When you think of Macao, what comes to mind? For many, it’s the dazzling casinos that define the city.
The Vida Rica Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, Macau has decided to take the city’s world-famous trope and have fun with it, transforming its cocktail menu into a tantalising game of chance that not only honours Macao’s rich Chinese and Portuguese heritage but also introduces intriguing Argentinian flavours to the mix.
The Cocktail Destiny is presented in a creative format – a stack of cards reminiscent of both playing and tarot cards. Each card features artistic illustrations that highlight the various taste profiles and cocktails available. Among the cards, three joker cards offer a delightful surprise: if you’re lucky enough to pick one, your first cocktail is on the house.
This interactive experience showcases 11 distinct cocktails, but players can explore up to 33 combinations based on their choices. There are two ways to engage with the menu: for a quick selection, simply choose one from the 11 cards; for a more customised experience, select three cards – one for the taste profile, another for the spirit base, and a final card to determine your preferred spirit, fortified wine, or flavoured cordial.
“I don’t like to approach cocktails in a traditional way,” shares Vida Rica Bar’s Argentinian head mixologist, Juan Lagos. His passion lies in creating unique cocktail components from scratch. With a background in chemical laboratories and experience overseeing bars in Doha and Abu Dhabi, Lagos is no stranger to experimentation.
[See more: Top bars in Macao: Your ultimate guide to the best places to drink]
When developing the cocktails for this new menu, he started with ideas that drew heavily from Chinese influences, then branched out to concoctions that celebrated Macao’s unique fusions of East and West, before culminating in cocktails that highlighted strong Portuguese flavours.
Interestingly, his two favourites on the menu are at opposite ends of this spectrum. The Lucky Eight is the most Chinese-inspired cocktail, while the Portuguese Pirate leans into lusitanian tastes.
Lucky Eight features baijiu, a Chinese spirit with a complex flavour profile that Lagos encountered for the first time in Macao. He crafts a super umami cocktail infused with spices, seaweed sake, and a lavender cordial, all infused by himself and the team.
“It can be a strange cocktail,” admits Lagos, “but it’s one of my favourites.” This unconventional drink is served in a globe-shaped glass, enhancing its unique presentation.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Pirate is a must for whisky aficionados. Described by Lagos as “a highball with more body,” this cocktail features Tamorus Scottish whisky, artichoke bitters, tonic water, and an artisanal wine syrup crafted in-house. The bar’s zero-waste principle is key here; leftover Portuguese wines are transformed into syrup infused with cloves, star anise, osmanthus tea, and oranges, extending their shelf life.
As for Lagos’ take on Macao’s multicultural essence, he creatively reinterprets familiar flavours with a daring twist. Perhaps an Argentinian take on Macao’s famous egg tart? No. Made with cognac and port wine infused with minced pork, the Macau’s Choice stands out among the others. Yes, you read that right – minced pork.
“You cook the minced pork and add the wine, then freeze it overnight before filtering,” explains Lagos. The resulting minchi-inspired cocktail, with its umami and slightly sweet profile, is a testament to his love for experimentation, and will be sure to attract curious guests.
For those who prefer classic cocktails, Lagos offers his own creative interpretations. The Age of Exploration is a smoky margarita with a piece of gelatine infused with palo santo, a fragrant wood native to South America. The Zen Garden is a riff on an Old Fashioned made with shiitake mushroom whisky and lotus syrup, all poured into a pipe-shaped glass. For something sour, try the Navigator’s Elixir, featuring lemongrass rum and ginjinha, a Portuguese cherry liqueur.
Lagos also pays homage to his Argentinian roots with the Banquets of Empire, an “Argentinian martini” made with gin, black truffle vermouth, and yerba mate cordial. The truffle slices are meticulously slow cooked in vermouth to meld the flavours, while the yerba mate cordial is crafted from scratch using a traditional herbal tea native to South America.
For those curious about more Argentinian flavours, the mixologist has a secret off-menu item, the Hanky Panky cocktail, made with Fernet Branca – a nostalgic drink for him and many Argentinians.
The success of this experimental menu hinges on the skill and creativity of the bartenders, who have to innovate and adapt to each customer’s selections. Given the unique nature of Lagos’ creations, these cocktails are truly one-of-a-kind, near impossible to replicate, and available exclusively at Mandarin Oriental’s Vida Rica Bar.
“We don’t cross the world just to be another mixologist,” says Lagos with pride, “We cross the world because we want to be the best.”
