Imagine lounging poolside at The Nectar Room when a server arrives with a vibrant beverage served in a vintage-style tiki mug. Crispy pork skin cascades over the rim while a cucumber slice cuts through amber liquid. Before the first sip, the aromas of smoky mezcal mingle with the heat of gochujang and the zippy notes of kumquat. This is Sweet Heat, mixologist Lauren Ladner’s interpretation of pork bulgogi, a popular umami-rich Korean dish, in cocktail form, available inside the rum- and sake-forward bar at Pier Sixty-Six. 

Each day the culinary team fries pork skins to crunchy perfection, tossing them in proprietary seasoning. A cucumber crisp and celery-salt rim add a refreshing, savory finish. Ladner describes it as “the hearty, garnish-driven drama of a bloody mary with the bright, spirit-forward lift of a classic margarita.”

Recommended for: Adventurous drinkers who like umami-rich, spicy flavors.

Sweet Heat

Makes One Cocktail

• 1 ounce Código 1530 blanco tequila
• 1 ounce Vida Puebla mezcal
• 3/4 ounce pink pineapple gum syrup
• 3/4 ounce gochujang kumquat cordial
• 2 dashes cucumber bitters
• 1 cucumber crisp
• 1 fried pork rind
• Celery salt

PREPARATION: Chill a highball or Collins glass. Once the glass is chilled and there isn’t too much moisture on it, add celery salt to the rim. Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds or until cold. Strain liquid into the chilled glass using a fine strainer. Top with a skewered cucumber crisp and fried pork rind.

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