From theatrical presentations to painstakingly crafted ingredients made entirely in-house, Coya Monte-Carlo’s new Madre Tierra cocktail programme transforms mixology into storytelling — and it may just be the most exciting bar launch Monaco has seen in years.
Coya Monte-Carlo has returned for the 2026 Riviera season with a renewed culinary direction, a major international music programme and a completely reimagined global bar concept that deserves to be the headline attraction this summer. The launch of Madre Tierra — translated as “Mother Earth” — introduces a deeply ambitious cocktail menu that takes guests on a sensory journey across Peru through flavour, storytelling and meticulous craftsmanship.
Unveiled during an intimate press dinner last Thursday, the new menu was presented by Grégoire Schnerb, Coya Group’s Global Head of Mixology, whose inventive approach to cocktails has earned him the nickname “The Cocktail Butcher”. Originally from the south of France, Schnerb trained as a sommelier in Bordeaux before refining his mixology expertise in the UAE, later winning Bar Manager of the Year at the Caterer Middle East Awards in 2021. Since joining Coya in 2023, he has spearheaded the group’s global drinks identity while mentoring emerging talent through his Capital Bartenders platform.
A cocktail menu built like a cinematic story
“This is not just a new cocktail list,” Schnerb told guests during the presentation. “It’s a new concept, a new story, a new direction the bar is taking. It’s truly a completely new chapter for us.”
That chapter centres around a fictional protagonist named Camila de Killian, a descendant of the Inca moon goddess Koya, whose journey through Peru forms the narrative backbone of the menu. Divided into three ecosystems — Costa, Sierra and Selva — the cocktails guide guests from Peru’s coastline through its mountains and deserts before arriving in the Amazon jungle.
The storytelling element could easily have felt gimmicky in lesser hands, but here it becomes immersive and unexpectedly emotional. Each cocktail represents a moment in Camila’s journey, with colours, ingredients and presentation designed to mirror landscapes, encounters and discoveries along the way.
The level of detail is extraordinary. Every syrup, clarification and infusion is produced inside the Coya lab. Milk punches are made entirely in-house. Clarified sriracha is prepared from scratch. Ingredients undergo hours of testing before reaching the final glass. The result is a menu where technique never overshadows flavour but definitely elevates it. Cocktail connoisseurs will find themselves nicely surprised.
One standout creation, La Marque, inspired by the Peruvian coast and featuring blue spirulina, symbolises the boundary between Camila’s past and future. Elsewhere, La Rwanda is designed as a theatrical sharing cocktail for two, while the Hay-Agua-Ska — featuring Don Julio Blanco Tequila, chilli and mango pisco macerado — arrives as a spectacular fluorescent creation.
Importantly, non-alcoholic cocktails are woven seamlessly throughout the menu rather than isolated into a separate section, ensuring every guest experiences the same narrative journey regardless of whether they drink alcohol.
More than mixology
What ultimately makes Madre Tierra remarkable is its authenticity. Schnerb explained that the team spent extensive time researching Peruvian mythology and cultural references to avoid creating a superficial concept. “When guests taste the cocktail, they should be able to understand the story behind it and feel what the cocktail is meant to represent,” he said during the presentation.
The cocktails alone justify a visit to Coya Monte-Carlo this season, but the food remains every bit as compelling. The classic guacamole, smashed and served tableside with homemade tortilla chips, disappears almost immediately. Sea bass croquettes paired with spicy aioli make for the perfect appetite whetter, while the spicy bluefin tuna ceviche absolutely demands to be paired with the Agua-de-Chifa clarified sriracha cocktail from the new drinks programme. For mains, the Charolais spicy beef fillet is a melt-in-your-mouth must-order that perfectly reflects the kitchen’s balance of heat, richness and precision.
Dessert is equally indulgent. Few can resist ordering churros, but the real revelation comes when they are paired with Coya’s homemade ice creams, particularly the spicy mango, which is both refreshing and addictive.
Overall, Coya feels like a huge hit again this season. The atmosphere is electric, the DJ line-up energetic, and the restaurant full every night — not difficult to understand once you experience it for yourself. But for those looking for a reason to return, or perhaps discover it for the first time, this remarkable new cocktail menu is undoubtedly it.
Coya Monte-Carlo reopened on 1st April and will run through to 24th October at Sporting Monte-Carlo, alongside a summer music line-up featuring Francis Mercier, Demaya, Alex Wann, Arkadyan and Bob Sinclar.
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Main photo source: MCSBM
