Hoe Wong is a tribute to my late grandfather — a man who crossed three countries so his grandchildren could have a better life. Born on July 1st 1929 — Canada Day — in China, he raised his family in Đà Lạt, Vietnam, a French colonial city in the highlands nicknamed Le Petit Paris. When war came, his son fled to Canada as a refugee. Slowly, he brought the whole family to safety.
He loved two things his entire life — coffee and Hennessy. The first recorded shipment of Hennessy to arrive in Vietnam landed in Haiphong harbour on July 30th 1890. By the time my grandfather was born, Hennessy wasn’t foreign anymore — it was woven into Vietnamese culture. It was aspiration in a bottle. In Canada, he could finally have it freely. When he passed on April 6th 2023, we gathered as a family and shared five bottles of XO.
This cocktail is a reimagining of Cà Phê Trứng — Vietnamese egg coffee — his favourite drink in his younger years. Every ingredient was chosen with intention. Nothing wasted. Everything purposeful.
1.5 oz Hennessy XO
1.5 oz single origin Ugandan robusta cold brew
0.25 oz Rock Sugar Gomme Syrup *
1 ml House Coffee Bitter**
Glassware: Ceramic cortado cup, frozen.
Garnish: Egg Custard Foam*** + spent robusta Bánh Quy cookie.
Combine Hennessy XO, robusta cold brew, Rock Sugar Gomme Syrup and House Coffee Bitter in a mixing vessel. Stir gently to combine. Pre-batch and refrigerate until service — this cocktail is served cold with no ice.
To serve, pour the chilled base into a frozen ceramic cortado cup. Dispense egg custard foam on top from an iSi canister. Place one Bánh Quy cookie alongside to complete the serve.
*Rock Sugar Gomme Syrup (2:1)
458g rock sugar, crushed
229g hot water
14g gum arabic
Dissolve rock sugar in hot water over medium heat. Transfer to a cambro, blend in gum arabic, and sous vide at 65°C until fully incorporated. Cool and bottle.
**House Coffee Bitter
100g Neutral Grain Spirit
8g dehydrated spent robusta grounds
3g cacao nibs
2g dried orange peel
0.5g cinnamon quill
0.1g clove
0.1g green cardamom
Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar. Infuse 48 hours at room temperature, shaking daily. Double strain through fine mesh then coffee filter. Bottle in a Tincture bottle.
***Egg Custard Foam
3 egg yolks
80g Toasted whole milk powder condensed milkº
20g Hennessy XO
30g robusta cold brew
Combine all ingredients, whisk until smooth, double strain and charge in iSi with two N2O cartridges. Rest overnight refrigerated before use.
ºToasted Milk Powder Condensed Milk
30g Snow Cow whole milk powder (toasted at 150°C until light golden caramel)
50g robusta cold brew
30g rock sugar gomme syrup
1.2g xanthan gum
Combine all ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Double strain and refrigerate.
