A crack in reality? That’s exactly what this bar offers, with its poetic-Japanese capsule feel, tucked away down an alley in the center of Toulouse. At the helm: Valentin Pérès (ex-Fatcat), shaker in hand, turning each cocktail into a nightly ritual. Dim lighting, hushed atmosphere, a handful of seats at the bar and a mezzanine perched overhead from which to watch the alchemist at work, surrounded by jars of ferments and moving with meticulous precision. The painter-turned-mixologist serves an omakase menu of three to five mini-cocktails (€27-45), like a liquid treasure hunt improvised according to the fruits, vegetables and spirits of the moment. That spring, the palette burst with bold textures and finely tuned contrasts: the salty bitterness of asparagus soda mixed with house rum (Réunion Island, Barbados, Jamaica) and cold-extracted zucchini; unfiltered sake with umami-rich cherry tomato, clementine peel tincture and rhubarb koso; or an enchanting blend of siphoned egg sabayon, vodka, green Sichuan pepper and lacto-fermented strawberries. The menu also features bespoke cocktails (€13-20) and non-alcoholic curiosities (€9) that electrify the senses, like the Mole (chipotle, kabocha squash, smoked cacao nib soda) or the Pisum (pea pods, sorrel, almond milk, fermented peas and jalapeño). · Marie Delcampo