Our Story
The Modern Alchemist is a story of encounters, craft and a shared love of good drinks — from three founders who opened the doors in 2018 to the team writing its next chapter today.
The beginning — three friends, one idea
The Modern Alchemist was born from the unexpected meeting of three very different guys who shared the same mindset.
Benjamin always knew he wanted to work behind a bar. After graduating from a wine & spirits college in France in 2005, he travelled the world working in cocktail bars and hotel lounges, before settling in Brussels in 2013 — where he quickly became head bartender of a large whisky and absinthe bar, and of the rum and cocktail bar next door.
Christopher ran that last place after a couple of years behind the bar. He’d first come as a customer, drawn by a thirst for cocktails that soon turned into an unstoppable thirst for knowledge. His scientific background led him to learn every last detail of mixing spirits.
Sébastien had managed the company’s bars for six years. He joined the trade during college out of necessity — and fell in love with it, working his way up from the bottom to head bartender, then running several venues.
In 2016, tired of the problems they couldn’t solve within a rigid hierarchy, the idea of creating their own place took shape. While refining the plan and sharpening their skills across Brussels’ best-known cocktail bars, they went looking for the right home for their dream.
It took nearly another year, but they found a hidden gem in the heart of Saint-Gilles. With little renovation experience but plenty of motivation, they rolled up their sleeves and dug in — month after month, setback after setback, turning a washed-up old café into what they’d imagined for three years. The Modern Alchemist opened its doors on 4 December 2018.
A new chapter
Bars evolve, and so do the people behind them. The team has changed — but the values haven’t: the finest spirits, real creativity, and the warmth of an unpretentious neighbourhood bar.
Today, Christopher continues the story behind the bar, with Marie and Cedric at his side. Still specialists in rum and seasonal creations, still working only with the best spirits — in a place where everyone is welcome and every drink is a memory in the making.
A new chapter, the same soul.