HANOI RAISES A GLASS TO SUMMIT MEET
Bars whipping up cocktails to mark second Trump, Jong-un meeting
KIM Jong Ale? Rock It, Man? Or how about a glass of Peace Negroniations? Bars here are cashing in on the second summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next week with special concoctions to mark the highstakes diplomacy.
“This beer was inspired by the pure streams of Mount Paektu between North Korea and China,” said Nguyen Thi Huong Anh, manager of Hanoi’s Standing Bar, of the “Kim Jong Ale”, brewed especially for the summit.
The mountain is the highest on the Korean peninsula and the official birthplace of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
“It’s a volcano so the beer has a hot and spicy flavour with a soft and fresh aftertaste,” Anh said.
Trump and Jong-un will meet on Wednesday and Thursday, following up on their historic first summit in Singapore in June, when they pledged to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Enterprising businesses hope to cash in on the occasion.
One Hanoi barber is offering free haircuts to anyone wanting to copy Trump and Kim’s distinctive locks.
But as in Singapore, where bars mixed up all kinds of concoctions to mark the event, it’s the bars and pubs here that folks are getting creative this time too. Perhaps not surprisingly, Korea’s favourite soju spirit has emerged as the ingredient of choice.
The Tannin Wine Bar In the city’s old quarter is offering the “Peace Negroniations”, a summit-inspired take on the classic Negroni cocktail, made with pinkgrapefruit flavoured soju, vermouth and a drop of Angostura bitters, said manager Antoine Ursat.
“I hope all the delegations come here and have a cocktail. It’ll facilitate the negotiations — after one or two drinks it’s more easy to talk,” Ursat said.
The nearby Unicorn Pub is offering a special summit drink named “Rock It, Man”, which includes soju, bourbon and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, along with pineapple juice, vanilla and grenadine.
“The Fireball is as strong as Trump. It’s sweet but it’s also very fiery. When you drink it, it tastes really hot at first but it ends with sweetness,” said pub co-owner, Trinh Xuan Dieu.
And the name of the concoction? Before they broke the ice at their Singapore summit, Trump mocked Jong-un and his efforts to build nuclear missiles by calling him “Rocket Man”.