Firkin Bar is an honest-to-goodness Saigon speakeasy that skips the loud self-proclamations and stays popular through its downtown location, great drinks, intimate interior, and impeccable service. Service from bartenders like Phat. “I joined this industry with a simple intention – to bring joy through the drinks I make,” he says, embracing Firkin’s immersive energy entirely.
In true speakeasy style, you’d easily miss Firkin’s big dark door. Once inside though, the cocktail bar offers a sensory experience, “from the distinct aromas, to the intimate space, that makes every visit feel personal and memorable.”
If you can detach from the conversation with the bartenders – or your drinking companion – for a moment the backbar is as engrossing. There shimmering in the half-light of the Firkin counter are 250 types of whiskies alone – and that’s not counting the rows of rums and other spirits.
Not Just A Flavor…A Ritual
There’s some Campari amongst the bottles too. “We serve lots of classics too or we craft bespoke cocktails tailored to each guest’s taste,” Phat adds. He’s particularly enamoured with Campari as an ingredient, “with its bold orange-citrus aroma along with subtle notes of herbs and roots.”
“It’s slightly sweet at first,” he continues, warming to the topic. “But that’s followed by a long, elegant bitterness that lingers. It opens up the palate, refreshes the senses, and prepares us to fully enjoy the meals and the moments ahead – hence its integral place in aperitivo culture.”
“Campari is not just a flavor — it’s a ritual,” he decides finally.
One Of The Family Tree For All Eternity
Forced to sip one of the Negroni family tree for all eternity, he would, he says, go with the Sbagliato.
The Negroni Sbagliato might be cocktail history’s happiest accident. ‘Sbagliato’ means ‘wrong’ in Italian, which tells you everything about how this drink came into existence.
In the 1960s, Venetian-born bartender Mirko Stocchetto was working at Bar Basso – a bar that’s still around should you happen to be in Milan, or if you win Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 and are in town for the global finals. It’s said he distractedly grabbed the wrong bottle, pouring Prosecco instead of gin into what should have been a standard Negroni.
Rather than start over, he served it anyway. The customer loved it. And the ‘wrong’ Negroni was born — Campari, sweet vermouth, and Prosecco over ice with an orange slice. It’s lighter than its gin-heavy cousin but keeps that signature bitter-sweet backbone. And it is, perhaps, definitive proof that catastrophe can breed creativity.
“It’s light, refreshing and uplifting,” Phat nods approvingly. “The combination of Campari, vermouth, and sparkling wine gives off this celebratory vibe. It helps lift the mood and reminds me there’s still hope, and still joy, even in the most unexpected places.”
Begin With A Message That’s Emotionally Honest
However, unlike the happenstance of the Negroni Sbagliato, he approaches creating his cocktails for a competition like Campari Red Hands with meticulous care. For his entry last year, for example, he started by looking for a story, something personal or related to the community and culture that surrounded him.
“I begin by identifying a message that’s emotionally honest,” he elaborated. “From there, I develop the concept, select ingredients that align with that story, and then focus on technique and structure of the drink.”
From Dalat To Milan At Campari Red Hands 2024
For Campari Red Hands 2024, that led to a drink he called – perhaps attempting to manifest success – From Dalat To Milan.
After hours in Vietnam’s sticky coastal heat, arriving in Dalat, the highland city hits you with crisp air and the scent of pine. It’s 1,500 meters above sea level, which explains the sweaters in July and the strawberry farms that shouldn’t exist in Southeast Asia.
The French planted pine trees here in the 1920s, turning a hill station into something that feels more Alpine than tropical. Dalat grows things that have no business thriving in Vietnam — besides strawberries, there are artichokes, and even wine grapes — and somehow makes it work. The morning mist clings to the hills like something out of a European postcard, except you’re still in the Mekong Delta region, just elevated above the chaos.
“It’s a really multi-sensory experience,” Phat agrees. “The cool-climate, the scent of pine forests, fresh herbs, and signature fruits.” To accompany his cocktail, he created a forest diorama with liquid nitrogen to evoke highland mist. The drink itself was a twist on the Oaxacan Negroni – another member of the established Negroni family tree.
A Celebration Of Place And Feeling
The Oaxacan Negroni was Mexico crashing Italy’s aperitivo party — to everyone’s delight. Created by bartender Phil Ward at Death & Co in New York around 2007, the drink swaps gin for mezcal and sweet vermouth for yellow Chartreuse, keeping Campari as its bitter soul.
The result is smoke, herbs, and that familiar red bitterness doing something entirely new together. Ward understood that mezcal’s earthy, agave-driven complexity could handle Campari’s intensity better than most spirits, while Chartreuse’s 130-herb recipe added layers that sweet vermouth never could. It’s simultaneously ancient — mezcal production dates back centuries — and completely modern.
“My drink featured smoky mezcal, strawberry-infused sweet vermouth made with Dalat strawberries, and local herbal notes. I also incorporated Vietnamese wine to enhance the fruity, warm profile and highlight the iconic bitterness of Campari,” he remembers.
“It was a celebration of place and feeling.”
Purpose In Every Detail
Top 8 place at Campari Red Hands Vietnam 2024 secured, he’d recommend this year’s participants “to not be afraid to experiment, while making sure every detail has purpose,” he muses. “Believe in yourself. If you truly think you can do it, you will.”
“And always smile and bring a sense of hospitality — with guests, and, during a competition like Campari Red Hands APAC 2025, that includes the judges.”
That’s what he does every competition, and every shift at Firkin Bar, taking genuine pleasure navigating cocktails and conversations served across the always-crowded bar.
“But if I could invite anyone to pull up a stool at the counter at Firkin Bar one night?” he asks. “Let’s start with Davide Campari – a true visionary who expanded the brand far beyond Italy. Then I’d invite Dheeradon Dissara, the Global Champion of Campari Red Hands 2024, to hear more about his journey and gain insight from his experiences. The entire Firkin team Jib, Ngoc Meow, Truong, Bao, and Huyen. And, if I may, my mom. She may not know much about this industry, but her support from the very beginning has meant everything to me.”
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