Da Nang, Vietnam - 3 Incredible Cocktail Bars You Must Try (Ep. 1)

Great cocktails aren't about following a recipe. They're about a bartender understanding what you want before you know how to ask for it. In Da Nang, there are places that get this. The first spot rotates their signature menu every two months, constantly evolving, never settling. But what matters more is what happens when you sit at the bar and tell them about yourself. What you like, what you're feeling, and what you came here to find. They listen and then they build something just for you, a drink that doesn't exist anywhere else, made from what they understood about who you are. Then there's a hidden place, tucked away behind an entrance that keeps its secret. Once you're inside, the drinks tell stories, each one inspired by Vietnamese dishes, flavors you know reinterpreted through spirits, garnish, and technique. And finally, a space that feels like you've ascended into something ancient, where the signature drinks are named after the cities and towns of Vietnam, each one carrying the personality of where it comes from. Three bars, three different philosophies about what a cocktail could be. So yeah, that's right, we get asked quite often, where's the nightlife in Da Nang? Well, we're not clubbers anymore, that's way beyond our too old days. Yeah, exactly. Where cocktail bars, speakeasies are more our jam, where we're not going to like corner pubs and places like that, little places that you want to hang out with your friends, we want to go somewhere sophisticated, there's going to be a cocktail bar. So yeah, this is video number one of cocktail bars and speakeasies here in Da Nang, and we're at the first location, which is called Linger. Yeah, we just pulled up to Linger, and we are in a very quiet local neighborhood here in Da Nang. I didn't expect it to be here, that makes it even more cool. So you can see, it already looks amazing, it looks beautiful even from the outside. We're filming this for you guys a couple weeks before Christmas, so it's all nicely decorated up for Christmas, they've got a tree inside. The staff came out and welcomed us right away the minute our grab car pulled up, so very friendly, very warm and welcoming already, and we haven't even got in to have a drink yet. So I'm excited to get in there, sit down and see what their menu has. Yeah, and if they have a set menu, or I was reading online that they have a QR code where they kind of change it up all the time, so it's going to be interesting to see how they do that. Again, this is in the north part of Da Nang, it's near the bigger bridge over in the bay of Da Nang or whatever, but yeah, it's such a random spot, it's so cool that it's in this very traditional neighborhood. So we're excited to go in and see what the menu is like, like Shaina said, and yeah, I'm going to show you guys what it's like right now while we go find a spot to sit that's going to work for us, so that can show you what drinks we get. But yeah, check it out. Hello Chris and Shaina, welcome to my bar. I am Lauren Linger, so we can, I hope today is like a great time for you guys. Thank you. Awesome. I'm Chau. Thank you Chau. Yeah, thank you. Okay, you guys, you first, okay, like we have the citrusy, the flavor of fruit. Okay. Hulk or flower, which one do you like? I like more like sour, citrusy cocktails, not too sweet, but more, yeah, just that sour tanginess. Okay. Yeah. So how about the alcohol, this is the medium, low or strong? Let's go strong. It's the first one, so let's go strong. But yeah, just, so I like, um, things that are vodka based. Vodka based. Yeah. I like gin. Oh. I don't really like tequila too much. Okay. So you like the umami taste? Yes. Okay. I want to make something with umami taste unique for you. I like very unique, so, and I trust you because I can tell you're, uh, you're very experienced already behind the bar, which is so much energy and it's been telling us that anybody can come in here and just, you know, give an idea of what they like and it will be crafted for you. So it's really cool that that shows that you're, uh, you're very experienced and you have a lot of skill behind the bar when you can just, you know, look at people and say, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions and then I'm going to craft you something that you're going to like. Good. So how about you? Um, I pretty much like anything, um, not really too picky. Um, yeah, just whatever, what's like, whatever you think you want to showcase and I'll try it. I'm into trying whatever's your favorite. How about something with like something kind of whiskey? Yeah. Yeah. Something like gentlemen, like a gentleman. And then you got to bring the cigars. So, yeah, it's really cool. So they do have the menu on a QR code here. They do rotate their signature drinks every two months. So you will come, if you come here often, you're going to have different signature drinks, but like you just witnessed asking what we like going to craft the cocktail based on that special for us. That's really cool. So I'm going to film them doing that right now. And, uh, yeah, it's going to be cool to see how they do this. That's when, you know, a bartender is doing this as like a true art and they have passion. It's like, she is so passionate and energetic about this. And it's like, that, that is the art of crafting cocktails. Just being able to just say, I'm just going to wing it, you know? And I have the base, I have base knowledge of what you want and I'm going to craft something for you. Like to me, that's just, that's a special thing. Not everybody has that skill. Yeah. That's what makes it a bespoke cocktail bar. A bespoke cocktail bar is like that differences. So I actually just started right now. So let's go film what they're doing. So as we were talking about skill and art, you saw that performance behind the bar there. That is amazing what you did. That just, that takes a lot of practice. Everything, the way you were swirling everything, the mixing and everything. I was mesmerized just, just watching her do that for about five minutes straight. I just like, how does she do that? She must be practicing every day. So I'm very excited to try this. Look at these cocktails. They look absolutely amazing. I'm sure they taste even better than they look. Cannot wait to try. So my special cocktail that has some umami, like you mentioned, cause she asked me right away, do you like umami? And I said, yes, that is actually one of my favorite types of drink to have anything umami and savory. This has what looks like a little, it looks like a slice of pizza. So it's pizza inspired. There's a sprig of Rosemary. So I'm going to try a bite of the pizza part pizza. After I take a sip and let's see if we can guess what's in here. Oh man, that is so good. Wow. Yeah. That is like nothing I have ever had. That's cool. Yeah. So this seems like a chili salt of some sort. Okay. So a Vietnamese chili salt on the outside. So I get that salty spiciness right away. I can taste lime. It is very citrusy, which is good because, you know, she asked me if I like citrusy drinks and I do, I like things that are sour. And this just has a blend of citrus and spice and salty, a little bit sweet, but not too much. It's just got all of those flavors that you would want in a tangy type of umami drink. And it's very easy to drink. This is delicious. I don't, I don't even know how to explain it. I'm going to try it with a bite of this. With some pizza? Tomato. Tomato. It's like a tomato leather. Oh, okay. Yeah. It's like if you were to have fruit leather. Yeah. Well, I guess tomato is technically a fruit, but this is like a tomato fruit leather. It looks like a piece of pizza. So that is a perfect garnish to go with a drink like this. So Chris is going to try his and then after we're going to find out the exact ingredients that are in both of our drinks. Cause I can taste certain things in here, but I don't know exactly what it is. It's just so unique. I'm excited to hear what the fine details are. Yeah, exactly. So, so yeah, mine is definitely a gentleman's style drink. It's got a nice big ice cube in it. Smells really good. Oh, that is strong. Yeah. So it's definitely got a bitterness to it. So it's almost like Negroni with that bitterness, but it's got a bit of sweetness as well. And then I'm trying to figure out, that's all I'm pulling from that. It's like complex. So it's hard to tell, but yeah, it's got a nice orange color to it as well. Really good drink. This is, yeah, definitely a gentleman's drink for sure. I like the presentation. Yeah. The presentation is cool. As you saw the lime, the lime wedges or lime slices and then the bay leaves and stuff. So very nice presentation here and very well done job. If you notice too, in the b-roll, picking all the ingredients off the back shelf, it's cool how they have that all set up on there. It's almost like when you go to like the perfume shops and they're making like the perfume for you, crafting it together. So it's like, Hmm, what does it need? And you're tasting every time, which is cool to get that flavor that you want. So it's like, it's like a chef. You taste your food as you're cooking it. Same as being a cocktail maker, you taste your cocktail as you're going. That's how you perfected it. I noticed you were just tasting a little bit each and that's how you perfected this because a lot of bartenders or even chefs, when they're making food, they don't taste things and you get something you're like, yeah, it's okay. But you know, it didn't really blow my mind. Right. Where this is like, yeah, they're very well done job. So now you have to tell us what's in it. We should try each other's first. Yeah. I was going to say, I need to try his now and he needs to try mine. Cheers. Cheers. I see what you mean I can taste Campari in there. Yeah. Like Negroni. It is like a Negroni, but there's something else in there that I can't distinguish what it is. No, that's the mystery behind it. And then yours. Yeah. With that, that chili salt has got that umami on the salt and then that lime cuts through that. Yeah. It's really well balanced for sure. That's really good. So this drink of Chris's I'm noticing has a licorice smell and flavor. Obviously there's the star anise on the top, but I don't know if it's just because I'm getting my nose close to it when I'm taking a sip, but I taste, yeah, I taste a little bit of a little bit of licorice. Yeah. Or maybe it's because you are smelling at the same time. We'll find out. That's so unique. So good. I like it. Just give me it back. Wow. Thank you. Yeah. We're going to, now we're going to find out the exact ingredients that were in these drinks. Okay. And that's the reason about why I'm taste a lot of time because I make this like no recipe. No. Yes. So I have to make sure that this is for you guys. And firstly is you, I'm to you for like, this is by the pizza because last night I made the American pizza and I feel like, Oh, they have a lot of bacon there. So firstly I make the, I make the vodka bacon. Yes. And mustard. Mustard in there. So you can see the spicy, spicy, the sauce and the mustard there. And secondly, this is tomato, tomato, Parmesan cream. Okay. Yeah. Wow. Now I can see why it tastes like that. And the tomato I make it, uh, this is the leftover. I did everything and then it's for you. And uh, the Rambui, the liqueur, herbal. So I use growing technique for you guys to like the have more flavor of tomato and bacon too. Okay. Yes. That makes sense now. Why is it such a delicious flavor? I like to make the umami cocktail, but not in Da Nang, not a lot of people, they like umami. So I report for you. So you're happy that I said that I like bring me another one. Awesome. So, and, and for the gentleman right now and make a whiskey. Yeah. And the symbol, the symbol thing, this is this one, this we call them box in Vietnam. Yeah. This is blend blend in the village in Vietnam. Okay. Yeah. Just, uh, unique because this symbol, so does it have bark in it? Is that what that is? Yes. We infuse it and feel it the right one. At least three months we can use it. Yeah. So it's soaks for three months. Yes. Oh wow. Okay. And then you can take it. Yeah. Yes. And a little bit of bitter. Yeah. The bitter we make homemade. That's so cool. Wow. That's amazing. So yeah, that's so cool. All those bottles on the back are infused vodkas or different types of alcohol that they have here. Um, like the bacon mustard one, so unique, um, having those roots in the one alcohol as well. It reminds me of like mamawana and a Dominican Republic, how they do like the roots and stuff and the wine and stuff. And they just like soak it in there and it gives it so much like earthy herbal flavor. Yeah. It's so cool. Like all those different things. So yeah, that's the cool thing about coming to a place like linger is you just tell them what you like, make me something special and you get something bespoke. It's so cool. But yeah, those infused alcohols, like you're not going to get that same flavor anywhere else that is just unique to linger. So linger has been in business here in Da Nang for four years. They had a previous location, but now they've been at this location for six months. And yeah, it's locally owned and operated, which is really great. We love to support the local businesses owned by the local Vietnamese people as well. Of course, that is very important to us. And, uh, yeah, there's a lot of places. Of course, it's a very large growing city. And a lot of times there's foreigners that come here and they open up their own bars and restaurants and cocktail bars and things like that. So a lot of, I don't know, just, it's kind of to be expected in most places that you go now, where when you find these select places that are actually owned by the local Vietnamese people and have, you know, all the local Vietnamese people working for them and stuff, it's really special. They don't just do banh mi here. They do things like this as well, which is really cool to showcase that in our videos. And, uh, yeah, a place like this, again, I'm going to have the link to the locations in the description below of the video. If you do want to come to the same spot again, cause they moved, you might not take you to the right spot, but it is in the description below if you want to come here. So we're going to enjoy our drinks here. I want another one of these. But yeah, we're going to enjoy these for a little bit here. And then we're going to head to another location and show you the next location. Again, we're doing three in each video. So this is video number one and video number two will come out after this one, of course. And yeah, we're excited to finish these up and just enjoy our time here. So we'll see you later. Vancouver. Wow. Close to Vancouver. So we're like four hours from Vancouver. Yeah. I just know our Vancouver. Oh yeah. My best, best customer. Yeah. He's from Vancouver. Oh, from Vancouver. Okay. Well, next time you see him, you have to tell him you found better customers from Canada. I see everybody like from Vancouver, Canada is so friendly. Yeah. We are a friendly bunch. Yeah. Okay. So Vietnamese wine, they do. Almost. Just some straight up Johnny Walker red. Yeah, exactly. Let's get the night going. Nice and warm. Thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you. I hope this thought will give you an energy. Oh yes, of course. Yeah. Your energy is coming off onto us, which is a good thing. They give you a little snack as well at the bar. They're like little bugles. Yeah. They look like little bugles, but they're not the typical bugle texture. They're obviously maybe ones that are made here. Cause they have like a bit of a spiciness to them. So they go really nice with the cocktails as a little bar snack. Yeah. Nice. Nice combination. All right. So we've just arrived at our next location. This is called United bar and it is a speakeasy. So we're not going to show you the front entrance. It's a surprise. You have to find it yourself just like we did. Yeah. So we are going to have this linked in the description below, like I said, but don't look at the pictures on Google maps, make it fun. I am going to have a little tidbit of what the front entrance kind of looks like. I guess right now you guys are seeing a little hint, but yeah, don't look at the pictures, just get dropped off on the street and then figure out where it is. Um, I mean, once you're here, it's kind of easy to figure out because there's a name but yeah, we're going to head in now, uh, show you what this, uh, speakeasy is like. We love speakeasy. We love hidden places like this. So we're excited to get inside, try some cocktails here and show you what it's like. So yeah, what a cool little spot here. It's got a cozy feel to it. Very cozy. I love the brick and all the lights in the backlight of the bar. And yeah, really, really nice. And these booth seats over here are cool too. If you come with a group, then everybody can sit around there and yeah, just very well done. So yeah, that's the nice thing about these bars like this is they are intimate, they're smaller, but they have that cozy feel and it's good for a date night or coming with friends and just hanging out. So they do have signature cocktails here. You're going to go over that, but I just found out actually in March, it's going to be their 10 year anniversary here in the same spot. So that's impressive. Yeah, it's really cool. So yeah, obviously a lot of people like coming here and enjoying the drinks that they've been open for 10 years. So, uh, yeah, there's signature drinks you guys are seeing right now. I did a little bit of a B-roll for you, but they have one that's a banh mi. So these are all Vietnamese inspired drinks. So I think I know which one Shane is going to pick. I'll put it up right now. What I think and, uh, see if I guess right. And then, uh, yeah, we'll see what she ends up ordering. I know I'm going to get the banh mi one because why not? It's a banh mi. So, um, but yeah, uh, we'll see what Shane gets. I'm going to film them, uh, making the drinks as well as I'm deciding on my cocktail and looking at the signature ones here. But if you flip through the menu, they also have, uh, fruit cocktails, beer, whiskey, uh, Japanese drinks, it looks like, and some classic cocktails as well. So pretty extensive menu with lots to choose from standard, regular cocktails, like high balls and things, and also a wide variety of shots. All right. So I picked one of the signature cocktails. This one's called the Oi Simoy, and it has rum, guava, simoy, which is salt, and tonic. Looks super refreshing and almost too pretty to drink. Look at those flowers on there. It's like little orchid flowers. And there's also a salted plum. Maybe I'll try the garnish first. So because it has a simoy in it, which is salt in Vietnamese, they put a salted plum as a garnish, which is very fitting. Okay, we had to cut that part of the video because I put that entire salted plum in my mouth, and I actually like really salty, savory things. That was so salty. So the bartender's looking at me thinking like, you know what, you're actually only supposed to take small bites of it. So we just found that out. We just learned that when you have a salted plum, you just take little bites. You don't put the whole thing in your mouth like I did. So very salty, but at least I tried a salted plum. Okay, I'm gonna take my pretty flowers out of the cocktail. Let's give it a try. That's really good. That's so refreshing. I told him that I wanted something very refreshing and said this was the one to get for sure and I can see why. But I like that bit of salt that's in it as well. Tolerable amount of salt. And the guava has such a nice fresh flavor. I usually don't really care for tonic in cocktails, but this has just the right amount in it. It just gives a nice flavor without being too strong. And there's a good amount of rum in here as well. That's the important part. But yeah, this has, again, a very unique flavor, very good balance of fruitiness, refreshing, some fizz, and then that little bit of saltiness. This is definitely a cocktail that I would order again. All right, so I went with the banh mi, which is their most popular drink, of course, banh mi being here in Vietnam. So this is actually vodka, a hint of chili syrup for the spiciness. Some fresh lime juice, again, you're going to get that on a banh mi, that flavor. A touch of lemongrass liqueur for added aroma. And then it's got the cilantro and a chili pepper on top. So I've already had it touch my lips because I was doing the picture for the thumbnail. It's got some spice to it, but I can't wait to try this and see how the entire drink tastes. You know what? It's actually like having a banh mi. Just like a little piece of pork in there, you'd be all set. But it's, yeah, it's actually refreshing. It does have a little bit of chili to it, like the spice, but not too much. But you actually get the flavor of the lemongrass and the lime in there. This is really good. Again, you can tell it's the essence of a banh mi right here. And yeah, just overall a really good drink. So if you are coming here, definitely get the banh mi and then try another one as well or a few other ones, of course. But yeah, we're only getting one here because we are going to another place. But definitely would like to come back and try some more another time. All right, so we ended up with some extra time here at United. So we decided to get a second cocktail and I ended up trying Chris's banh mi cocktail. It was so delicious that I had to order my own. So I'm having one all to myself. I wanted to keep drinking his. My cocktail was good as well, but I prefer this one. This is a definite like top of my list as far as cocktails go. I can't describe the flavors. It's just so amazing, like just how they can put the flavors of banh mi into a cocktail. Absolutely amazing. So we also learned that what they use in here is a char siu pork broth infused vodka. And that's what actually gives the drink a little bit of like a pork flavor. So that is very creative. So this is the best sandwich I've ever drank. So I ended up going with a completely different drink. This is the one that I thought Shannon was going to pick, which you guys saw when I put it up. So this is the Khao Dao Phung, which it says inspired by nostalgic taste of childhood, Vietnamese childhood. It says it brings together rich flavors of caramel, the velvety smoothness of egg white, and the heartwarming essence of peanut soup. So it's got a little toasty peanut candy on top, which you guys saw them toasting up. Try a little bite of that. Toasted peanuts always good. And you see the egg white on the top, come on top. That's really good. It's sweet, but it's got a bit of tanginess to it as well. And yeah, you can taste a bit of peanut-ness in there as well. So yeah, it's really good. It's completely different than the banh mi, which has umami. This is more on the sweet tangy side of it. But yeah, it's really good. I like this one. All right, so we've made it to the third and final location in video number one here. And we're at Khet Hai. Sorry, it's a bit dark. It's really dark in here. It has a cave-like feel. It's really cool. It's very intimate. It's actually quite large too compared to the other two we went to. There's quite a bit of space in here. They've got two bars. We're sitting at one here. But yeah, really cool vibe up here. It's upstairs, right across from the river, not far from the Dragon Bridge. So I was just looking through the menu and it's very Vietnamese themed. So there are different cocktails that are specific to different locations all around Vietnam, and also some ingredients that are very specific to the local Vietnamese flavors. So yeah, the menu looks very interesting. It's a big menu. Yeah, it's huge. And there's also, at the end, some classic cocktails and stuff and and just more basic cocktails. But you can tell that the signature cocktails are very specific to Vietnam as a country. I was noticing there's also a section in here that has a category for low alcohol, and then you've got medium alcohol drinks, and then high alcohol drinks. So depending on how you're feeling, depending on your mood, you can pick how much alcohol you would like in your cocktail. And there's mocktails and stuff too if you don't drink alcohol. And there's a couple different bottled beers, Corona and the 1664 Cronenberg Pong. Yeah, so yeah, if you don't want to have a cocktail, these are some other options for you as well. So we're going to pick a couple out. I'm probably going to go with the Da Nang one, but we'll see what we get. And when we, once we order, we'll let you know what each of our drinks has, and then show you what they are like once we get them, and what they taste like. So yeah, we're excited to try them. Okay, so as I mentioned, I went with the Da Nang drink, which is black label whiskey, La Frong whiskey, ginger coconut oxymelon, Nam O fish sauce, and then rice paper and cheese, which is the crispy bit on top that you see that's the rice paper with like burnt cheese on top. So I bet you it's like a lot of the other places where you take a drink and you take a bite of whatever's on top. So I'm gonna give it a try here. Be interested with the fish sauce in there as well. Smells pretty strong. This is all the whiskey in there. It's actually sweet. I thought maybe it'd be more umami with the fish sauce in there, but it's got like almost a cinnamony flavor to it. I'll try with this. I can do this first and then this. Yeah, it balances it out because the cheese has like a umami to it, and then the rice paper as well. And then you have that sweetness from the drink, so it just blends it all together. So yeah, it's a really interesting drink. It's cool. It's from Da Nang. It's a Da Nang drink, so I was like I had to get that one, being that this is where we are. So yeah, Shannon's gonna let you know what hers is, and it looks nice. All right, so since Chris went with the Da Nang cocktail, naturally I had to go with the cocktail from our neighbors in Hoi An. So this is really cool how they have the cocktail in like a bamboo cup. They have a nice little flower on there, cute little straw. So the Hoi An cocktail is called Mot Mai Tai, and it says it's a must try on the menu. The Da Nang one is as well, so there's certain ones that they actually say are must try. So this is one of those ones too. So it's got pisco gin, a Vietnamese botanical blend, melon liqueur, angostura bitters, and lime. That sounds very good. I'm excited to try it. Very strong in a good way. Yeah, it's very good. I like that melony flavor in there, but it's also very tart and has a nice sourness, which I like. Very refreshing. A little bit of a bitterness, but not too much. It's a nice balance of flavors, but a good combination. There's actually nothing sweet about this drink at all. It tastes like a sour candy. Yeah, I like this one a lot. This is one of the ones that I would definitely have a second one of. So really good. You got to try this one. All right, so just like the other places, we're going to enjoy our drinks. Cheers. And yeah, it's fun doing these videos and trying different cocktails. That's something we do all the time. So we kind of make an excuse to come out and make a video for you guys, so you get to try all this stuff. But yeah, so far we've been really impressed with all the places. And I just love the ambiance in here. This cave-like cozy feel. There's a little bit of like coolness to it. Like you feel actually cool on your skin. They have the AC on, but it gives you that feel like you're really in a cave. And then you've got the candlelights. And yeah, it's just a very nice place to chill. Awesome vibe, great music. Yeah, exactly. So yeah, like I said, we're going to enjoy our drinks, and we'll see you once we're done here, back in the streets. And yeah, we'll finish the video off there. All right, so we've made it downstairs along the river here in Da Nang, a nice cool evening. It's not raining too hard, which is nice. But yeah, we had a really good time tonight trying all the different cocktails at the different cocktail bars, something we don't normally do. So it was nice to get out and do that and show you guys. Yeah, let us know in the comments which cocktail bar caught your eye or your interest the most. Have you visited any of those ones before? Or are any of those cocktail bars ones that you would be interested in visiting when you come to Da Nang? Yeah, for sure. We'd love to hear from you guys in the comments below. Again, if you liked the video, please leave a thumbs up. We're doing video number two, so make sure you hit the subscribe button, hit the little bell icon to get notified when we come out with new videos. God bless, and we'll see you in the next one. Bye.