Secret Cocktail Experience Hoi An: A delicious way to explore Ancient Town

Overview

Secret Cocktail Experience Hoi An takes small groups through the winding streets of Hoi An Ancient Town to discover four unique cocktails in hidden bars, acccompanied by snacks and plenty of cultural insights. It’s ideal for couples and small groups who want to discover inventive cocktails while learning about where they are.

Our experience

So, is the “Secret Cocktail Experience” of Hoi An really a secret?

Thankfully not, their website is right here - Secret Experiences - and plenty of tourists have enjoyed their experiences before us. But the biggest highlight of this tour is that each of the four cocktails you’ll taste really is a secret - they’re exclusive to the tour, and you can’t order them otherwise. That means you’ll be treated to unique tastes you can’t find anywhere else. In fact, I can’t even mention the specific locations here, since they’re part of the secret experience and subject to change each time.

The first of these unique tastes is a pho-inspired cocktail to be enjoyed while overlooking the river. The mixologists here have taken Vietnam’s most famous dish, the pho noodle soup, and turned it into a deliciously fragrant cocktail. When you sit down, you’re not greeted with a drink - you’re presented with a house-made spiced gin and a selection of fresh ingredients to create the cocktail yourself.

The ingredients included beansprouts, soy sauce, mint and more. While it sounds like an odd combination, the resulting cocktail was tasty, refreshing and definitely reminiscent of pho. Not only did we enjoy the drink, but also the pork rolls snack that came with it, which paired well.

The walking tour took us away from the riverside, deeper into the backstreets and winding alleys of Ancient Town. While passing tiny shops and private houses, Loan, our exceptionally friendly English-speaking guide, told us about Hoi An’s culture, traditions, homes and family lives. We then came to a wine bar which was well hidden from the usual tourist paths.

Founded by a Norwegian owner and with a British bar manager, this bar could have felt right at home in any European capital. Here we were given a delicious rum-based cocktail with an infusion of Thai basil and citrus notes, alongside crispy rice cakes with dipping sauces.

Our next stop was at an even more hidden venue that doesn’t serve cocktails as part of its menu. That’s right - it’s a tea room, serving numerous traditional and rare teas grown around Vietnam, and we began by enjoying one of these cold and refreshing teas in their beautifully peaceful tea room.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice I’ve even scrubbed out the name above the door to keep this location a secret.

However, for guests of the Secret Cocktail Experience, they prepare just one exclusive cocktail, made with whiskey and, of course, tea - among other flavours. Prior to the tour we’d had some mediocre hotel cocktails, and weren’t convinced that Vietnam had much of a cocktail scene to offer. However, this third cocktail solidified that Vietnam has some stellar mixologists, if you know where to look. The accompanying snack selection was also a delight for the senses, with dried apricots, buffalo jerky and sweet mung bean paste.

Our final bar rounded off the night with a bit of drama. The mixologist began by presenting us with a board of the cocktail’s separate components, including Vivid Rhum - a rum produced by a local distillery just up the road in Hoi An. After mixing a few ingredients in the glass, the mixologist allowed the alcohol vapours to begin drifting out of the glass, before wafting a candle flame towards them, creating a brief fireball that burst from the glass.

Not only for show, this flame added a smoky flavour into the mix of rum, dragon fruit, pineapple and more that give this drink its nickname “Taste of the Jungle”. This was the most familiar of the cocktails, for those who love fruity, tropical drinks, yet it still had unique characteristics from the smoke and dragonfruit that set it apart.

For a price of $61 / £45 at time of writing, this experience offers great value for money, for what amounts to much more than just a cocktail tour. It’s an evening of cultural discovery, Ancient Town exploration and tastes you simply can’t find elsewhere. Loan also mentioned that the tour is constantly evolving as she scours the city for exciting new bars, so the locations and cocktails may differ between experiences!

I’d highly recommend Secret Cocktail Experience for anybody visiting Hoi An. I’d suggest taking this tour towards the start of your stay, since it will help you get your bearings in Ancient Town and gain a solid understanding of where you are, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.