By Paul Nelson –

Cocktails, as much as I love them, are not a universal thing.  Several of the places I’ve traveled over the years really just don’t do them. It’s not their culture. They may have a distilled beverage that they drink over ice, but there isn’t a history of mixing it with anything else to create a cocktail.  We’re finding out that this is sort of the case with Vietnam. I hope to report on some locally sourced and inspired creations at one place in town. But in the meantime, we relaxed on the rooftop of the second-tallest building in Hanoi, the Lotte building (check it out here if you’re curious) this evening after dining on street sushi. There we tried a cocktail with a Southeast Asian flavor courtesy of passion fruit juice. My guess as to the recipe would be:

Golden Land

• 2 oz bourbon
• 2 Tbsp simple syrup
• 2 Tbsp passion fruit juice

Shake ingredients together and pour over ice.

I’m just guessing, as the menu wasn’t terribly specific, and certainly didn’t provide proportions. But passion fruit can be really tart, so I’m guessing that the ratio to simple syrup would need to be pretty close. I’ll test it out when I get home and let you know if it needs adjusting. Just remember that if you’re interested in creating your own creations, starting out with thinking about regional specialties or influences can be a very inspiring place to begin.

And doing so the top of a 65-story high rise doesn’t hurt for locales, either.  Enjoy!