Xavier Padovani, a partner in the Experimental Group, shared a story to demonstrate the ethos of the back bar at the Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC). If a customer asks for a vodka and tonic with a big-name vodka—he uses Belvedere as an example—they’ll offer the alternative that they stock with a promise: “If you don’t like it, don’t worry about it. I’ll send someone to the shop to get that Belvedere,” says Padovani. “Very often people are like, ‘Okay, why not? What’s the story?’ That’s the tendency we aim for.”
Quality over quantity isn’t exactly a new approach, but consideration to the craft, terroir, and provenance of each bottle has become a calling card of the bar. “The idea is not to have a massive back bar, but to have a back bar of interesting spirits,” says Padovani. “We’ve always tried not to educate, because it’s not the right word, but to introduce spirits that consumers are not super aware of. And the consumer in the U.S.— even more than anywhere in the world—is extremely educated.”
This September, ECC celebrated its triumphant return to New York City after an eight-year hiatus. The first outpost of the bar opened in Paris in 2007, helping to ignite the now world-famous Parisian cocktail scene. The trio of partners—Pierre-Charles Cros, Romée De Goriainoff, and Olivier Bon—often cited New York City as an inspiration, but ECC’s Lower East Side location shuttered in 2016 due to high rents, and they had been looking for a new site ever since—which they found beneath La Compagnie Wine Bar (also part of the Experimental Group) in Flatiron. Smaller than the original, the intimate, amber-hued lounge seats 40, with a piano taking centerstage in anticipation of late-night music and dancing.
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Nico de Soto returned to the group to consult on the cocktail menu alongside head bartender Nathalie Durrieu. And, as ever, Padovani built out the spirits list, including the bar’s collection of rare French spirits and liqueurs—a constant across ECC’s seven locations worldwide. These bottles aren’t necessarily expensive, but they’re usually hard to come by, and, more often than not, the producer has a relationship with the group. “Some of these brands, we have emotional attachments to them,” says Padovani. Here, he tells SevenFifty Daily about the five bottles that are particularly special to him. (Price listed below per pour at ECC in New York City).
Laurent Cazottes Organic Tomato Liqueur; $15
Laurent Cazottes comes from a winemaking family and it shows in the work he’s doing at his farm and distillery in France’s Occitanie. With fruit from organic and regeneratively farmed orchards and vineyards, he makes eau de vies and natural wines. “The pear [eau-de-vie] is out of this world, but the tomato is my favourite, and it’s a bit more fun as well,” says Padovani.
Laurent has over 200 species of tomato growing in his biodynamic garden, which are handpicked, stemmed, and quartered, before being macerated in brandy from Folle Noire. The resulting liquid is 18% ABV and “you can do everything with it,” says Padovani. “I drink it, sipping. We use it in different cocktails, in the Bloody Mary. It’s too easy to drink.” Padovani and Cazottes are even talking about a collaboration. “I would like to do something special just for us, a batch of maybe apple or pear, but something that tells a different story than everyone else.”
Hautes Glaces Vulson Eau-de-vie; NA
High in the French Alps, Les Hautes Glaces was created by Frédric Revol, an agronomist turned distiller. At the organic, deeply sustainable grain-to-glass operation, the focus is on creating flavor and depth from the terroir of the mountainous terrain and the grain, rather than the influence of a cask or aging. “We met Frédric years ago; he came out of his mountain and introduced us to his spirit. We’ve grown up with him,” says Padovani. “It’s ridiculous, for all the spirits he makes, he can tell you exactly which field [the grain] comes from.”
While he’s known for his unaged whiskies, Vulson is an eau-de-vie made using locally-grown heritage rye and left to rest until it reaches 41% ABV. “If we just speak technically, the juice is amazing,” says Padovani. In 2017, Hautes Glaces was acquired by Rémy Cointreau, but that hasn’t changed its commitment. “They’ve launched a new distillery, but he’s retained that free spirit,” says Padovani. “This one does not get sold. This is mostly distributed as a complimentary pour for bartenders and regulars to taste.”
Bellevoye ‘White Label’ French Whisky Triple Malt Sauternes Finish; $23
Bellevoye, created by Jean Moueix and Alexandre Sirech, friends of ECC, offers a range of triple malt whiskies, with a blend of single malts from Brittany and Alsace, as well as Charente, where it’s produced. The seven whiskies in the range are distinguished by their finish and final maturation. The brand places a strong emphasis on its French provenance. “It’s a great way to raise the French flag,” says Padovani. “I think they’re really pushing on the French aspect of things because the French are massive whiskey drinkers.”
Padovani’s favorite is the White Label with a Sauternes finish. “This one is very different,” he says, of the liquid aged for six months in casks which previously held premier cru Sauternes. “It’s great for cocktails such as a classic Old Fashioned or Boulevardier.”
L. N. Mattei Cap Corse ‘Quinquina’ Blanc; $15
This quinine-based vermouth was originally produced by a merchant called Louis-Napoléon Mattei in 1872 in Corsica, a peninsula of which is its namesake. After a slow demise, the brand was revived in 2016 by three Corsican entrepreneurs, who came to ECC for advice during product development and for help with the relaunch. “It was a true exchange,” describes Padovani, who is originally from Corsica himself and so has deep connections to the aperitif. “It carries a little bit of originality in France,” he goes on. “Yes, we use Dolin as a vermouth, but this is one of the rare ones using quinine, which is difficult to find.”
L. N. Mattei is distributed in the U.S. by Haus Alpenz. “Every single thing in their portfolio is bang on,” says Padovani. While there’s also a red vermouth, he chooses to spotlight the white. “If you have the opportunity, try it on ice. It’s simple, it’s not overpriced, and it’s super, super good.”
Chartreuse MOF; $17
The bright green and yellow herbal liqueur has been produced by Carthusian monks in the French Alps for centuries, but when demand soared in recent years with the rise of at-home cocktailing, Chartreuse Diffusion, the business division of the monks’ operation, announced production would be capped, and from 2023 it’s been available by allocation only. “You have to understand, it’s not a commercial venture; it pays for different things at the monastery,” explains Padovani.
ECC has an allocation, but beyond the yellow, green, and MOF (Meilleur Ouvriers de France Sommeliers) bottles, they also occasionally have Tarragona Chartreuse, which is even harder to come by. For a period of time between 1903 and 1989, the Carthusian monks relocated to Tarragona in Spain to produce their liqueur. “That Chartreuse they did in Tarragona is incredible,” says Padovani (whose uncle happens to be in the order). “The only challenge is that it’s extremely expensive. It’s become ridiculous. There’s two guys in France I source it from, and I don’t really want to give you their names.” Though soon, if Padovani is successful, it will be available to taste at New York City’s ECC.
Dispatch
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Tyler Wetherall is the senior editor for SevenFifty Daily and the Beverage Media Group publications. Her drinks journalism has appeared in publications including Punch, The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveler, Thrillist, and The Spirits Business, which awarded her the Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year. Tyler is also the author of No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run, and Amphibian, her debut novel. Follow her on Instagram at @tylerwrites.