"Alcohol, because no great story ever started with someone eating salad..." - Lantern Town menu
I found a recommendation online that Lantern Town restaurant in Hoi An had some unique, quality cocktails. My search for Vietnamese cocktails in Hanoi was a bust, so I was still on the hunt.
Lantern Town mostly had run-of-the-mill tropical drinks on their menu, but there were three interesting items.
Elizabeth and I tried a Miss Hanoi, and Lindsay ordered the Miss Hoi An.
Miss Hoi An was a rum-based tropical cocktail. It was refreshing but not revolutionary. It would make a nice cooler for a hot beach or boat day.
Miss Hanoi was our favorite of the two. It is a Vietnamese twist on a mojito made with vodka. The highlight was the spicy ginger lemongrass simple syrup that gave it a flavor kick similar to ginger beer.
The fresh ingredients for these two drinks shouldn't be too hard to find in the U.S., and I think they're worth a try again. I didn't get the ingredient proportions from the restaurant, so these are my best approximations.
Miss Hanoi
2 oz Vodka
1.5 oz Ginger lemongrass simple syrup
1 oz Kumquat juice
1 oz Lime juice
6 Muddled mint leaves
Miss Hoi An
2 oz Gold rum
1.5 oz Pineapple simple syrup
2 oz Passion fruit juice
1 oz Lime juice