#HennessyMyWay Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Global Top 5 Winners (Malaysia) Inspiration & Recipe

#HennessyMyWay Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Global Top 5 Winners (Malaysia) Inspiration & Recipe featuring Loco Coco by Chloe Tan, Cabinet 8 by JWC and THE HENNESSY CO(R)NNECTION by Rolend Ten, backdoor Bodega.

#HennessyMyWay Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Global Top 5 Winners (Malaysia) Inspiration & Recipe ft Loco Coco by Chloe Tan, Cabinet 8 by JWC

Loco Coco by Chloe Tan, Cabinet 8 by JWC

As a continuation of my first #HennessyMyWay sustainable cocktail - the refreshing and fizzy See Trust, which is topped with a delicious chocolate truffle, I am continuing your experience with the second glass of sustainable creative cocktail for the night - Loco Coco. A cocktail that celebrates the local cacao from my dear hometown, Pahang, Malaysia. 

Chocolate, the most indulging snacks of all time, is always a lovely complimenting partner for Hennessy XO, as the cognac carries delicious notes of dark chocolate and toffee. However, during the production of chocolate, there’s always waste that happens, as the parts that is being used to make chocolate from cacao fruits is just the beans. It takes on average five years for a cacao tree to bear fruit, and five months to grow a cacao fruit, what a waste will it be to throw away all the other parts. 

Loco Coco by Chloe Tan, Cabinet 8 by JWC

For this glass of cocktail, I will be utilising all the parts from the cacao fruit in order to reach zero waste of materials.  

First, the fresh cacao fruit is being opened, the flesh taken out, add in some alluring cacao flowers and water, and being distilled into a flavourful and fresh cacao water. The cacao water is then used to make cacao kombucha through the process of fermentation with a scoby. Then, then the fermented kombucha will be made into kombucha foam to be placed on top of the cocktail.  

The cacao nibs will be sous vide at 40 degree celsius together with rosso for 4 hours, to indulge the chocolatey and fruity notes.  

Self-infused citrus syrup, which was also used in the first Hennessy sustainable cocktail that I created, will also be used in this cocktail to further elevate the experience.  

The left over cacao husk is being chopped and used as the smoking ingredient, to provide a smoky and chocolate top note for the cocktail. To make the stage appearance, the chocolate smokes is being trapped in a half cacao husk that acts as the glass cover. A cacao leaf coaster is lying underneath the cacao-shape look alike cocktail, complementing the full experience of a sustainable cocktail.  

How would I describe Loco Coco? A glass of creative and sustainable and Hennessy cocktail, that carries the smell of a smoky melting chocolate, packed with notes of honey, dark chocolate and hint of citrus.  

I had a lot of fun creating this glass of sustainable cocktail, and I am proud to be able to introduce cacao from Pahang, Malaysia to the world. In our bar, we always prioritise the usage of local ingredients as an effort to reduce carbon footprints. Study has shown that the chocolate industry as a whole has produced at least 2.1 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses every year. By using local ingredients, it is a practical way to lessen the carbon emission, and preserve mother earth for a better future.  

Recipe 

Hennessy XO -50ML

Cacao nib rosso -30ml

Citrus peels syrup 5ml

Chocolate bitter 2 drop

Topping with cacao fruit & flower kombucha foam 50ml Cacao husk smoke 

Cacao leaf coaster 

THE HENNESSY CO(R)NNECTION by Rolend Ten, backdoor Bodega

THE HENNESSY CO(R)NNECTION by Rolend Ten, backdoor Bodega

I always believe that you don’t need many ingredients to make a great cocktail. In fact, the best way to create a truly sustainable cocktail is to find many ways to incorporate one ingredient into making a delicious cocktail. 

Therefore, just like my first #HennessyMyWay cocktail, the Cassa(no)va Highball — where I combined Hennessy VSOP and homegrown cassava to create an aperitif highball, this second cocktail is a Hennessy digestif cocktail featuring Hennessy VSOP and local Malaysian-grown corn. 

Inspired by the house of Hennessy’s creative sustainable viticulture policy in their vineyard and cognac-making processes, this one-ingredient Hennessy cocktail fully utilises every single part of a locally-grown corn to deliver a complete drinking experience like no other. I start by peeling the leaves and husks off the corn (which is then put aside for later use), then I harvest the juicy corn kernels and blend it with sugar to make beautiful corn puree. The leftover corn cob and husk leaves are then boiled in water and put into a food dehydrator to dry. 

Through a fine mesh sieve, I strain the juice from the puree for the cocktail, and keep the solid discards aside. The solid discards are then mixed with natural casava starch — made from the leftovers of my Cassa(no)va Highball cocktail ingredients, and wrapped in the husks of the corn and then steamed to make an edible corn “ketupat” (Malaysian rice cake packed in woven palm leaf) as a garnish for the cocktail. 

The cocktail itself is a shaken concoction of Hennessy VSOP and corn juice, where the sweet, buttery elements of the corn enhances the fruity caramel notes of the Hennessy VSOP cognac. Once shaken with ice, it is strained and served over a large ice block in a locally handmade clay mug, and served with an edible corn “ketupat” made from corn puree discards and casava starch. 

After the guest has finished enjoying the cocktail, I will then serve a cup of corn cob tea — made by blending the dehydrated corn cob into powder, putting a teaspoon of it in a corn husk “tea-bag” and brewed in hot water for 1 minute. The crisp and nutty taste of the corn cob tea will cleanse the palate and finishes the entire Hennessy VSOP aperitif and digestif cocktail experience beautifully. 

Using only two ingredients — fresh corn and Hennessy VSOP, this zero-waste cocktail can be created (and enjoyed) anywhere in the world, and I hope to share this recipe with people everywhere and build connections through the love of sustainable cocktail-making. I present to you, The Hennessy Co(r)nnection. 

Recipe:

45ml Hennessy VSOP 45ml Corn Juice* 

Combine Hennessy VSOP and corn juice in shaker with ice and shake until cold. Strain the cocktail in a mug over block ice. Serve with edible corn “ketupat”** and freshly-brewed corn cob tea***. 

*Corn Juice:

Blend fresh corn kernels with water (3:1 ratio) in a blender until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and squeeze the juices out. Combine strained corn juice with brown sugar (2:1 ratio) and cook over low-heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool and refrigerate. 

**Edible Corn “Ketupat” (Malaysian rice cake packed in woven palm leaf):

Mix corn puree discarded solids with cassava starch and pinch of salt and sugar. Pack in cleaned corn husk leaves and steam for 5 minutes. 

***Corn Cob Tea:

Boil leftover corn cob and slice into pieces and place in dehydrator until dry. Blend the dehydrated corn cob slices into powder. Put 1 teaspoon corn cob powder into makeshift tea-bag (from corn husk leaves) and brew with hot water for 1 minute.