Since 2021, the island of Saint Martin has hosted La Festival de la Gastronomie de St. Martin, which is a 12-day culinary festival hosted each November by Discover Saint Martin, the tourism board of French Saint Martin. Known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean, St. Martin offers a higher level of cocktail and food options, all of which is on display during the Festival de la Gastronomie, which features seminars, workshops, dinners, parties, and a variety of competitions.
One of the major competitions of the week is the Mixology Competition, a challenge to determine the island’s top mixologist. Yolene Peyrard of Italian restaurant La Trattoria was the winner for the 2024 edition of the contest.
Behind the bar at La Trattoria, Peyrard offers refreshing, tropical twists on signature cocktails. Since she works alone behind the bar, she keeps the drinks simple, carefully chooses ingredients, and prebatches what she can. She also aims to make the cocktails visually interesting through the use of color as well as fruit and flaming garnishes.
For round one of the Mixology Competition, Peyrard created a pisco sour variation as she had just returned from a trip to South America and had the cocktail on her mind. She created an immersive experience around the cocktail, playing Latin music, burning sandalwood, and choosing ceramic, South American-inspired glassware.
For the final round, guava bean was the required ingredient in each cocktail. Peyrard created a twist on a Bloody Mary, since she liked the taste of tomato and guava bean together. The drink also included clarified tomato and yellow pepper water along with two types of foam—one inside the drink and one outside. The unique flavor combination, her technique, and the presentation of the cocktail won her the competition.
Peyrard is no stranger to adaptation and using unique ingredients. As an island, St. Martin can often experience a shortage of ingredients, so the local operators have learned ways to adapt. Some work with over two dozen suppliers to ensure they always have what they need. Others turn to the bartending community; Peyrard said a group chat of over 200 bartenders on the island is always active with people turning to their peers to help source ingredients.
Sourcing from multiple suppliers and making use of the local bar network are two practices US bartenders and operators could learn from as they struggle with tariffs, rising prices, and snags in the supply chain.
Another piece of advice Peyrard has for bartenders? Stay passionate and dedicated to the craft and the guest. "You have to think you're making [the drink] for your mother," she says. "If you know you didn't put love in the cocktail, make another one. Don't send it like that."
The 2025 La Festival de la Gastronomie de St. Martin will be held November 11-25, and this year's required ingredient in the mixology competition is passion fruit!
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