Mixing cocktails with Ly Son garlic and Sa Huynh salt: The unique 'Vietnamization' journey of Vietnamese bartenders

From the idea of ​​putting hometown specialties into cocktails such as Ly Son garlic, Sa Huynh salt to the "feverish" Hue beef noodle cocktail, Vietnamese bartenders are creating a unique "Vietnamization" journey, bringing Vietnamese flavors to the world.

Cocktail is an alcoholic drink, made from wine and fruit, juice or syrup... originating from the West. Nguyen Phu Cuong - a bartender with nearly 10 years of experience said: "The most basic knowledge when we first approached the bartender profession was to mix cocktails from 'very Western' ingredients such as: blueberries, lemons, rosemary leaves..."

Mix cocktails with local specialties

Recalling the time he lived and worked in Australia, Phu Cuong heard a friend say that they missed their homeland and wanted to drink a cocktail with a strong Vietnamese flavor. After returning, Cuong and his wife traveled across Vietnam, finding and adding specialty ingredients from each region to their cocktails.

He said that, starting the journey of "Vietnamizing cocktails", bartenders used fresh Vietnamese tropical fruits to put into drinks. More difficult, they also marinated, made jam... to get the aroma notes from the specialty tree, put it into the cocktail, creating the desired flavor.

From the South to the North, Vietnam has many different types of climate, land, and soil, creating unique specialties. Vietnamese cuisine is also rich, with abundant and unique ingredients - a source of inspiration for bartenders to put into cocktails.

Pham Hoai Nam mixes Hue beef noodle cocktail in a competition in France, mid-October

Photo: NVCC

Strangely enough, ginger, lemongrass and even shrimp paste are also created by Vietnamese bartenders. That is what bartender Pham Hoai Nam did to create the Bun Bo Hue cocktail that helped him win the championship of the Flavour Masters competition in Vietnam. In mid-October, Hoai Nam represented Vietnam in the international competition, winning 2nd place overall.

Hoai Nam's journey was once introduced by Thanh Nien in an article about him and his unique cocktail.

Bun bo Hue cocktail "debuts" to the world

Photo: NVCC

As a member of the delegation that went to France with Hoai Nam to compete, Phu Cuong said that the judges not only want the bartender to make a delicious cocktail but also want to listen to its story. Cocktail is no longer a drink, the art of combining ingredients but also a tool to promote the image, specialties and people of Vietnam to the world.

Pham Hoai Nam not only showed his gratitude to his hometown of Hue but also made the judges remember Vietnam - a place they had visited before with the scent of beef noodle soup wafting from his cocktail.

Bartender community doing meaningful things together

As a judge of the Flavour Masters competition held in Vietnam in July, Mr. Ho Hoang Huy - Mathieu Teisseire brand ambassador in Vietnam said: "Phu Cuong and I were the ones who directly went to the bars to try each cocktail, listened to the contestants' stories before selecting the list of 12 finalists in Vietnam."

Hoai Nam cut lemongrass and ginger to make cocktail

Photo: Phan Diep

Before deciding to choose Pham Hoai Nam as the winner with his Hue beef noodle cocktail, Huy and Cuong were lucky to try cocktails using special ingredients such as betel, areca, green rice, ancient Shan Tuyet tea, bamboo charcoal tea, apple wine, corn wine...

"Vietnamese bartenders are increasingly investing time in research and applying modern techniques, hoping to bring pure Vietnamese flavors to the world bartending map, creating their own strengths in the international arena," Phu Cuong shared.

Hoai Nam and Phu Cuong (2nd and 3rd from left) at a cocktail sale to buy computers for students in mountainous areas in September.

Photo: Phan Diep

Last September, Phu Cuong and Pham Hoai Nam also mixed cocktails imbued with regional cultures, selling them to raise nearly 500 million VND to buy computers for students in mountainous areas for the second time.

Hue beef noodle cocktail with shrimp paste, ginger and lemongrass; a cocktail with a strong taste of the sea combined with Ly Son garlic and Sa Huynh salt ( Quang Ngai ); or a Northwest echo cocktail with soursop jam and the aroma of mac mat leaves; in addition, there is the dreamy Da Lat dish with the specialty of oolong tea, wine and strawberries...

Phu Cuong shared that the image of bars, cocktails or bartenders has always been associated with negative stereotypes. Through competitions and stories of "Vietnamizing cocktails" with hometown specialties, Cuong wants to build a community of civilized drinkers, drinking responsibly towards themselves, their families and society, especially together doing meaningful things.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/pha-cocktail-voi-toi-ly-son-muoi-sa-huynh-hanh-trinh-viet-hoa-doc-dao-cua-bartender-viet-185251022141314441.htm