were struck by how many there are: eaux-de-vie, apéritifs, bitters, vermouths—the choice is endless. So yes! It doesn’t suit every drink, because we like to stay classic, but the Maurescolada is a good example. We love the Mauresque, the Piña Colada and pastis, so we mixed them. Pastis is part of the culture here—really all over France. Showcasing our French heritage and helping guests discover new products is really important to us.

Yoann: It opens huge possibilities, because these aren’t ingredients you can find outside France. Italian amari exploded in popularity over the past decade; it felt like every menu—especially in the U.S.—had to feature an amaro cocktail. That’s great, but we want to show that French heritage is just as exceptional, with Dubonnet, Suze, Cap Mattei among the best-known. We met Karim Karroum from La Distillerie de Grandmont. Their crystalline mint, gentian, the Chemin des Moines—a sort of Chartreuse… Having such products, plus our knowledge of classics, is one reason we came here.

We also ran a four-month pop-up with Vibes last summer at a friend’s restaurant on Larvotto Beach in Monaco. The Maurescolada was a smash, and so was the Vibes Spritz. It was the only cocktail that stayed on the menu all season—a good sign of how approachable our drinks are—and it featured St-Germain, Suze, a touch of passion fruit and absinthe, topped with prosecco and soda. It had that French heritage angle—St-Germain is recent but well-known—plus Suze’s hint of bitterness and absinthe to deepen St-Germain’s floral notes. It was a huge hit. It also cast Suze in an unusual role. Fun fact: our Vibes Spritz often appears on the menu at Satan’s Whiskers in London!

You’ve barely opened, and you already have a couple of signature cocktails. Will they stay on the menu?

Manon: The Maurescolada will always be available because it uses ingredients we always have: coconut sorbet, coconut cream, fresh pineapple chunks and juice, amaretto, pastis and coconut rum. We can make it year-round and it’ll pop up often—we love it! It’s hugely popular and a nice alternative to the Piña Colada. Plus, it has southern-French roots, which we’re proud of. All our signatures rely on ingredients we can get every day of the year.

Do you use modern techniques like a rotavap?

Manon: No—everything is fresh, and fruit juices are made the same day. We’ve tried bars using those techniques in London, New York and elsewhere; they do it very well, but it’s just not our style.

Yoann: Our bar’s identity is different, rooted in classic bartending techniques: making a cocktail à la minute and ensuring the guest gets it at its peak. Behind the bar we have two large upright freezers—one per station—to control temperature, dilution, everything related to the tasting experience. It sounds simple, but our program is tightly organised with lots of prep. The goal is to keep it accessible. We focus on what every bar should—though that’s not always the case. We love quoting Sasha Petraske, founder of Milk & Honey in New York: to illustrate the importance of texture and temperature he’d say, open an ice-cold Coca-Cola in midsummer and it’s perfectly refreshing; drink a warm, flat Coke that’s been open three days and it’s a different story—yet the recipe’s the same. Satan’s Whiskers taught us to care about every step. Regarding the rotavap, as Manon said, La Vadrouilleuse distillery is next door, Famille Ricci has stills, and we can work with La Distillerie de Grandmont. They have the know-how. For us it’s “analog bartending.”

Let’s talk about your backgrounds. How did you get into bartending?

Manon: I studied hospitality and tourism management at Vatel (Paris). After graduating I went abroad to travel and learn English. I saw myself working in hospitality but not in Paris—too traditional, too palace-style. So I moved to London, starting in Events at The London Edition. My interest in the bar kept growing, mainly because of the guest interaction. I became a server at the lobby bar at Edition, where I met Yoann, who was head bartender. Next I wanted to be on the other side of the counter, and Pierre-Marie Bisson gave me my chance as a Junior Bartender at Milk & Honey, where he was bar manager. Sadly, that was two or three weeks before the COVID lockdown and the venue’s closure. I then joined the opening of the NoMad as a barback. That’s where I really entered the cocktail world. The NoMad has many service steps and rules—very specific, very standardised—and I loved that mindset. In three years I went from Bartender to Head Bartender to Assistant Bar Manager. It was an incredible experience, especially learning to manage a ten-person team. I left in 2024 to open Vibes Riviera.

Yoann: I started working in restaurants during school holidays at 16; on the Côte d’Azur seasonal demand is huge. Hospitality and conviviality run in my family, so I felt at ease. I got into the bar by accident: while working in a restaurant I dropped a basket of bread in front of the chef, who sent me to the bar as punishment. I liked it and finished the season. After high school a friend pushed me to join him in London to learn English. My bar experience got me hired at a steakhouse despite not speaking the language. Later the same group of friends and I went to Australia, where I bartended in a busy restaurant. It was my first job serving cocktails with real guest interaction. I loved it, and Sydney’s scene was amazing; I realised this was my path. Six months later—working-holiday rules—I had to change jobs and moved to Melbourne. Best decision ever: I worked with the city’s most talented bartenders. I thought I’d stay for a year but ended up living in Australia for five. The cocktail bar became my life; I threw myself into it and eventually managed an opening. Still, I came back to Europe because the distance weighed on me.

Back in London, with that experience, a real bartender career opened up. I quickly landed at The London Edition, with its fantastic bar program, where I met Manon. It was my first hotel-bar role and taught me the art of hospitality—the guest experience. The post-COVID reopening changed the dynamic and it no longer suited me. That’s when Satan’s Whiskers was hiring. It’s always been my favourite bar; it’s exactly the style of cocktails I love to drink and make. We often went there as guests.

So how was the experience at Satan’s Whiskers?

Yoann: When I met Emilio di Salvo, then bar manager at Satan’s, we clicked. I wanted to get back to a neighbourhood cocktail bar where I could see every facet of operations—planning to open my own someday. I was lucky to work in my dream bar for almost three years, with an exceptional team and amazing owners, Kevin Armstrong and Daniel Waddy.

Satan’s Whiskers is the toughest place I’ve ever worked—but stepping out of your comfort zone reveals skills you didn’t know you had.

The menu changes daily, the service is fully personalized at the table, and yet the volume is huge. The global bar industry comes to watch you work, so the pressure is constant and you often feel like the weakest link—while being inspired by your colleagues.

In a Jigger Daily interview, Andy Loudon, director of Scarfes Bar in London, said he learned more in 20 minutes talking with Kevin Armstrong than in years of experience…

Yoann: I completely agree with Andy Loudon. Kevin Armstrong is in the bar every day before service and the team spends two or three hours with him exchanging ideas. Kevin isn’t the only one talking—he listens, which I think is the essence of intelligence. The discussions are fascinating. I have to give equal credit to Daniel Waddy, Kevin’s right-hand man, now a partner and co-author of their book Roundbuilding. Dan is the ultimate bar geek. He’s tried everything and tests everything methodically. He always asks why: what happens if I shake for 45 seconds instead of 20? With three ice cubes instead of four? Then he stores samples in test tubes to study texture and temperature. He’s on the floor like any team member. After closing, around 2:30 a.m., we’d do a speed-and-accuracy free-pour drill—2.5 cl, 5 cl, 10 cl—followed by a service debrief. Constant self-examination, endless discussion till 5 a.m., all for one goal: serving the best cocktail possible the moment it reaches the guest’s lips. That daily questioning inspired us when shaping our bar—a shared heritage that Manon and I are planting here and that will grow differently in this new environment.

Vibes Riviera is the sum of all our experiences. There’s as much NoMad as Satan’s Whiskers: the personalised hospitality of an exceptional hotel like the NoMad, a shared DNA of classics-based cocktails, and of course the daily-changing menu and ultimate neighbourhood-bar identity of Satan’s.

Being around people so dedicated to their craft was a joy. I’m also thinking of Kevin Rigault (director of Les Ambassadeurs bar at Hôtel de Crillon), with whom we worked at the London Edition, and who shares the same exacting standards. Kevin is the only one who turned up—two days after we hired him—with his own set of jiggers whose measures he’d checked. We did that too behind the bar, so it showed we shared the same attention to detail. We’ve met up often since, like at the first Vibes pop-up. That night he ended up bar-backing, polishing glassware because we were totally slammed! (laughs).