Dining In 1 minute 19 March 2024

Recipe: Try This MICHELIN Star Pho Cocktail at Home

This unique and aromatic creation is sure to impress your taste buds and your guests.

What is one thing chefs and mixologists have in common?

In the realms of cuisine and cocktails, chefs and mixologists are akin to flavour alchemists. They wield ingredients with wizardry, concocting sensory potions that enchant the palate. Whether crafting a dish or a drink, both elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary, transforming flavours with a touch of magic.

“Vietnamese food is in my blood. It’s a fundamental part of who I am as a person,” says Peter Cuong Franklin, Ho Chi Minh City's pioneering MICHELIN Star restaurant chef, whose journey from refugee to banker to chef is as inspiring as his culinary creations. He describes his fascination with pho as profound: "I have been obsessed with pho for a very long time because it is such a simple yet complex dish and represents everything about Vietnam’s culinary culture and history."

Franklin has created the Ănăn pho cocktail, a unique and oh-so-aromatic pho cocktail recipe, a masterpiece at his one MICHELIN Star restaurant Ănăn Saigon, that embodies his deep-rooted passion for Vietnamese cuisine. It's the kind of cocktail that lures you in with its herbaceous pho aroma from the moment you step inside.

“I am not a fan of sweet cocktails and the idea of something more savoury is interesting to me. The pho cocktail brings the herbs and spices from our kitchen into the bar and our bartenders have replaced the pho beef broth with a dry gin to create this uniquely Vietnamese cocktail,” says Franklin.

Here’s how you can bring a slice of Vietnam into your home.


Chef Franklin of Ănăn Saigon, a restaurant situated in the middle of Chợ Cũ market. (© Mervin Lee/ MICHELIN Guide Vietnam)
Chef Franklin of Ănăn Saigon, a restaurant situated in the middle of Chợ Cũ market. (© Mervin Lee/ MICHELIN Guide Vietnam)

Ănăn Pho cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 45 grams Lady Triệu, a Vietnamese gin (or London dry gin of choice)
  • 25 grams lime juice
  • 10 grams syrup
  • Soda water, to top up
  • Culantro (for garnish)
  • Sweet basil (for garnish)
  • Coriander (for garnish)
  • Star anise (for garnish)
  • Cinnamon (for garnish)
  • Lime wheel (for garnish)
  • Ice, crushed, or ice cubes

Instructions:

  • Add the gin, freshly squeezed lime juice, syrup, and a mix of pho herbs to a cocktail shaker.
  • Muddle the pho herbs to release their aroma. Check the taste and adjust as required.
  • Add ice and shake until the shaker is very cold.
  • Strain into a chilled glass with crushed ice or ice cubes.
  • Garnish with star anise, cinnamon, lime wheel, and pho herbs.
  • Enjoy!


RELATED: What Are the Vietnamese Herbs Served with Pho?


Illustration image: © Ănăn Saigon

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