Ibiza’s coolest bar owner? We think so. Charles Vexenat’s love affair with Mixology began when he was only 6 years old, mixing syrups and lemonade behind the bar at his grandparent’s brassiere in Dijon, France. Establishing himself as one of the best bartenders in the world on the London bartending scene most notably at The Lonsdale where in 2008 he was named Mixologist Of The Year at Tales of the Cocktail. After years of travelling the world perfecting his craft, like so many of us he yearned for a lifestyle with no stress and lots of sunshine…thankfully ending up on Ibiza shores. Bar 1805 is located at behind The Croissant Show on Calle Santa Lucia and is favoured by Ibiza’s cool set, don’t be surprised to find a string of superstar DJs propping up the bar here on their night off merrily making their way through a cocktail or two whilst chomping of Charles’s legendary Moules frites and Burger Foie Gras. As a consultant for Pernod Absinthe though it’s his Green Beast that takes pride of place behind the bar…”I want my cocktails to be very visual” he admits. “People don’t want a Manhattan, Martini or a stirred drink any more and the idea is that even though absinthe doesn’t please everybody, I try and show that it works as many different flavours as possible. But you have to be careful, more than one shot and you are going to over power the drink…”

What is absinthe?

Absinthe is a spirit, not a liqueur which contains anise and wormwood among other botanicals. Wormwood comes from Artemesia which is found in many species such as sage and tarragon. Thujone is the active ingredient what plays games with your brain when you drink it. The drink spent nine decades in the wilderness after being banned due to The Green Prohibition, which was in essence a propaganda spread after Monsieur Lanfray shot his entire family and himself after consuming inordinate amounts of wine, brandy…and absinthe. Thankfully it returned in the 1990s, firstly in the Czech Republic and then later in France where manufacturers cut down the levels of thujone and called it spiriteaux à base de plantes d’absinthe. Different grades of absinthe are now produced with Pernod Absinthe termed as absinthe superieure.

Find Charles mixing it with the best crowd on the island at Bar 1805, Calle Santa Lucia

Telefono : + 34 651 625 972