Two in the Bush⁣
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2.5 oz birds nest drink⁣
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1.5 batavia arrack⁣
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1 oz Bacardi Carta blanca⁣
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2.5 oz coconut water⁣
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1 scoop of chia seeds⁣
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2 large Basil leaves⁣
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brief shake in a cold shaker with one large cube.  using a bar spoon, hold back the cube and Basil while you pour the shaker contents over ice.  Garnish with fresh Basil. ⁣
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I think it's impossible to work in the food and beverage industry without admiring Anthony Bourdain, especially if you've spent some time working as you travel. He always spoke incredibly highly of Vietnam and I was able to confirm his impressions for myself on my recent trip there. ⁣
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As Bourdain pointed out, Vietnam is a country that revolves around food. I had read A Cooks Tour and eaten Vietnamese food in the states  so I was expecting a non-stop Pho and Banh Mi feeding frenzy on the scale of an entire nation. I was not disappointed. ⁣
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But one thing I was not expecting was the variety of textures I found in Vietnam. It seems like every street is a walking buffet of chewy banana and durian candies, silky almost custard-like egg coffee, crispy sesame sugar crackers, and crunchy hot vit lon (fertilized duck egg). ⁣
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In the cocktail world flavor and appearance are usually the headliner, while texture is often determined by the presence of egg white. I was thinking about how a lot of the bars and bartenders I admire utilize texture in their cocktails. Quinary in Hong Kong garnishes a drink with Basil seed gel, so when I saw a chia seed gel and birds nest smoothie at a juice bar I went for it.  Not gonna lie, it's a bit reminiscent of snot, but I really like the combination so I used that as a staring point. I was already using ingredients from South East Asia, so Batavia arrack and Basil seemed like natural additions. ⁣ ⁣

Image and recipe courtesy of @thenickromancer.

@thenickromancer

Cocktails & Propaganda

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