Moonshiner · 2021 · Head of Creation
Deconstructing clichés
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.
- Dirty Louis
Maxime Caillet — Cocktail Creator & Beverage Consultant
Paris · France · International
MaximeCaillet
Cocktail Creator & Beverage Consultant
Cocktails, menus and experiences designed to give bars, restaurants and hotels a memorable identity.
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Introduction
More than ten years behind the bar.
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
2024
Best Sustainable Bar with Boubalé
Places, brands & recognitions
O'Connells BastilleCafé La SeineMoonshinerBoubaléLe Grand MazarinIsadoraO'Connells BastilleCafé La SeineMoonshinerBoubaléLe Grand MazarinIsadora
Buffalo TraceGrand MarnierWhisky Live ParisCocktail SpiritsTime Out Paris50 Best DiscoveryTop500BarsAngosturaElit Martini MastersPernod RicardThe Bar World of TomorrowBuffalo TraceGrand MarnierWhisky Live ParisCocktail SpiritsTime Out Paris50 Best DiscoveryTop500BarsAngosturaElit Martini MastersPernod RicardThe Bar World of Tomorrow
Journey
The places that shaped my career.
2014 — 2016
O'Connells Bastille
Paris
Role
Bartender
The first years behind the bar and the foundations of a career built on service, technique and hospitality.
2016 — 2019
Café La Seine
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
- Venue turnaround
- Recruitment
- Team management
- Offer creation
- Operations
- Business development
2019 — 2023
Moonshiner
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
- Menu concept creation
- Recipe development
- Guest shifts
- Masterclasses
- Brand representation
- Training
- Whisky & cognac
Highlights
- Moonshiner joins 50 Best Discovery
- Moonshiner ranked in the Top500Bars Top 100
- Angostura Versus winner, 2022
2023 — 2024
Boubalé — Le Grand Mazarin
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
- Acclaimed opening in 2023
- Entered Top500Bars in its opening year
- Best Cocktail Bar nomination — Time Out Food & Drink Awards
- Best Sustainable Bar 2024 winner
© Vincent Leroux 2024 — 2026
Isadora
Paris
Role
Head Bartender / Bar Manager
A new chapter in Maxime's career. Venue concept, detailed contribution and signature cocktails to be completed — see the Jigger Daily, BarNews and Time Out articles in the Press section.
Selected work
Menus designed like stories.
Moonshiner · 2022 · Head of Creation
A drinkable beach forecast
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.
- La Neuvième Heure
- Cabourg
Moonshiner · 2022 · Head of Creation
Starter, main, dessert
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.
- Os à Moelle
- Œuf Mimosa
- Made in Shiner
Boubalé — Le Grand Mazarin · 2023 · Head Bartender / Bar Manager
A contemporary Ashkenazi menu
A cocktail programme developed with Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit, built on seasonal produce, vegetables, spices, bread, nuts and Eastern European flavours.
- Take My Oseille
- Basta
- Totally Nuts
Isadora · 2025 · Head Bartender / Bar Manager
Soirée Arrosée
An auteur menu written like the story of a Parisian night: from the aperitif to the small hours, each cocktail marks a moment of the evening, with contemporary bar techniques and a strongly visual identity.
- Soirée Arrosée
Isadora · 2026 · Head Bartender / Bar Manager
Forever 27 — The Club of 27
A menu paying tribute to the artists who died at 27: each cocktail translates a personality, a sound and an era, blending musical references, strong art direction and layered flavours.
- Forever 27
Expertise
What I can create for your venue.
01
Cocktail menu creation
Designing a menu consistent with the venue's identity, kitchen, guests, seasonality and operational constraints.
02
Signature cocktails
Creating a recognisable, memorable drink for a restaurant, hotel, chef, brand or event.
03
Bar and restaurant openings
Supporting the project from first idea to opening: concept, menu, product selection, glassware, equipment, production methods and organisation.
04
Consulting and creative direction
Rethinking the drinks offer and building a world that sets a venue apart for the long run.
05
Team training
Training teams on recipes, techniques, service, presentation and the story behind each creation.
06
Bar optimisation
Improving preps, production methods, workflow, costs, consistency and service quality.
07
Collaborations and events
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
From idea to first service.
01
Understand
Getting to know the venue, its story, its kitchen, its team, its guests and its ambitions.
02
Imagine
Defining the concept, the narrative, the flavours, the products, the glassware and the overall experience.
03
Create and test
Developing recipes, preps, balance, costing and production methods.
04
Hand over and launch
Training the team, organising the first services and supporting the menu launch.
Recognition
Awards & recognitions
2024
Time Out Food & Drink Awards
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
WUBC by Monkey Shoulder
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 article2024
Time Out Food & Drink Awards
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
Elit Martini Masters France
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
Angostura Versus
Winner
Moonshiner Team
Press
Maxime's venues, projects and creations seen by the press.
BarNewsMaximeBehind the bar at Isadora: Charly & Max, the duo powering Paris nightlifeLong-form portrait: art studies, early years, Moonshiner, Boubalé, craft philosophy and joining Isadora.Read the articleAlambic MagazineIsadoraIsadora: the legend of the 27 Club, sipped until dawnAn approach described as cinematic, narrative and almost choreographed.Read the articleAlambic Magazine2026IsadoraWith Soirée Arrosée, Isadora dives deeper into Paris nightlife mythologiesStorytelling, techniques, the eight stages of the night and detailed recipes.Read the articleBarNews2023ConcoursMax Oner (Boubalé) wins the Elit Masters French finalWinning recipe, the Eastini: tarragon vodka, dry vermouth and fennel pickles.Read the articleBarNewsBoubaléDiscovering Boubalé with Maxime Caillet and Virgile TexierThe opening, running a five-star hotel bar and working with Assaf Granit.Read the articleTime Out ParisIsadoraIsadora, where the cocktail never sleepsVenue review, mentioning Maxime and his time at Boubalé.Read the articleBarMagBoubaléBoubalé named most eco-friendly barPrint feature — double page available in the press kit.Read the article50 Best DiscoveryMoonshinerMoonshiner — 50 Best DiscoveryRead the articleTop500BarsMoonshinerMoonshiner — world Top 100Read the article
Travel, taste, learn.
- Macallan
- Dalmore
- Kilchoman
- Hine
- Delamain
- Braastad
- Ferrand
Along the way, Maxime has visited whisky, cognac, calvados and gin distilleries to meet producers, understand their methods and deepen his knowledge of spirits. From Scotland to Cognac, those trips still feed his approach to creation.
About
Creating places people remember.
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
What shall we create together?
Planning an opening, a new menu or a signature cocktail? Tell Maxime about your project directly.
Contact
Contact
Maxime Caillet
Cocktail Creator & Beverage Consultant
- +33 6 71 35 26 70
- max.oner@outlook.com
- @max.oner
- Location
- Paris, France
- Availability
- France & international