This Vietnamese cocktail is inspired by the red dragon to give good fortune.
The Rồng Đỏ (Red Dragon)
This Vietnamese cocktail is inspired by the red dragon to give good fortune. The Momentum International Gin I use has a cardamom flavor to it. Its partner, the Momentum Limoncello, has lemongrass flavors in the background. Together they give this cocktail an amazing Asian feel. The pink Szechuan peppercorn syrup I make with local honey adds sweetness and a mild stinging heat the peppercorns are known for. The bitters, berries, lemon and basil make this cocktail bright and sweet, with savory spices and herbs.
Ingredients
Cocktail
- 3 Lewis Farms strawberries
- 2 large basil leaves
- 1 ounce Momentum International Gin
- ½ ounce Momentum Limoncello
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- ¼ ounce Szechuan and Pink Peppercorn Honey Syrup *
- 1 ounce Fever-Tree ginger beer
- 2 dashes of cardamom bitters. I use Scrappy’s.
Szechuan and Pink Peppercorn Honey Syrup
- 2 tablespoons of pink peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon of Szechuan peppercorns
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- For the cocktail: In a pint glass, muddle the strawberries and basil. Fill the glass with ice, and add the rest of the ingredients. Shake for 10 seconds, then strain into a rocks glass over ice, or into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a strawberry and/or basil sprig. Float some pink peppercorns on top.
- For the syrup: In a medium-size saucepan, toast the peppercorns on low heat. Toss them around so they don’t burn. Once they get a little color, add the water, sugar and honey. Bring to a boil. Let cool and strain. Save the peppercorns for garnish. The peppercorns can be found at Cape Fear Spice Merchants or the Saigon Market on Kerr Avenue.
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue.
