Address: Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Av. Claude-Nobs 2, Montreux, Vaud, 1820, Switzerland
Tel: +41.219621400
Instagram: funkyclaudes
Facebook: view Funky Claude's Bar’s Facebook page
| Hours: | Mon - Thu | 18:00 - 00:00 |
| Fri - Sat | 18:00 - 01:00 | |
| Sun | Closed |
Style: Cocktail bar, Live music bar, Lounge bar, Historic, Hotel bar
Funky Claude's Bar brings Montreux's musical soul to the glass. Located in Fairmont Le Montreux Palace and led by Head of Bars Bryan Wolljung, the bar is named after Claude Nobs, the legendary founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, whose influence remains inseparable from the town's identity.
That musical heritage provides the foundation for Funky Claude's cocktail programme. Rather than beginning solely with ingredients or flavour combinations, the team uses the artists, songs, venues and stories associated with Montreux as the starting point for its drinks. The result is a menu designed to be explored as much as enjoyed, with each cocktail revealing another piece of the town's extraordinary musical history.
Smoke on the Water, for example, recalls the infamous fire at Montreux Casino in December 1971, witnessed by members of Deep Purple and immortalised in their song of the same name. Another creation, Queen, draws on Montreux's close association with Freddie Mercury and Queen, who recorded extensively at the town's Mountain Studios. Other drinks continue the journey through the musicians, places and cultural moments that have shaped Montreux.
Live music naturally remains part of the experience, but Funky Claude's ambitions extend beyond celebrating the past. Wolljung and his team are developing the bar as an increasingly international meeting place for bartenders and cocktail culture.
A programme of guest shifts and collaborations brings together bars and bartenders from Switzerland and further afield, with 2026 projects involving Marco Colleli of Ora Bar in Zurich, Prague's Shrink's Office and AnonymouS Bar, Moebius Milano and the historic Camparino in Galleria in Milan, with further collaborations planned for 2027.
The intention is to make these more than one-night appearances. Funky Claude's sees its collaborations as genuine exchanges between teams, bars and brands – opportunities to share techniques, ideas and different drinking cultures while introducing Montreux audiences to some of the personalities shaping contemporary bartending.
Competition is another important part of the bar's culture. Wolljung's involvement in international bartending competitions, including Diageo World Class, has provided opportunities to exchange ideas with bartenders from around the world and bring new techniques and perspectives back to his team in Montreux.
Together, these strands form the evolving identity of Funky Claude's: cocktails with a strong sense of place, warm hospitality, storytelling, live music, international collaboration and an emphasis on continually developing the people behind the bar.
The team aims to establish Funky Claude's not simply as a hotel bar, but as a cocktail destination worthy of Montreux's remarkable cultural legacy.
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