Kota Pandan Liqueur

Kota Pandan is a liqueur from France, produced in Dijon by the liqueur maker Gabriel Boudier in collaboration with bartender Nico de Soto, and bottled at 18%. It centres on pandan, a Southeast Asian plant sometimes called the vanilla of the East, with the aim of bringing that exotic leaf into a modern liqueur. It is made by soaking fresh pandan leaves in neutral grain alcohol for several days to capture their fascinating, vanilla like character, which is the whole idea behind the bottle.

The nose is intensely aromatic with vanilla, almond and fresh herbs, the palate soft and sweetish with vanilla, biscuit butter, almond and a slightly grassy freshness, finishing long, round and aromatic with an exotic character. Behind the bar it brings a vanilla led, gently herbal exotic note and sweetness, which lets it carry a Pandan Daiquiri or lend an unusual twist to an Old Fashioned. It is good over ice but shows its strength in cocktails. Pour it cold, or reach for it when a drink wants an exotic vanilla edge.