Give It a Chance

Luca Boudin

Umami Restaurant

The idea for this cocktail came to me because the restaurant kitchen no longer needed the red bell pepper. Rather than throw it away, I started thinking about what I could pair it with. And I came up with coconut. Honestly, red bell pepper and coconut… it didn’t seem like a very good idea. But that’s exactly why I like to try combinations that seem a little absurd. So I started working on the cocktail with tequila. But I wanted to take it further, to give it something different. That’s when I thought of Absolut TABASCO. And in the end, that’s what gave the cocktail its unique character. The first sip surprised me: first the freshness, the smokiness, the coconut… and only at the very end, the heat of Absolut TABASCO. I then had a few regulars who trusted me try it. They were pretty skeptical at first. But they ended up ordering a second round. And the moment that stands out most to me is when a customer who almost never drinks cocktails tried his wife’s drink and simply said: “Ah, that’s really good. I’d love one after my beer.” That night, I eventually ran out of bell peppers to serve with it. And ultimately, that’s exactly what this cocktail means to me.

Tequila blanco, Absolut Tabasco, Fresh lime juice, Coconut syrup, Red bell pepper puree, Ardbeg 10 ans, Saline solution, Basil, Tajín rim

Umami Restaurant · Square Philippe Gilbert 1, 4920 Aywaille, Liège