A really interesting new cocktail bar in Strasbourg, that is definitely worth a detour…read more
We went there with a friend of mine and were welcomed immediately, with a staff finding us a cozy and a comfy spot. The lights were not too bright, not too dim, and the music along with the decoration were rather quite tasteful.
I fancy myself a cocktail connoisseur (if not snob), so I decided to go with classical cocktails that I know well - a Brooklyn and a Mai Tai. Both are classics, but are tricky to get right and really exhibit the quality of ingredients well.
I was pleasantly surprised that the waiter immediately recognized the Brooklyn and offered me a couple of options for the main spirit. The only complaint that the only rye they were offering was Bulleit (meh for the dill off-flavor), and for bourbons it was Buffalo Trace (a great whiskey, but somewhat devoid of personality). Given that they had Woodford and Rittenhouse on the whiskey menu, I would not minded them to offer me to pay a bit more to get a more premium spirit. After all, at 14 euros for the drink, it's not an unreasonable price for well-made craft cocktails. Similarly, there is somewhat a split in bartending community due to Picon availability and transition to amer-biere instead of bitters as to complement or event substitute it with Angostura bitters, which would have been a good question to ask. Other than that, The Brooklyn was good, served in a Nick-and-Nora and a true Maraschino cherry. Not the absolute best I've ever seen, but a solid 8/10 and for 14 euros in such a nice setting - totally not a bad deal!
For a classic MaiTai, the trick is double. First is the choice of the right rums blend, and the second is the balancing between orgeat and lime, to make sure that the cocktail is neither too sweet, nor too sour.
In case of Le Douanier, the balancing was somewhat off in both departments. While they used very decent rums (Plantation 3* and a different Plantation), they did not use a Jamaican rum, leaving on the table rich funk notes and nuttiness that would make an outstanding Mai Tai. Similarly, since they used the house-made orgeat that tend to be less sweet than the 1940s-1960s commercial stuff for which the original recipe was formulated, the initial drink was a tiny tad too acidic. However, with the ice melting and dilution that followed, the acid has mellowed for a very decent drink towards the end. Once again, not the absolute best I've ever seen, but a very decent version of a very tricky drink, especially for a non-Tiki establishment. And for 13 -+ was a very correct price!
My friend grabbed a sweet banana liquor-forwards drink from menu, which came in a bowl and was richly decorated. While a bit too sweet for me, it was exactly to her taste, especially as the ice melted a bit.
Overall, a very good first impression and a staff passionate about the cocktails, likely building up their liquors collection and hopefully still to experiment. It does not dethrone Code Bar as the best cocktail bar in Strasbourg, but it shows promise and is definitely worth a visit, especially if what you want is comfy social drinking.