Shake & Savor: Coffee-Themed Cocktails from Việt Nam

Vietnamese coffee takes a spirited turn in this 90-minute workshop at Lacàph. You’ll make two cocktails: Cà Phê Mít, built with phin coffee, jackfruit, rum, and ginger soda, and Phở Fizz, a gin drink flavored with cascara tea and coffee blossom honey. The recipes are unusual without being hard to follow.

I like the clear connection between each drink and Vietnamese ingredients. I also like the friendly setup: an English-speaking Coffee Guide, a welcome drink, short videos between demonstrations, and a clean workshop upstairs from Lacàph’s café. The main consideration is that this is an adults-only alcohol activity, and the small caffeine content does not make it suitable for everyone with heart or blood-pressure concerns.

Key points at a glance

• Two original cocktails: Make the jackfruit-based Cà Phê Mít and the phở-inspired Phở Fizz.
• Local ingredients: Use Lacàph Phin Blend, cascara tea made from coffee cherry husks, raw coffee blossom honey, jackfruit, ginger soda, gin, and Vietnamese rum.
• A compact evening plan: The full experience lasts 90 minutes, making it easy to fit before dinner or after sightseeing.
• Easy-to-find city location: Look for the purple iron door at 220 Nguyễn Công Trứ, then climb upstairs and turn sharply left.
• English and Vietnamese instruction: The Coffee Guides teach in both languages and explain the cultural background behind the ingredients.
• A few limits matter: The activity is for people 18 and older and is not suitable for pregnant people, wheelchair users, or anyone with heart problems or high blood pressure.

Two Vietnamese cocktails, not two ordinary coffee drinks

The appeal here is simple: you get to taste familiar Vietnamese flavors in forms you probably will not find at a standard café or bar. Coffee is only one part of the evening. Jackfruit, coffee cherry husks, honey, gin, rum, and ginger soda all play a role.

The first drink is Cà Phê Mít, or Jackfruit Coffee Cocktail. It combines Lacàph Phin Blend with jackfruit, Việt Nam Sampan Rhum, and house-made ginger soda. Jackfruit brings a sweet, perfumed fruit note, while the ginger soda gives the drink a sharper finish. The coffee and rum provide the darker base.

The second is Phở Fizz, a cocktail inspired by the flavors and idea of phở. It uses Lady Triệu Mekong Delta Dry Gin, Lacàph Cascara Tea, and Lacàph Raw Coffee Blossom Honey. The name is playful, but the drink also shows how Vietnamese food culture can guide a cocktail without turning it into a novelty act.

I like that the menu uses ingredients with a clear local connection. You are not simply adding espresso to a generic cocktail. You are tasting coffee in several forms, including brewed coffee, cascara, and honey made from coffee blossoms.

Arriving at Lacàph on Nguyễn Công Trứ

Lacàph sits on the upper floor of an old building at 220 Nguyễn Công Trứ in Nguyễn Thái Bình Ward, District 1. The entrance is easy to miss if you are expecting a large storefront. Look for the small sign in front of a purple iron door.

Go through the door, climb the stairs, and take a sharp left at the top. That is the workshop space. The café occupies the main floor, so you may want to arrive with enough time to get your bearings before the 90-minute session begins.

This tucked-away entrance gives the activity a more local feel than a polished hotel bar. It also creates one practical drawback: if you have mobility concerns, the stairs are important to know about in advance. Wheelchair users cannot take part according to the activity information.

The workshop area is described as clean and pleasant, and the main café provides a useful place to wait or look around before the class. The setting fits the subject well. You are in a working coffee environment, not an anonymous classroom.

A welcome drink and a short introduction

The experience begins with a welcome drink, an extra touch that helps settle the group before the practical work starts. You can expect the Coffee Guide to introduce the main ingredients and explain how coffee fits into Vietnamese daily life and drinking culture.

The guides speak English and Vietnamese. That matters here because the workshop is built around more than measurements. The point is also to understand where the ingredients come from and why they work together.

Short videos are shown between parts of the instruction. These give the session a change of pace and help explain the coffee side of the experience without requiring a long lecture. One useful feature is the balance between watching and doing. You are not left sitting through a full presentation before touching the ingredients.

The caffeine level is low, but it is not zero. If you are sensitive to caffeine, this is worth keeping in mind. The drinks contain coffee-related ingredients, but the activity is presented as a cocktail workshop rather than a coffee-tasting session.

Making Cà Phê Mít with phin coffee and jackfruit

The first recipe introduces you to Lacàph Phin Blend, a coffee made for the traditional Vietnamese phin brewing method. A phin is a small metal filter that sits over a cup and allows coffee to drip slowly. It is one of the clearest symbols of Vietnamese coffee culture.

Here, the coffee forms the backbone of Cà Phê Mít. Jackfruit supplies the fruit element, Việt Nam Sampan Rhum adds warmth, and house-made ginger soda brings lift and spice. The result should appeal to you if you like drinks that mix coffee’s roasted edge with tropical fruit.

This is also the most obviously coffee-centered of the two cocktails. If you want the coffee flavor to be easy to identify, pay close attention to how the phin coffee changes the drink. The recipe shows why coffee can work with rum and fruit, rather than only with condensed milk or dessert flavors.

The jackfruit ingredient gives the drink a strong Vietnamese identity. It is a better expression of place than simply serving a standard coffee martini with a local label. The ginger soda also keeps the recipe from feeling too heavy.

The class format lets you follow the technique under the guide’s direction. You will not need to arrive with cocktail-making experience. The emphasis is on learning the method, tasting the balance, and understanding what each ingredient contributes.

Mixing Phở Fizz with cascara and coffee blossom honey

The second cocktail takes a more unexpected route. Phở Fizz uses Lady Triệu Mekong Delta Dry Gin, Lacàph Cascara Tea, and Lacàph Raw Coffee Blossom Honey.

Cascara is made from coffee cherry husks, the fruit surrounding the coffee bean. It has a different character from brewed coffee, often bringing fruit and tea-like notes rather than the roasted taste you expect from coffee. Using it in a cocktail gives you a chance to experience another part of the coffee plant.

The coffee blossom honey adds sweetness and aroma. Because it comes from coffee flowers, it links the drink to coffee production in a subtle way. Gin gives the cocktail a crisp spirit base, and the fizz style keeps the combination light enough for an evening tasting.

I find this recipe especially useful for anyone curious about modern Vietnamese food and drink. It takes a familiar cultural reference, phở, and translates its idea into a drink without requiring a bowl of soup at the table. The name may get your attention, but the ingredients provide the real reason to try it.

This drink is likely to interest you more if you enjoy floral, herbal, tea-like, or gently sweet flavors. If you only want a strong roasted coffee cocktail, Cà Phê Mít may be the better match.

What the Coffee Guides add to the evening

The Coffee Guides are central to the experience. Their job is not just to show you where to pour each ingredient. They explain the ingredients, share cultural stories, and connect traditional Vietnamese flavors with current cocktail techniques.

That teaching style makes the workshop more useful than a simple tasting. You leave with an idea of how phin coffee differs from cascara, why coffee blossom honey matters, and how local fruit and spirits can change the character of a drink.

The available information does not provide the guides’ names, so you should not expect a named host when booking. You can expect instruction in English or Vietnamese. The English-speaking format makes this a practical choice for an evening activity in District 1.

The workshop also suits people who want a social activity without committing to a long night out. You can meet other participants, make the drinks together, and still have time to continue on to dinner or another stop in the city.

How much value do you get for $30?

The price is $30 per person for 90 minutes. That is more than you would pay for two ordinary drinks at some local bars, but this is not simply a bar order. The fee includes instruction, the welcome drink, the two cocktail recipes, the ingredients, and the use of the workshop space.

For me, the value depends on what you want from an evening activity. If you only want inexpensive cocktails, this will not be the best deal. If you want a short cultural experience with hands-on preparation, the price is easier to justify.

The recipes also use specialty ingredients that you may not easily find on your own, especially cascara tea and raw coffee blossom honey. The class gives you a way to taste them in a structured setting instead of buying unfamiliar products and guessing how to use them.

The 90-minute length helps the value. It is long enough to feel like a real activity but short enough to fit into a busy Hồ Chí Minh City schedule. You are not giving up an entire evening, and you can plan a meal before or after.

The rating is 4.9 from four reviews, with full marks from the published comments. One detailed account praised the clean café and workshop areas, friendly staff, informative teaching, videos between tutorials, and the welcome drink. Those details point to a well-organized session, though the small number of ratings means you should not treat the score as a guarantee for every group.

Who should book this workshop?

I would recommend this activity to adults who enjoy food culture, coffee, and hands-on classes. It is also a good choice for a couple, a small group of friends, or a solo visitor who wants an easy way to meet people during an evening in District 1.

You do not need advanced cocktail skills. The guides lead the process, and the recipes are built around clear ingredients. A coffee fan will find plenty to explore, but you do not need to be a serious coffee expert to enjoy the session.

This is also a strong pick for a celebration. The setting is more personal than a large bar, and the drinks provide a shared activity rather than just a seat and a menu.

I would skip it if you are looking for a full meal, a long bar crawl, or a serious caffeine tasting. The activity centers on two cocktails and cultural explanation. It is compact by design.

The age rules are strict: children under 18 and people under 17 are not allowed. The activity is also not suitable for pregnant people, people with heart problems, or people with high blood pressure. Pets are not allowed.

Planning your evening in District 1

The workshop works best as one part of your evening. Since it lasts 90 minutes, you can schedule it before dinner, after a day of sightseeing, or as a calmer alternative to a loud nightlife venue.

Give yourself time to find the purple door at 220 Nguyễn Công Trứ. The upper-floor location is distinctive once you know what to look for, but it is not the kind of entrance you want to search for while rushing to a fixed start time.

You can reserve now and pay later, which helps if your plans are still shifting. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Check the available start times when booking, since the activity does not list one fixed daily departure time.

Dress is not specified, so there is no need to plan around a formal requirement. The main practical concerns are the stairs, the alcohol, and the medical restrictions.

Is Shake & Savor worth booking?

Book it if you want a short, social introduction to Vietnamese ingredients through cocktails. The strongest reasons are the unusual recipes, the use of phin coffee and cascara in different ways, and the English-speaking instruction at a dedicated coffee venue.

The best part is the sense of place. Cà Phê Mít uses jackfruit, ginger, phin coffee, and Vietnamese rum. Phở Fizz brings together gin, coffee cherry husks, and coffee blossom honey. These are drinks you are unlikely to recreate by ordering at a standard bar.

Skip it if alcohol is not part of your plans, if you need step-free access, or if you want a quiet coffee tasting with no spirits. For the right person, though, $30 buys more than two cocktails. It buys a compact lesson in how Vietnamese coffee culture can move from the phin into the cocktail glass.

FAQ

Where does the coffee cocktail workshop take place?

It takes place at Lacàph, 220 Nguyễn Công Trứ, Nguyễn Thái Bình Ward, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh City. Enter through the purple iron door, climb the stairs, and turn sharply left at the top.

How long does the activity last?

The workshop lasts 90 minutes.

What cocktails will I make?

You will make Cà Phê Mít, a jackfruit coffee cocktail with Lacàph Phin Blend, Việt Nam Sampan Rhum, and house-made ginger soda. You will also make Phở Fizz, using Lady Triệu Mekong Delta Dry Gin, Lacàph Cascara Tea, and Lacàph Raw Coffee Blossom Honey.

Is the workshop taught in English?

Yes. The Coffee Guides teach in English and Vietnamese.

How much does the experience cost?

The price is $30 per person.

Is the activity suitable for children?

No. Children under 18 and people under 17 are not permitted to take part.

Can I cancel my booking?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later.