Vietnamese liquor
Because human beings like to drink, they always seem to have indigenous beverages, at least where strict adherence to religion precludes it. Vietnam’s history as a beer country is short – in liquor it extends back a ways. The Vietnamese and the various ethnic groups that live within their borders typically make rustic liquor from rice, sometimes grain or corn. For regular drinking, they stop there. Ngó Bắc Hà is a traditional Hmong liquor made from corn. For a firewater, it has a fairly vibrant body, although it has little nuance. With a hint of corn sweetness in the finish, it is at least a little bit smooth.
The same cannot really be said for Nếp Phó Lộc, a basic Vietnamese rice liquor. This stuff smells mostly of alcohol, with some sketchy phenolics. No style or substance, just potent alcohol. The best thing to do with it is to age it with some fruit or herbs, to round out the rough edges and give it some character. One company in northern Vietnam does this, and you can sample your way through their wares at a restaurant in Hanoi called Highway 4.
To kick things off we tried Thanh Mai, named for an eponymous fruit from the Halong Bay area. This was one of the best – at once smoky, tart and fruity. Lots of acidity in the finish lent it vibrancy. For a fruit liquor, this had great complexity, and the sweet finish was a bonus, not a disappointment.
Linh Chi is a liquor named for an eponymous mushroom, with added ginseng. Light golden in colour, this had an assertive herbal ginseng nose. The palate burst with a very earthy mushroom character before becoming overwhelmed by the alcohol late.
The Sapa Herbal Blend smelled like a Chinese pharmacy – all ginseng, cinnamon and sandalwood. The latter’s character was bold, with ginseng emerging late. A very dry liquor, with a light smoke note in the finish, this austere spirit exhibits complexity if not depth.
Bạch Sâm is a white pepper liquor, very basic but bold on the signature ingredient.
Minh Mang, named for a Nguyen Emperor, has a bright bronze colour. Indeed, many of these look spectacular. A very spicy nose reveals ginseng, sandalwood and mushrooms. It’s heavy, with a fairly brandyish finish after laying down some perfunctory herbal notes.
Mỹ Tữu (“The Ambassador”) is muddy brown – not sure why it was muddy. A rich herbal aroma gave way to more heat that most. Not much complexity – a dud.
Vuāy Tữu is a reddish bronze liquor with an intensely herbal aroma, almost like myrrh with Tiger Balm. Crazy. Spicy on the palate with intense tobacco, wood, sandal, lemon balm, and vague citrus. This liquor was one of the best – complex, delicious and intense. A well-crafted product that lets the liquor bring the herbals together and carries them across the palate.
Dâm Duong Houe has a subdued aroma, light herbs and kind of a soapy mineral character. It’s spicy, with some white pepper on the palate. The finish has a little bit of starchiness, then bracing menthol.
Nhất Dạ (“One night, five times”) was the most dong of any liquor. Deep golden brown with a liquoricey aroma, thai basil, panela, ginseng and lots of wood. The smoky character is rounded with myriad herbs – black pepper, bitter lemon peel, ginseng. Near infinite complexity, but in a rounded package, this uplifting liquor has a long finish and lasts all night.
Of course, some of the herbs in these things aren’t that well known to me. Beershine probably got even more out of these liquors because of her knowledge of TCM. She was pointing out flavours and aromas of things I have not even heard of. Plus, the precise value of the different herbs was lost on me – the medicinal aspect of these drinks is part of their character but one that meant basically nothing to me.
There were some fruit ones as well, most of which were okay at best. Beershine like the rose apple but I wasn’t as taken by it. But the herbal liquors were a lot of fun. For the most part, they looked great, had some complexity, and most had a fair bit of character. Well worth seeking out.
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nice post. thanks.