Soleil D`Or

At Soleil D’Or in St. Gallen, the Pacojet takes mixology to a whole new level – delivering exceptional textures, consistent quality, and creative freedom behind the bar.

Setting new standards in cocktails with the Pacojet

How the Pacojet is redefining the boundaries between kitchen and bar

In the heart of St. Gallen, the fine dining restaurant Soleil D'Or combines culinary passion with innovative technology. Under the direction of head chef Benjamin Geisser and bar manager David Faundorfer, the restaurant not only creates a 5-course menu of the highest standard, but also a creative and precise cocktail accompaniment. One of the keys to this is the Pacojet – which is no longer confined to the kitchen, but is also revolutionizing the bar.

Pacojet – the bridge between kitchen and bar

David Faundorfer, the hotel's 20-year-old bar manager, originally started out with a different passion: “I actually wanted to be a chef,” he says. Growing up in a Bavarian innkeeper family, his playground is now the bar area. And he plays with ideas that would be almost impossible to realize without Pacojet. For a frozen mango margarita, he combines peach syrup, homemade vanilla syrup, an intense passion fruit syrup, and lemon and lime juice – everything is deep-frozen, pacotized®, and mixed with pineapple tequila.

Pacotized®, not mixed

“Pacotizing® keeps the texture incredibly creamy – without any annoying ice crystals,” enthuses Faundorfer. A “berry party” cocktail, in which strawberries are flavored with honey, cinnamon, and vanilla and later refined with elderflower syrup and champagne, also benefits from the Pacojet: “You get textures that no blender in the world could achieve.”

Focus on flavor – reproducible perfection

In mixology in particular, it is crucial that the flavors and balance are right. “When you work with ingredients you produce yourself, you have to make sure that the flavors always remain the same,” explains Faundorfer. With the Pacojet, drinks can be prepared, tasted, and deep-frozen without any subsequent changes. Thanks to the Jet® mode, the consistency remains stable regardless of acidity, sweetness, or fat and alcohol content. There is no need to add ice, which means no melt water, no dilution, and no change in flavor.

Quality that can be planned – even in the kitchen

What impresses in the bar is just as essential in the kitchen. Benjamin Geisser, head chef and brother of owner David Geisser, has known the Pacojet since the beginning of his career: "I grew up with the Pacojet. Without it, this type of cuisine would not be possible at this speed – it gives us flexibility and quality at the touch of a button, whether we're preparing fine starters, sophisticated main courses or hot and cold dishes."

Seasonal. Regional. Reproducible.

At Soleil D'Or, the cuisine is not based on a classic style, but on overarching themes, such as a “Lake Constance menu,” which uses only ingredients sourced from within a 30-km radius of the lake. The five changing menus throughout the year reflect a culinary concept that focuses on seasonality, regionality, and creativity—even when it comes to the non-alcoholic cocktails that accompany the meals.

Food pairing to the point

Pacotized® drinks are even used at Soleil D'Or for desserts – for food pairings that combine temperature, texture, and flavors in an extraordinary way. “With the Pacojet, I can prepare complex flavor compositions in the bar, taste them once – and then serve them at any time with consistent results,” says Faundorfer. “Nothing gets watered down, nothing changes – the result stays the same. And I have it ready to hand in the pacotizing® beaker.”

Technology that opens up new possibilities

David Faundorfer finds the Pacojets' functions particularly exciting. The choice between overpressure and normal pressure and up to 10 repetitions opens up possibilities that go far beyond classic bar techniques. “It's fun because you can implement new ideas straight away – without compromising on texture or flavor.” For Benjamin Geisser, the Pacojet has long been his favorite kitchen appliance. For Faundorfer, it is increasingly becoming a key component of innovative bar culture. Together at Soleil D'Or, they demonstrate how precision, technology, and creativity are blurring the boundaries between kitchen and bar—with the Pacojet as the connecting link.