On the occasion of the release of Oracle, a non-alcoholic cocktail at Divine, Romain its creator tells us everything.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us about Divine ?
My name is Romain, I am 30 years old. I come from Toulouse. I've been in Paris for 5 years and I've been with Divine for a year.
Divine is therefore a bar, located at 61 rue d'Hauteville in the 10th arrondissement, in Paris. We are very cocktail and hospitality focused. We give it a lot of importance.
What new experience do you bring to Divine ?
Home ! It's cliché, but I find that in Paris it's still a little complicated to find places with a real sense of hospitality. There is also a double layer to cocktails. We try not to make the mistake of only catering to bartenders. We are also aimed at neophytes, those who know a little less, have a little less nose or palate. No matter who comes to drink a cocktail, everyone feels at home !
This is also how you worked on the OSCO alcohol-free cocktail !
Also, yes ! We tried to get straight to the point and make sure that as many people as possible liked it !
Why this profession of bartender ? What do you like the most ?
It happened a bit by chance. I started bartending in London. I left there after my studies, backpacking and told myself I was going to look for an apartment and a job. By chance I found a job in a bar ! I started like that, for a year. I liked the contact with people, making them have a good time. I found myself doing this little by little and it was when I returned to Paris that I discovered cocktails.
Your signature cocktail and its recipe
My signature cocktail is L'Oracle, an alcohol-free creation for our new menu !
15 ml of OSCO
15 ml of verjuice to acidify
20 ml of eucalyptus syrup
1 orange zest
a dash of orange blossom,
half topped off with elderflower tonic
and half of non-alcoholic prosecco
What do we eat to go with this mocktail ?
Cheese ! Cheese and ham from the South West ! Something very simple but good.
The essential ingredient for a successful aperitif ?
Cheese !
A preference ?
Comté cheese
The 3 people you would like to have a drink with if everything was possible ?
3 people… I can give you one ! Alexandre Astier.
He is a very intelligent person, who fascinates me with his curiosity, his ability to be interested in everything. In a society where we tend to promote mediocrity, it feels good to have people like him, always pushing in cultural areas and science. If I could have a drink with him, that would make me very happy.
What do you like about him ?
He does a little bit of everything ! He's an actor, a director, he also writes. The crazy thing about him is that he touches everything. I saw a video of him where he talked about organs. He is really curious and interested in everything. That’s something I really admire in people, curiosity.
A music idea for the aperitif ?
Sade ! I like it, it could be fun at work !
A person to follow ?
An account to follow : @two.schmucks , if you like cocktails and the world of bars. It's a bar in Barcelona with excellent cocktails. The manager is French, she is very talented. This account is my main source of inspiration. I like the fact that they share their recipes, their preparation techniques, I find it very healthy. This allows for constant emulation between bartenders. It can also be interesting for someone whose job is not that and who is interested in this universe : there are very beautiful photos, the quality of the video editing is great. They do not hesitate to simplify the preparation of recipes, which helps demystify the world of cocktails.
Carte blanche : give us an address to discover
In Paris I would say the Sherry Butt, at 20 rue Beautreillis in the Marais. For me, it is the best cocktail bar in Paris. I haven't had anything better than there. There's a vibe, something that's happening that I can't explain. Sherry Butt cocktails are Sherry Butt cocktails.
Is there one in particular that you take ?
Yes ! Like all bartenders, I order the Ronin. At Sherry Butt, they don't really have a menu, it's a large menu with cocktails that they change, 3 by 3. So there is the famous Ronin, on the menu for 7 years, it's THE classic within the bartender community, based on Japanese whiskey with pandan, a syrup with smoked tea and olorosco.
And you, where can we follow you ?
On Instagram ! It's @rxmvin.dvbxiz