According to Tiktok, Énouement means “The bittersweet feeling of realizing that a certain period of your life or even an entire relationship is coming to an end”

Jan-2021

3 months later, dude finally moved out. It was a bittersweet moment; we said our goodbyes, and I felt a sense of relief that I could finally move on with my life. But at the same time, it was a painful goodbye.

The concept of the drink is to create a bitter melon martini with Ube foam on top. This took a hell of an R&D session to achieve the look and texture I envisioned. To tie the bitterness and sweetness together, I used sweet fermented rice (甜酒釀), which not only color corrected the gin but also softened the bitterness and gave a creamier texture to the drink. It’s almost a bit too literal, bittersweet.

The color extraction of the bitter melon gin was quite a lengthy process. First, you remove the seeds of the bitter melon, then blend it with the gin and filter it through a coffee filter, which still left you with a pretty greenish looking gin. I then froze the bitter melon gin overnight, which created more separation, and then filtered it two more times. I was worried the drink would no longer be bitter, but somehow it still retained its bitterness that I couldn’t just add vermouth and call it a day. If you are familiar with sweet fermented rice, you would know some brands can taste awfully sour. Luckily, I found a brand called “玉婆婆“ which pairs so perfectly that almost brought me to tears. This is a very, very Asian drink that I hope you all get to try very soon!

Someone asked me the other day, if I were to pick a cocktail that is basically me, which one would it be? I’m sure my answer will change over time, but for now, it’s the Enouement.”

Recipe:
- Bitter melon gin 2oz
-Sweet fermented rice 1oz
Topped with N20 charged ube foam
- 4oz egg white
- Ube extract 10 drops
- Heavy cream 1oz
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1g xanthan gum