1. The Jimadors - Apricot Flavor Cocktail with Pepper
Ingredients: Don Julio Blanco, Citrus Lemon Var, Apricot Umbrella, Highland Pepper, Basil Leaf Syrup.
Enjoy at: Moonlight Sky Bar, 94 Ma May, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.
The Jimadors are created by the talented bartenders at Moonlight Sky Bar with premium ingredients: Don Julio Blanco tequila, famous for its mellow and deep flavor combined with the fresh lemon flavor from Citrus Lemon Var. Garned with apricot and Central Highland pepper slow-cooked at low temperature (sous vide).
Sour and spicy spices penetrate the wine, enriching the layers of flavor without losing the original taste of the base wine. Finally, The Jimadors ends with a hint of sweet basil leaf syrup. An addictive combination for chilly days in the capital.
Photo: Moonlight Sky Bar
2. Oh my goodness - Brandy goes with bitter melon and mugwort
Ingredients: Song Cai Dry Gin, Vodka, Bitter Melon, Quang Ngai Mugwort Extract, Black Tea, Dry Vermouth.
Enjoy at: Mámi Cocktails - Kitchen & Bar, 97a Xuan Thuy, Thao Dien, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City.
Mámi Cocktails' Too Much Pain showcases the bartender's remarkable creativity. This cocktail combines the essence of three types of Vodka, Dry Gin, and Dry Vermouth. In particular, Dry Gin uses products of the Song Cai brand that are distilled in small batches in copper pots on the stove, to fully distill the flavor of ingredients collected by hand from the Northwest forest.
Adding a few touches from the bitter taste of bitter melon along with Quang Ngai wormwood extract, you will experience a taste journey full of surprises. Mixed in with it is the warmth and aftertaste of black tea that lingers in the mouth, adding to the depth of flavor.
With a strong wine background and a bitter taste, Ah Too Heaven is really a suitable choice for those who are looking for a "heavy" drink experience.
Photo: Mámi Cocktails - Kitchen & Bar
3. Highball Sugarcane Juice - A more luxurious and drunken version of sugarcane
Ingredients: Zacapa Ambar 12, Cane Juice, Juice, Pandan Cordial, Soda
Dine at: Stir Modern Classic Cocktail Bar, 136 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Holding the 82nd position in the list of the 100 best bars in Asia in 2023, Stir Modern Classic Cocktail Bar scores points with attractive drinks inspired by Vietnamese cuisine. Prominent among them is Highball Sugarcane Juice that brings a familiar feeling of Sugarcane sidewalk refreshments.
But when combined with the rich notes of Zacapa Ambar Rum, it enhances the sweetness of sugarcane juice, elevating the local agricultural product. The slight sourness and cool aroma of the octopus blend with the sweetness of the pandan leaves, and is finished with a hint of sparkling soda.
The vibrant spirit of Saigon street culture has been fully encapsulated in this tropical drink.
Photo: Stir Modern Classic Cocktail Bar
4. North West Fashioned - Taste of the Northwest in the middle of Saigon
Ingredients: Johnnie Walker Black, Mackerel, Drambuie, Tangerine Peel.
Enjoy at: Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar, Caravelle Hotel, 19 - 23 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
With a special location right in the "heart" of the city, where history and modernity are always intertwined, Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar has breathed that spirit into North West Fashioned. A variation of the classic cocktail - Old Fashioned woven with Vietnamese culinary flavors.
This innovative drink uses Johnnie Walker Black Label - a whisky that blends 40 whiskies with completely different flavor combinations and is aged in wooden barrels for 12 consecutive years. Combined with the strong spicy taste of Mak Kén, the quintessential spice that makes up the soul of Northwest cuisine.
In addition, there is Drambuie, a Scotch Whiskey base wine with the sweetness of honey, which adds variety to the flavor layer of the cocktail. Closing with a little tangerine peel creates a gentle ending with a fresh orange scent.
Photo: Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar
5. Cocktail pho - It's pho but not exactly pho
Ingredients: Gin, Cointreau, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Star anise, Coriander, Lemon, Sugar syrup.
Enjoy at: Ne Cocktail Bar, 3B Tong Duy Tan, Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.
To close the journey of discovering these cocktails with Vietnamese flavors, there is hardly a more suitable name than Pho. This cocktail was even introduced by CNN.
Pho Cocktail is still full of pho spices with cinnamon, anise, cardamom, coriander but combines Gin with Cointreau, then pours through three layers of filters and boils over the fire. Add fresh lemon juice and finally settle in the throat is the mild sweetness of sugar syrup.
This recipe has surpassed the traditional definitions of a pho dish but still bursts with a sweet aroma reminiscent of the essence of the famous Vietnamese dish. Each sip is an exciting journey to discover each unique flavor of this "pho but not exactly pho".
Photo: Ne Cocktail Bar
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