Paris · France · International
Cocktail Creator & Beverage Consultant
Cocktails, menus and experiences designed to give bars, restaurants and hotels a memorable identity.
Introduction
Maxime Caillet is a French Head Bartender and Beverage Consultant. Originally trained in applied arts, illustration and ceramics, he gradually brought that visual culture into the creation of cocktails, menus and hospitality experiences.
His path led him from Parisian neighbourhood bars to acclaimed cocktail bars, then to five-star hotels, consulting projects and international collaborations.
Today he works with venues that want to build a strong identity, create a new menu, open a place or train their teams.
« A cocktail is more than a recipe. It has to say something about the place where it is served. »
10+
years of experience
50 Best Discovery
Moonshiner
Top 100
Top500Bars with Moonshiner
Best Sustainable Bar
Timeout Awards 2023
Journey
2024 — 2026
Paris
Role
Head Bartender · Bar Manager
As Head Bartender and Bar Manager at Isadora, Maxime shaped both the creative identity and the day-to-day direction of the bar, from menu development and technical production to team training and service standards.
He first created “Forever 27”, a tribute to eight artists whose influence outlived them, before developing “Soirée Arrosée”: an imagined night through 1970s Paris, pairing iconic figures, legendary locations and signature cocktails. Two menus combining storytelling, visual culture and modern cocktail techniques.
Skills
Highlights
2023 — 2024
Paris
Role
Head Bartender / Bar Manager
Maxime and Virgile Texier were involved from the very first steps of the opening of Boubalé, the bar and restaurant of Le Grand Mazarin, a five-star hotel in the Marais. They built the project from scratch: bar identity, cocktail menu, spirits selection, service processes, recruitment and team training.
The programme was developed with Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit around an Ashkenazi universe, seasonal produce, vegetables and bespoke glassware made in the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Highlights
2019 — 2023
Paris
Role
Bartender · Head of Creation
Moonshiner was a turning point. There he sharpened his hospitality, his creativity and techniques such as clarification, fermentation and carbonation.
After two years he became Head of Creation and changed the way menus were designed, applying the methods learned during his art studies to cocktails.
Skills
Highlights
2016 — 2019
Paris
Role
Head Bartender, then operations experience
Maxime took part in the complete turnaround of a struggling pub: new positioning, new interior, new team and a new food and beverage offer.
The venue gradually became a neighbourhood destination, then opened a second cocktail bar downstairs with DJ sets and live music.
Skills
2014 — 2016
Paris
Role
Bartender
The first years behind the bar and the foundations of a career built on service, technique and hospitality.
Recognition
2024
Best Sustainable Bar
Boubalé · Paris
Boubalé won best sustainable bar: local produce, waste reduction and sorting practices driven by the whole team. A Best Cocktail Bar nomination completed the same year's results.
Read the article
2026
Winner France
Maxime Caillet
Maxime won the French final of the World Ultimate Bartender Championship and will represent France at the global final in India.
Read the article2023
Best Sustainable Bar
Boubalé
Boubalé won best sustainable bar thanks to its work on local produce, waste reduction and sorting practices.
Read the article
2023
Winner
Maxime Caillet
Maxime won the French final days before Boubalé opened, then competed in the global final at the Athens Bar Show.
Read the article
2022
Winner
Moonshiner Team
Selected work
Isadora · 2025 · Head Bartender / Bar Manager
Soirée Arrosée imagines one long night through Paris, fifty years ago. From the first drink at dusk to the final hours before sunrise, eight cocktails trace a fictional journey through some of the city's most iconic places, encounters and personalities.
Isadora · 2026 · Head Bartender / Bar Manager
Forever 27 explores the mythology of the 27 Club through eight artists who left a lasting mark on music and culture. Each cocktail becomes a portrait, translating an artist's personality, aesthetic and era into flavours, textures and visual details.
Boubalé — Le Grand Mazarin · 2023 · Head Bartender / Bar Manager
A cocktail programme developed with Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit, built on seasonal produce, vegetables, spices, bread, nuts and Eastern European flavours.
Moonshiner · 2022 · Head of Creation
A menu built like a Parisian brasserie set menu: starter, main, dessert. The cocktails don't simply copy dishes — they play with their textures, references and names.
Moonshiner · 2022 · Head of Creation
A summer menu presented as a weather map of French beaches. Each cocktail stands for a coastal town and uses produce from that destination. The alcohol level is shown as swimming conditions: green for light drinks, yellow for medium, red for the strongest.
Moonshiner · 2021 · Head of Creation
A diptych menu built around the clichés different nationalities hold about each other. Each cocktail uses taste, smell and staging to shift the guest's perception.
Expertise
01
Designing a menu consistent with the venue's identity, kitchen, guests, seasonality and operational constraints.
02
Creating a recognisable, memorable drink for a restaurant, hotel, chef, brand or event.
03
Supporting the project from first idea to opening: concept, menu, product selection, glassware, equipment, production methods and organisation.
04
Rethinking the drinks offer and building a world that sets a venue apart for the long run.
05
Training teams on recipes, techniques, service, presentation and the story behind each creation.
06
Improving preps, production methods, workflow, costs, consistency and service quality.
07
Designing a cocktail experience for a launch, dinner, brand activation, guest shift or private event.
Got a menu, an opening or an idea to develop?
Discuss the project on WhatsAppMethod
01
Getting to know the venue, its story, its kitchen, its team, its guests and its ambitions.
02
Defining the concept, the narrative, the flavours, the products, the glassware and the overall experience.
03
Developing recipes, preps, balance, costing and production methods.
04
Training the team, organising the first services and supporting the menu launch.
Places, brands & recognitions
Press
About
What drives Maxime goes beyond making a good cocktail.
His work is about building concepts, giving a menu coherence, supporting teams and turning an idea into an experience.
His art background still shapes the way he works: a menu as a narrative, a texture as a material, service as staging.
He works in French and English, in France and internationally.
New menu · New venue · New experience
Planning an opening, a new menu or a signature cocktail? Tell Maxime about your project directly.
Contact
Maxime Caillet
Cocktail Creator & Beverage Consultant
