Zurich | RAZZIA: Gastronomy in a Glass

Eat Well Feel Well Live Well

Oct 7

4 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

©Roman Schubert

A new bar has opened at RAZZIA in Zurich’s Seefeld district.

Its name: “Bar à Cocktail.”

Behind it are Margarita Sáder and Giacomo Giannotti, known for Barcelona’s Paradiso Bar. What they bring to RAZZIA goes far beyond cocktail recipes. Fermentation, clarification and infusion techniques — methods more often associated with the kitchen or pâtisserie — are used to build each drink with the precision of a dish.

Felicia Ludwig, named GaultMillau’s “Pâtissière des Jahres” in 2022, has also created chocolates designed specifically to pair with the cocktails.

Cocktails and chocolate.

When something to drink and something to eat come together as one experience, how close can a bar come to gastronomy?

At RAZZIA, that new way of enjoying a cocktail has already begun.

The Spirit of Barcelona’s Paradiso Bar Comes to Zurich

The cocktails at RAZZIA are created by Margarita Sáder and Giacomo Giannotti, known for Barcelona’s Paradiso Bar. Their involvement goes far beyond developing the menu. From launching the bar to advising and training the team, they are helping to establish a new bar culture within RAZZIA itself.

What you find here, therefore, is not simply a reproduction of cocktails from Barcelona.

Instead, the techniques and philosophy of Paradiso have been reworked to suit RAZZIA, the city of Zurich, and the atmosphere of the venue itself.

Using techniques such as fermentation, clarification and infusion, each cocktail is composed almost like a dish.

Ideas refined in Barcelona are taking on a new form in Zurich.

Fermentation, Clarification and Infusion — in a Cocktail?

Fermentation, clarification and infusion.

It may sound as though we are talking about cooking, but here, we are talking about cocktails.

At RAZZIA, fruit, herbs and spices are not simply added straight to the glass. Ingredients may be fermented, infused into spirits or other liquids to extract their aromas, or clarified — a technique used to remove cloudiness and create a clear liquid.

Why go to such lengths?

It is not simply about adding more flavour.

Fermentation can bring greater depth to acidity and aroma, while infusion allows flavours to develop slowly and become integrated into the liquid. Clarification can create something equally intriguing: a drink that looks perfectly clear, yet reveals unexpected flavours and aromas when tasted.

“For us, bar mixing is like cooking,” says Mike Gut, owner and managing director of RAZZIA.

Rather than simply mixing a cocktail, the process involves preparing ingredients, layering flavours and composing the drink almost like a dish.

That is the approach behind the cocktails at RAZZIA.

From Brigitte Bardot to the Velvet Negroni

©Kay Moog

There is a playful spirit to the names on RAZZIA’s cocktail menu too.

The “Brigitte Bardot” combines Pisco with yuzu and mango, balancing bright fruitiness with a subtle bitterness that keeps the drink from becoming overly sweet.

The “Velvet Negroni,” meanwhile, layers Campari with notes of cherry and vanilla. Built on the structure of a classic Negroni, it takes on a softer character with a more lingering finish.

Elsewhere on the menu are names such as “Razzia Martini,” “Belle Époque,” “La Première,” “Venice en Rose” and “Margot” — all with a touch of cinema or the stage.

And that is no coincidence.

RAZZIA occupies a building that was once a cinema. The names of the cocktails quietly echo the history of the space and the glamour of its former screen and stage.

The experience is shaped not only by what is in the glass, but also by the names, the setting and the atmosphere around it.

That is another part of what makes RAZZIA’s cocktail menu distinctive.

©Kay Moog

A Sweet Tooth with a Taste for Cocktails

Love both cocktails and something sweet? RAZZIA has a pairing designed for exactly that.

Felicia Ludwig, named GaultMillau’s “Pâtissière des Jahres” in 2022, has created chocolates specifically to accompany the cocktails.

The idea goes beyond simply serving something sweet alongside a drink.

Chocolate and cocktails share many of the same elements — bitterness, sweetness and acidity. Ludwig designs each chocolate to pick up the flavours of the cocktail and carry them further.

Take a sip, then taste a piece of chocolate.

Neither the cocktail nor the chocolate has to stand entirely on its own. The pleasure lies in what happens when the two come together and create another layer of flavour.

Wait… This Used to Be a Cinema?

There is a reason RAZZIA has such a dramatic atmosphere.

The building was originally used as a cinema.

Rather than erasing that history, the bar preserves traces of it within the space. Cocktail names such as “La Première” and “Brigitte Bardot,” with their echoes of cinema and the stage, are part of that connection.

The lighting also plays an important role. Instead of brightly illuminating the guests, spotlights pick out architectural details, creating depth through light and shadow.

It feels almost like a stage waiting for something to begin.

The 80-square-metre bar has 42 seats indoors and 28 outside. A space once filled with people watching the screen has now become a place to sit back and enjoy a cocktail.

A New Meeting Spot to Try in Zurich

For meeting friends, enjoying a drink after work, or stopping by before or after dinner, RAZZIA’s Bar à Cocktail is an easy place to choose when you want the occasion to feel a little more special.

Alongside expertly crafted cocktails, there is the chocolate pairing and the distinctive atmosphere of a former cinema to enjoy.

The next time you find yourself asking, “Where shall we meet in Zurich?”, RAZZIA is one new address worth remembering.