These restaurants offer a non-alcoholic, in-house food and beverage pairing

Mathilde Bourge | 8/1/24, 2:29 PM

Who said wine was the only possible pairing in a gourmet restaurant? Five establishments prove the contrary in the most beautiful of ways.

Looking for a refined culinary experience without the effects of alcohol? Gastronomy is evolving, and more and more restaurants are innovating by offering homemade alcohol-free food and beverage pairings. Whether for health reasons, personal choice or simply to discover new flavors, these gastronomic pairings offer a delicious and sophisticated alternative to traditional wines and cocktails. Gault&Millau invites you to discover five prestigious establishments that have sublimated the art of pairing exquisite dishes with non-alcoholic beverages.

Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic in Valence

Anne-Sophie Pic, and her sommelier Paz Levinson, are among the forerunners when it comes to food and non-alcoholic beverage pairings. Since 2018, the two women have made a point of highlighting all types of beverages, such as tea and coffee, but also original creations like clarifications. " When I studied sommellerie in Argentina, we didn't just talk about wines, but all possible drinks," recalls Paz Levinson. After two years of development, all Anne-Sophie Pic Group restaurants, whether in Valencia, Hong Kong or even Lausanne, have been offering truly complete alcohol-free experiences since 2020. "Each sommelier imagines a proposal in line with the cuisine of his or her restaurant, then we consult with the chef to add our touch," explains the sommelier. Infusions, extractions, distillates, broths, clarifications, syrups, teas, coffees, dairy products... These preparations can also serve as the basis for a "creaative" (non-alcoholic cocktail) such as Shiso Tonic, with shiso, mint, bergamot juice and local tonic, or sweet clover clarification, prepared with black tea. "These drinks are so popular that today, even for 'classic' pairings, 20% of drinks are alcohol-free," says Paz Levinson.

Where to find us? Pic, 285 avenue Victor Hugo, 26000 Valence
www.anne-sophie-pic.com

Restaurant David Toutain in Paris

Since January 2023, David Toutain has been offering a "soft-pairing" in his restaurant to meet an ever-growing demand for a non-alcoholic alternative." If you travel 300 km to discover the chef's cuisine and all you're offered is water, it's a real shame," admits Alexandre Morlier, sommelier at Restaurant David Toutain (4 toques). Behind each plate featuring a product, there's a whole process between the chef, his team and me to find a coherence between the dish and the beverage. To achieve this, we use roasting, filtration or even effervescence methods, kitchen terms transferred to the non-alcoholic part of our drinks. I'd say it's an even more sophisticated job than wine and food pairing, because we're starting from scratch", says the sommelier. For example, herring and pike roe, one of David Toutain's signature dishes, is accompanied by a non-alcoholic cider made in-house. " We make a juice with candied apples, then add our own fennel vinegar," explains Alexandre Morlier. More than a year after the launch of this offer, the sommelier estimates that around 15% of customers fall for this cutting-edge, totally alcohol-free pairing.

Where to eat? Restaurant David Toutain, 29 rue Surcourf, 75007 Paris
www.davidtoutain.com

Freia in Nantes

After Vacarme (2 toques), Sarah Mainguy opened her second restaurant, Freia, in February 2024. The establishment, located on the 6ᵉ floor of a parking lot opposite the Nantes train station, is set under a large greenhouse offering a bucolic setting and an unobstructed view of the city. If, on the plate, the young chef gives pride of place to plants, she also proposes a zero-waste approach by transforming vegetable and fruit offcuts and aromatics... into alcohol-free drinks! Fermentations, infusions, juices: Sarah Mainguy's aim is to create beverages that are entirely homemade, to take pairings as far, if not further, than she could with wine.

Where to find her? Freia, 22 boulevard de Berlin, 44000 Nantes
www.freia-restaurant.com

Alchémille in Kaysersberg

Jérôme Jaegle 's Alchémille restaurant in Kaysersberg, which has been awarded three Gault&Millau stars, also plays the alcohol-free, 100% homemade card, with an original proposal. As in the kitchen, the chef enjoys sublimating local treasures to transform them into surprising, but above all delicious, drinks. For example, Jérôme Jaegle's imagination is endless: fir oil, ground ivy infusion, turnip and thyme brine water? To reassure even the most frigid of guests, the chef also prepares more familiar beverages such as kombucha.

Where to eat? Alchémille, 53 route de Lapoutroie, 68240 Kaysersberg
www.alchemille.alsace

Route to Paris

In the summer of 2023, chef Clément Vergeat inaugurated his new restaurant, Tracé, in the 1ᵉʳ arrondissement of Paris. With his sommelier Félix Bogniard, they came up with three food-and-drink pairings, including a non-alcoholic one, made entirely in-house. "We didn't want to offer juices or sodas, but really creations that matched the plates. I'm not trained in mixology, but it's a field that interests me a lot. We brainstorm with Clément, but also Victor Pereira, our maître d', who loves preparing these drinks. In spring, for example, we have a plate based around asparagus, fresh herbs and bottarga, which we accompany with a herbal kombucha, a very lively, fermented, low-sugar drink. We also work with JNPR non-alcoholic spirits and have created a flower gin and tonic, with their JNPR n°3 infused with verbena, a homemade dried flower syrup and a tonic water", Félix Bogniard lists. "Today, around 30% of our customers who take a pairing turn to alcohol-free, for reasons of taste, health or simply because it's early in the week and five glasses of wine is too much," the sommelier maintains.