Where French Vodka Meets the Art of Haute Gastronomy
In Cannes, an exclusive tasting at the Hôtel Martinez revealed a new French vodka determined to move beyond convention and into the world of haute gastronomy.
Cannes has long been a meeting place for international luxury, cinema, fashion and fine living. During Tax Free, the iconic Croisette provided the setting for another kind of unveiling: the presentation of LA BANQUISE® Vodka Pack Ice®, a French ultra-premium vodka brand with an ambition that reaches far beyond the traditional codes of the category.
Hosted at the prestigious Hôtel Martinez, the exclusive press conference brought together international media and invited guests for an introduction to the brand, followed by a gastronomic cocktail experience created around LA BANQUISE® by two of France’s culinary figures, three-Michelin-starred chef Christopher Coutanceau and Nicolas Brossard.
For LA BANQUISE®, the event was more than a tasting. It was a statement of intent.
A new expression of French luxury
Behind LA BANQUISE® stands the President and Founder of AROKS SAS, owner of the brand, whose career spans almost four decades in the international wines and spirits industry. Having worked with major international groups and leading brands across numerous markets, he approached vodka with a clear objective: to rethink the category through the lens of French craftsmanship, gastronomy and contemporary luxury.
The result is LA BANQUISE® Pack Ice® – a vodka crafted and bottled in France, in the Cognac region, and designed from the outset with international markets in mind.
“With the expectations of the market and the most discerning consumers in mind, we have brought together everything France is internationally recognised for: a refined art of blending the world’s finest flavours, uncompromising quality and timeless elegance.”
President and Founder of AROKS SAS
The brand made its official debut on 16 March 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, during the after-party of the MICHELIN Guide 2026 Ceremony. From Monaco to Cannes, its journey is already closely connected with the world of gastronomy and hospitality.
From the sea to the glass
At the Hôtel Martinez, the brand’s philosophy came vividly to life through the collaboration with Christopher Coutanceau and Nicolas Brossard.
For two decades, the pair have formed an inseparable duo at the helm of the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Christopher Coutanceau in La Rochelle. Their partnership brings together two complementary disciplines: Coutanceau’s deeply personal cuisine, rooted in the sea and sustainable fishing, and Brossard’s expertise in hospitality, wines, spirits and pairing.
Their role as ambassadors for LA BANQUISE® is therefore a natural extension of a shared philosophy built around precision, excellence and the French “art de vivre”.
During the Cannes presentation, guests were invited to discover two signature cocktails created by Nicolas Brossard and paired with dishes imagined by Christopher Coutanceau.
The first, Iceberg, immediately echoed the identity of LA BANQUISE®. Fresh, elegant and evocative, the cocktail was paired with a creation centred around an oyster a dish inspired by the ocean and by Coutanceau’s enduring relationship with marine flavours.
The second signature creation, Golden Tide, revealed another facet of the collection. Built around LA BANQUISE® vodka infused with saffron, the precious “red gold” of gastronomy, it developed refined notes of quince, creating a sophisticated dialogue between spice, fruit and spirit.
The experience offered guests an opportunity to discover vodka not simply as a drink, but as a gastronomic ingredient capable of interacting with food in the same way as a fine wine or a carefully selected spirit.
A polar bear with a purpose
There is another dimension to the brand’s identity.
The polar bear, chosen as LA BANQUISE®’s emblem, is more than a distinctive visual signature. It represents the brand’s desire to address environmental concerns and contribute to awareness around the protection of the fragile polar ecosystem.
This philosophy resonates naturally with Christopher Coutanceau, whose cuisine has long been associated with the sea, seasonality and the preservation of marine resources.
In this sense, the polar bear becomes a symbolic link between the brand and its gastronomic ambassadors: a reminder that luxury today is increasingly defined not only by rarity and craftsmanship, but also by responsibility.
The French art of living, reimagined
The Cannes presentation at the Hôtel Martinez offered a first glimpse of what LA BANQUISE® Pack Ice® hopes to become: not simply another premium vodka, but a French luxury spirit capable of finding its place at the table of haute gastronomy.
From the icy imagery of its polar bear emblem to the warmth of saffron, the freshness of citrus and the marine character of Coutanceau’s cuisine, the brand is building a universe where contrasts become part of the experience.
Its ambition is clear: to take the French art of living beyond the traditional worlds of wine and Champagne and introduce a new generation of consumers to vodka through gastronomy, craftsmanship and elegance.
And if Cannes offered the stage, the journey is only beginning.
LA BANQUISE® Pack Ice® is now setting its sights on the world – one table, one cocktail and one gastronomic experience at a time.
@labanquisevodka
Photo credit @LA BANQUISE
