Originally the brainchild of Pham Tien Tiep, the Pho cocktail was created by Tiep for the Diageo World Class competition in 2012. Tiep was awarded “Best Bartender in Vietnam” for his efforts so it isn’t surprising to learn that it’s a point of pride throughout Hanoi.
No Ne Kitchen and Bar proudly brought this Pho cocktail recipe to Vancouver, Canada.
When you order the Pho Cocktail the first thing that will happen is that the bartender will reach for what appears to be a tall, ornate candle holder. It’s a metal stand about 2½ feet tall, divided into three levels. Each level has a small metal cup with holes in the bottom affixed to it and into these cups the bartender will pack anise, cinnamon and cardamom. Once the stand is prepped, the bartender stirs gin and Cointreau in a metal pitcher and applies a torch to the bottom of the pitcher to begin heating up the liquid. Once the liquid is slightly warm the torch is used to light the mixture on fire and now (obviously) here comes the exciting part.
Raising the flaming gin and Cointreau over the top of the metal stand, the liquid is poured into the top cup and you get to watch the flaming mixture fall through each holder, in each case creating a brilliant burst of blue flame as the drink mixes with the spice held inside the cup, until it finally falls through the last cup and into another pitcher. That pitcher gets brought back up to the top and poured through again. After about five passes through the boozy spice rack, the smell of roasted spice is thick in the air throughout the bar.
The resulting mix is strained over ice into a glass, garnished with a cinnamon stick and herbs and served to you on a bamboo tray with red chili and lime (you know, like you’d expect when being served pho) along with a pair of chopsticks so that you can spice your drink to taste.
The drink is savory and rich, constantly shifting between sweet and sour. It’s a bit hard to pin down and yet weirdly addictive. Come to try our Pho cocktail at No Ne Kitchen and Bar.