Jocelyn K.
Yelp
Wow...the reviews did not lie. My friends and I went for a VIP tasting experience on Thursday night. Cost was $100/person + tax. The cost includes 9 different pours of Dao spirit + 3 cocktails + hotpot experience + a bottle of Dao liquor to take home. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Binh, the owner, and he served us a glass of mixed cocktails to start the tour. With cocktails in hand, we started the tour of the distillery. Binh explained to us how they boiled the rice in the giant tanks, the fermentation and distillation process. We also got to taste the fermented rice liquor at each step of the process. After the tour, we went back to the tasting room for our hot pot. We started with beef hotpot, cooked in the broth made from the fermented rice process. The beef was so fresh and paired so well with the plate of veggies and the yummy peanut sauce. Binh also started pouring the Dao liquor tasting, starting with the original Dao liquor. After we finish the beef hotpot, Binh came and brought us the pork hock, boiled in the fermented rice broth. He sliced it for us and it was served with a spicy fish sauce. He also served us the lime cocktail which paired very nicely with the dish. More pours of Dao liquors, from the Cali and the Premium one. After we devoured the pork hock, Binh came out with a pot-full of chicken curry stew, which was served with fresh banh-mi rolls and the spicy Tammy Cocktail (tamarind cocktail) He also let us taste the Dao whiskey and Cherry brandy. Now, I've been to plenty of hot-pot places and this place was very unique. Between the great food, great drinks and awesome friends, it was such a memorable hot pot experience! And at the end, you can pick which bottle of Dao liquor you want to take home. I can't wait to come back and do the whole experience again.