This savory riff on the Old-Fashioned was on the David Bowie–themed menu at Boston Baijiu Bar, a pop-up at Nick Lappen’s Backbar. The cocktail is inspired by pork ribs with fish sauce caramel glaze, a dish Lappen first tasted in Vietnam. For the drink, he uses Vinn, a domestically produced rice-aroma baijiu from Oregon, and adds a touch of maple syrup in a nod to his New England roots.
Golden Years
Nick Lappen | Boston

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 1/2 ounces rice-aroma baijiu, preferably Vinn
- 1/2 ounce Scotch whisky, preferably Compass Box Artist Blend Scotch
- 1/4 ounce maple syrup
- 6 drops Bittermens mole bitters
- 3 drops Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 dash Bitter Queens Shanghai Shirley five-spice bItters
Directions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir briefly with ice.
- Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.