MERLET X ATELIER PIP
Structure Simplicity and Balance :
Rethinking the role of Liqueurs in Cocktails
Cocktail development program, concept and masterclass series
by Zoe Burgess (Atelier Pip) and Merlet.
A shared exploration between Merlet (five generations of distilling expertise) and Zoe Burgess (Atelier Pip). Together, we explore the principles of structure, simplicity, and balance — tested through a series of international masterclasses.
Flavour Flip reimagines what liqueurs can truly bring to cocktails. Rather than treating them as simple modifiers, we focus on flavour first: its structure, its simplicity, and its balance. Each Merlet liqueur is explored in two distinct structural roles to uncover contrast, function, and the full creative potential of a single ingredient.
The framework, defined by Zoe and tested with Merlet’s range, rests on three guiding principles — Structure, Simplicity, Balance. It’s a practical tool for purposeful cocktail design: a way to strip things back, rebuild with precision, and unlock unexpected expressions of flavour.
Flavour Flip isn’t a fixed formula, but a living framework for creativity, an invitation to question, experiment, and rethink what’s possible in cocktail creation.
MASTERCLASS
We are bringing this exploration to life through a series of masterclasses accross the U.K. and Europe in 2026. Join us to experience the Flavour Flip method firsthand, share ideas, and taste new perspectives.
Sessions are in English. Places are limited.
EVENTS
AMSTERDAM
4.8.2025
COGNAC
24.9.2025
London
November 2025
PARIS
Spring 2026
Zoe Burgess, Atelier Pip
Zoe Burgess is the founder of Atelier Pip, a London-based drinks consultancy, with over 15 years’ experience creating cocktail programmes and concepts for bars, restaurants and hotels across the UK and Europe. Her work spans independent venues, hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, with clients including The Standard (London & Brussels), Emberwood (Bath), Artfarm (Bruton), Chishuru (London), Julie’s (London) and SKOF (Manchester).
Zoe has led large-scale, multi-venue drinks projects, including the development of cocktail offerings for The Standard in London and Brussels. In London, this included overseeing cocktail strategy across five venues, among them the 10th-floor bar, Sweeties. For The Standard Brussels’ 2025 opening, she created drinks concepts for three venues, including a Martini and Royale-led Lobby Bar. She was previously part of the development team at The Fat Duck.
Alongside consultancy work, Zoe is deeply involved in on-trade training and education. In collaboration with Merlet Liqueurs, she developed the Flavour Flip cocktail development programme, with workshops delivered in London, Edinburgh and Amsterdam, and further sessions planned. She has presented at Diageo Bar Academy’s Career Lab and speaks regularly on no and low-alcohol cocktail creation, including at the No, Low & Mid Summit in 2024 and 2025.
Zoe has been recognised as one of Conde Nast Traveller’s “5 tastemakers changing the London cocktail scene.” Her debut book, The Cocktail Cabinet: The Art, Science and Pleasure of Mixing the Perfect Drink (Octopus Books, 2022), was nominated for Best New Cocktail Book at the Tales of the Cocktail 2023 awards. She writes regularly for The Caterer as their Drinks Doctor and publishes Flavourful, a Substack exploring the structure, iconography and cultural evolution of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.
‘My work isn’t about just designing a drink or a menu, it’s about weaving together a mix of ingredients, which will evolve to mean so much more than their stylish name or thoughtful glassware. These flavours begin to tell the stories of the brands they represent – celebrating the people, places and cultural moments that are meaningful to them.’
Distillerie Merlet & Fils
For five generations, Distillerie Merlet & Fils has been shaping spirits in the Cognac region with patience and precision. In the 1980s, the family expanded into fruit liqueurs, a venture that culminated in the PGI certification of its « Crème de Cassis de Saintonge », a vivid, orchard-to-bottle expression of blackcurrant.
From cassis to a full palette of fruit liqueurs, Merlet is guided by a commitment to purity and clarity of flavor. The family also continues its historic production of Cognac — the house’s original craft— along with whisky, gin, vodka, and rhum, each created with the same dedication to precision and authenticity.
Today, Pierre and Luc Merlet lead the distillery with a spirit of innovation, crafting distinctive, high-quality spirits inspired by tradition.
© FLAVOUR FLIP 2025 – Legal notices – credits : arkt.com