We interviewed him in 2019. A stint in Thailand, the launch of a YouTube channel, a COVID crisis, and taking on a new establishment, we caught up with Cesar Debus again on his ambitions, the Strasbourg cocktail scene, and the new geeky bar-related things he loves to share on social media.
How did you experience the COVID period?
It was long, but productive. I returned from Thailand (Bangkok) where I was working for an establishment that closed after the COVID crisis. I was supposed to go to Martinique, a week-long trip organized by SAINT JAMES with a visit to the distillery by Marc Sassier himself, but there was the lockdown! (I still haven't had time to make this trip, to my great regret). But during this period, I also set up my consulting company "Zestedepomme", my website www.cesardebus.fr, and my YouTube channel @Cesardebus16, so it was productive. But I missed the bar during this COVID crisis.
You have recently been behind the bar at Clap Clap. Can you tell us more about this new venue?
This is a Parisian group, Turenne Capital, pulling the strings in this brand new Strasbourg establishment. It's a Bar/Restaurant within a hotel that has been completely renovated. We took a gamble on attracting a Strasbourg clientele of all ages, and it's a gamble that has paid off. Regarding drinks, I really indulged myself 🙂 I was given complete carte blanche. We have a very impressive cocktail menu with cocktails ranging from simple to very complex. We need to be able to satisfy all palates. We use techniques like carbonation, juice clarification, milk clarification, sous-vide cooking, and complex cocktails made with a rotary evaporator...
You've also started making canned cocktails. Was that complicated to set up?
I have indeed just launched canned cocktails, only classics for now. In a 25cl format in small, very wide cans called Stubby, a format very common in Asia.
The setup and authorization were quite easy; the city of Strasbourg granted me a license to sell alcohol for takeaway. I had done these procedures during lockdown and COVID, but I only decided to launch them now, after getting a feel for it and being satisfied with my final offering.
I'm lucky enough to have a lab and an automatic canning machine at home, so I can do everything myself.
With these cans, I hope to reach a wide audience, everyday people, for events like company committees, weddings, festivals, or restaurants.
They can be purchased on my website. And soon in Strasbourg at the store "44cl - Beer Dealer"
Today, how would you describe the cocktail scene in Strasbourg?
I am happy with this Strasbourg scene! There aren't many of us, and we all know each other very well! But the flagship establishment of the Strasbourg cocktail scene remains the Code Bar, which has also entered the Top500 bar ranking. I am really happy for them, they deserve it fully. Moreover, if you don't find me behind my bar at Clap Clap in Strasbourg, you must go to Code Bar! I will surely be there drinking a whiskey soda or serving shots to everyone at the counter!
I hope the Strasbourg scene will continue to grow and get a little more media attention nationally and internationally, because it widely deserves it.
Personally, we know you're a bit of a geek and one of the few in France to have a rotovap at home. How much time do you spend at home doing R&D?
I am indeed lucky to have a Rotovap at home. After all, it's still an entry-level Rotovap, so if Bucchi has any excess, they shouldn't hesitate to send me one to compare! I couldn't tell you how many hours I've spent testing it, as I'm still doing it. The problem is that there is no documentation, or very little, on how this machine works... We know the theory of distillation, but the practice is different. I've done a lot of tests to understand the machine, its capabilities and its limits. If any bartenders want to embark on the Rotovap adventure, they shouldn't hesitate to contact me, I would be happy to guide them.
What are your latest acquisitions?
I'm hesitating between two products: a freezer that can go down to -50°C to experiment with "Switching" or a Spray Dryer that allows any liquid to be atomized into powder.
Regarding bottles (spirits or others), what are your favorites today?
I have fewer and fewer, or almost no sales representatives or brand ambassadors visiting me to let me taste new products or their offerings! If we can't travel to trade shows in Paris or elsewhere, we can't discover new products. Consequently, it's quite difficult to answer this question, as there are many products I haven't tasted and have only seen in photos. Nevertheless, I thank Florian Pflieger from Maison Remy Cointreau, who always visits me and lets me taste his products. I have two products that really caught my eye. The first is Champagne Telmont. I don't like champagne, it's too acidic for me, but this one reconciled me with the product. The second one that really thrilled me is "Belle de Brillet", an EXTRAORDINARY French pear & cognac liqueur. Don't be surprised to see them appear on my next menu!
We see a multitude of new products/brands arriving in France, how do you go about making your selection?
As mentioned earlier, I don't have the luxury of being able to taste or see everything, and I'm sure there must be some gems arriving on our market, but I often use products that I already know and like. Especially since I have no contracts binding me to any brand at Clap Clap, so I'm free to choose what I want.
What do you think will be the bar trends this year?
I have no idea about this year's bar trends; I let the star tenders, influencers, and alcohol companies create and launch trends. I'm just a little goldfish in the world of bartenders/influencers/tutologists. Tutologist, I like that word to represent and qualify myself, it refers to my YouTube page and what I try to share on that page. Knowledge shared with the general public and professionals by making tutorials. I prefer to be called a Tutologist rather than an influencer.
But if I had to choose a trend, I'd like cocktails to become a bit fancier again in terms of decorations and presentation. I find that sometimes cocktails are very technical with minimalist garnishes. It's great when you're a bartender and you receive a cocktail like that which hits you gustatorily and technically. But a customer who doesn't know this world might be visually disappointed with their cocktail and may start to taste their cocktail with some apprehension, which can make the experience less good, even though the cocktail is perfectly made.
You participated in many bartender competitions at one point. We see you a bit less these days. Is it over for you? What did you like or, on the contrary, dislike about the many competitions you've done?
It's not over for me yet 🙂 ... I love competitions because they allow you to question your work, meet new people, and discover new techniques. I often exchange tips and techniques with people I've competed with when I'm stuck on something. After that, I had the chance to move to the other side of competitions and be a judge, and I LOVE it.
I love sharing with competitors about their performance and their cocktails. I've participated in many competitions and I think I can help them improve their competition routines and make them progress. Moreover, I love sharing, that's also what the bar means to me: sharing knowledge.
There are so many things I've loved about competitions that it would take a whole book if I had to describe everything…
We are always welcomed in sumptuous places, like rockstars, it's great, the brands and the organization take great care of us. What I dislike in competitions are egocentric bartenders, this has rarely happened to me and fortunately, otherwise I wouldn't have participated in so many competitions and met so many talented and friendly bartenders who have become good friends and a family for some (they know who they are).
And more generally, how do you judge the French bar scene in 2023?
I think we have many beautiful things in the French bar scene, talented bartenders, magnificent and quality establishments. But unfortunately, I find that the media coverage and events are almost exclusively focused on Paris; in the provinces, we are a bit "forgotten". Especially us in Strasbourg, we are a small city with few cocktail bars, but to re-mention the bar code, I am happy that it is in the top 500, makes Strasbourg shine and it largely deserves its place and even a better ranking in this Top500.
We can also follow you through tutorials on YouTube. Who are you addressing? How did you get the idea to make these tutorial videos?
I have always been a big consumer of YouTube. When I want to learn how to do something I know nothing about, I always turn to YouTube. So, I wanted to create my channel with this in mind. My channel is really for everyone, from beginners to bar professionals. I try to recreate classic cocktails in under 2 minutes, people get the recipe plus a little story to impress in social settings. A new section has just been launched where I will explain how to make syrups, infusions, liqueurs, fatwashes, etc. an explanatory section on high-tech bar machines or utensils, including the Rotovap, will be coming soon.
So don't hesitate to subscribe and share on YouTube @cesardebus16
What can we wish you for 2023?
We can wish me 1 million YouTube subscribers, partnerships with alcohol brands or other products (even a sock brand is fine with me!).
I really enjoyed being on competition juries, so I hope for many more jury roles.
But also to do many guest shifts! So I remain open to all proposals...
Don't hesitate to contact me via my website www.cesardebus.fr or on social media Instagram @Cesar_debus / Facebook @Cesardebus
