You’ve chosen the date.  You’ve found your ideal venue.  You’ve selected the best group of friends and family to share in your special event.  Maybe you’ve decided to invest in a private chef to create your perfect menu!  Now for the two essential details that will take your event to the next level of luxury, etching this gathering in everyone’s memories for many years to come.  A private concert with live musicians and DJs, creating the soundtrack to your event and a bespoke cocktail menu, planned ahead of time exclusively for you, made in the moment by your very own Mixologist.

We interviewed Myles The Mountain Mixologist to tell you more about him and how he got into the wonderful world of cocktail creation.

How long have you been working as a mixologist?

“I’ve been working in the cocktail industry for just over 10 years now, mainly in France and England.  I now live in France full time and enjoy woking wherever my bookings take me!”

What drew you into this unique profession? 

“I was lucky enough to work under some extremely talented bartenders early on in my career. Their skill and enthusiasm has inspired me to this day.  I was given a lot of creative freedom from the start so it was hard not to be hooked.  This has shown me how diverse cocktail-making can be and has fuelled my passion ever since.  There’s so much to take from mixology;  from learning everything you can about the thousands of different liquids, to the complicated techniques we use to produce our own versions of them.  Finding out about the history of drinks is intriguing, too.  It’s always a great point of conversation with friends and clients alike! “

Which geographical areas do you cover? 

“Over the winter we cover many resorts in the French Alps.  For example, Méribel, Courchevel, Megeve, Val d’Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs & La Plagne are our regular resorts.  However, the beauty of being mobile is that we can serve anywhere.  In the summer we operate mainly along the Côte d’Azur (Cannes, Nice & Saint Tropez) and Provence – but are available for bookings throughout France and in surrounding areas.”

How many clients can you cater for in one booking? 

“We cater events from intimate six person cocktail evenings (very popular during this time especially!) through to 200 guests weddings.  We pride ourselves on being able to service large numbers of guests without compromising on quality.  At larger events we set up our cocktail ladder which can host up to 120 cocktails, ready to be picked up and enjoyed straight away.  No waiting in line at the bar with us!”

What’s the best venue you’ve worked in as ‘The Mountain Mixologist’? 

“Probably one of the chalets in Courchevel 1850.  So many of them are so unimaginably beautiful.  I genuinely consider myself lucky to be able to serve in them on a daily basis.  We bring along our potable bar to events.  It’s pretty compact so we are often asked to set up in different rooms depending on where the guests want us.  It means that one day I’ll be serving pool side, another day on a terrace with a mountain backdrop and the next,  I’ll be beside a roaring fire in an exclusive chalet.  I love the diversity each day brings!  It’s creates so much variation to my working day or night!”

With all this variation in clientele and venues,  you must overhear some pretty interesting conversations! What’s the best line you’ve ever heard whilst making a cocktail?  

“I had an event last year in Courchevel 1850 for a Saudi prince – he said the most amazing line I’ve ever heard, whilst working – or even drinking at a bar!  We were discussing the various flavours and aromas I could combine when creating his personalised mocktail.  He didn’t drink for religious reasons, but his friend clearly had the confidence to tease him by asking me: ‘What kind of man doesn’t drink alcohol?’.  As cool as could be, the prince turned to me and said, ‘why would I reduce myself to a man, when I am a Prince?’.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever witnessed anything so suave.  He was also one of my nicest clients, so I’m glad he handled his friend well!”

So not only do you create bespoke cocktails, you also specialise in nonalcoholic cocktails for dry parties, baby showers, under 18s at events, those who don’t wish to drink etc?! 

“Absolutely!  We always make at least half our menu alcohol free so people can still enjoy the flavour profiles of the cocktails without the alcohol.  It’s genuinely really great to offer this as so often people who don’t drink are often left out of the whole cocktail world – which is completely unnecessary.  If you are professional and know what you are doing, you can offer the right cocktail to anyone.”

Finally, what do you love most about your job?  

“Probably the creative side of menu design.  For every booking, we’ll have a chat with the client first, see what they like and dislike and ensure we’re catering to their tastes. This creates a new menu every time, even if guests book us more than once in a week.  It’s great because all the cocktails we use are unique to us.  Meaning we’ve built an extensive list of cocktails over the years that only we’ve made – apart from the requested classics of course!  (But even then we’ll often create those with our own twist).  We also make everything in-house which also gives us much more control on what we can use.  It provides much more scope to create new ingredients rather than using the sorts of things anyone can buy ready-made in a bottle.  I’m proud to say that we aren’t the sort of cocktail designers who do this!

Another element of my job I love, is that I get to work in the same venues as other creatives.  I enjoy collaborating with some really great chefs to create a complimentary drinks menu.  Working alongside musicians & DJs is always such a perk to the job, too.  I do lots of private après ski events which means Après Ski Bands artists will more often than not be booked to perform.  Music, whether it’s background ambience or a full on gig, has the ability to settle clients and guests into the event.  I think it makes the whole occasion even more memorable and creates a truly unique and special occasion.  So maybe that’s actually the best part! “

Après Ski Bands & The Mountain Mixologist are collaborating to bring you the essential components of the ultimate event – bespoke music and drinks!  These two elements are always associated with the ultimate après ski parties, the best celebrations and the most exclusive weddings and events.  So why not tick these two things off your ultimate party list by booking them in one hit?  Just quote ‘APRES SKI MIXOLOGY’ when enquiring with us.

For a bespoke consultation, for you or your clients, contact Ella at Après Ski Bands.

elz@apresskibands.com  //  FR +33 6 50 21 20 24  //  UK  +44 77 306 12 808

The Mountain Mixologist Photography by : The Wardette Studio