Distinguished in Paris, the 22-year-old bartender from Agde won the title hands down.
The last competition crowning the best apprentice in France in the bartender category took place in Paris. Mathis Hoyet, 22 years old and native of Cap d’Agde, won this distinction.
How did you come up with the idea to compete?
I left Loubatières high school to go to Montpellier at the Georges-Frèche hotel school. There, I had a teacher, Laurent Agar, who had been France’s best bartender worker in 2019. He saw potential in me and entered me into the competition. I passed the departmental and regional selections in Paris in order to reach the final.
How is this contest going?
There is a very big pressure at the beginning of the first tests while passing in front of the jury. Over time, I started to enjoy it a lot. There is also a MCQ on alcohol, bar technology, knowledge of all the products… You have to know all the possible cocktails, the origin of the product, its variants, its history…
I drew lots for a topic on rum. Then there is a glass proof without doser. You have to put the exact dose in a glass and the last two tests make two cocktails from a list of 60 and then come up with a personal creation. The day ends with a commercial argument to advise a client at the bar.
Satisfaction with the result?
The day was stressful. In the evening when the results were announced, I finished as the only best apprentice in France out of the 12 candidates selected. It’s a real satisfaction, a real relief.
I am very proud of it and I owe this victory to my teacher Laurent Agar and to my family who supported me all the time and to Luca Ianelli, my communication director.
Your projects ?
I work in Paris but I’m going to Cannes for the tourist season in a famous bar. I will take advantage of these months to perfect myself and evolve in my profession.
