I’m always on the lookout for cocktail inspiration. I found it recently at DanDan – a wonderful Chinese restaurant in Wayne, Pennsylvania. DanDan is far from your typical Chinese restaurant and is more appropriately described as an upscale Sichuan and Taiwanese restaurant and full-service bar. Owners Catherina (Cat) and Kevin Huang put their many years of restaurant experience to work in creating flavorful and creative food and cocktails, and ensuring a great atmosphere and service.
Their menu can be a little daunting (everything looks so good!) but their servers are very willing to answer my questions and adjust the heat of the dish accordingly. Plus, they mark which dishes cannot be made gluten-free (or contain peanuts). This is incredibly helpful as so much Chinese food contains soy sauce which contains wheat (gluten) so I’ve found it difficult to find something I can eat. Not at DanDan.
In full disclosure, we have had the pleasure of meeting Cat and Kevin through our good friends, Cathy and David R. Usually I recreate cocktails based on the ingredients from the menu but in this case I texted Cat to ask if she’d be willing to share the actual proportions and she wrote back immediately with the recipe (except for the ginger syrup but I had that covered).
Think of a Phoenix Down as a margarita made with pomegranate juice and ginger syrup. The hardest part of this drink is peeling the ginger. Once that’s done the syrup comes together easily and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. Mix it with some good reposado tequila (silver or blanco also works), pomegranate juice and lime juice. The result is a refreshing drink with just a bit of spice from the ginger.
Thank you Cat and Kevin for sharing your recipe and for making such amazing food and drinks. Don’t live near Wayne? DanDan has additional locations in the Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia and Suburban Square in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
| DanDan’s Phoenix Down Cocktail | Print |
- 6 ounces ginger
- 1 cup turbinado (or raw) sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1-1/2 ounces reposado tequila (see Notes)
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
- ½ ounce ginger syrup
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice (~ ½ lime) (see Notes)
- Seltzer water
- Lime wheels (for garnish)
- Peel ginger and thinly slice.
- In a small saucepan, add ginger, sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Gently simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and allow mixture to steep for an hour.
- Strain through a sieve in a container and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 1-1/2 cups. Syrup keeps for four weeks.
- Fill a shaker halfway with ice.
- Add tequila, pomegranate juice, ginger syrup and lime juice. Shake.
- Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with seltzer water.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
* I recommend POM Wonderful juice found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
* Before squeezing the limes, heat them in a microwave for about 30 seconds and then rub them back and forth on the counter top. This easy two-step process results in more juice per piece of fruit.
Source: Adapted from DanDan Restaurant’s recipe.
During my visit to Pennsylvania, I have a chance to visit DanDan. I love Taiwanese and Sichuan foods, and DanDan has got me covered. This is also a full-service bar. The dishes are excellent, superb, and gluten-free, ideal for my fiancé, who is on a vegan diet. I have the chance to chat with Cat and Kevin, the owners. They told me they have decades of experience creating awesome and flavorful drinks and dishes that customers would love. The service and the atmosphere are excellent!
Briar – I’m so glad to hear that you had a wonderful experience at DanDan. I am not at all surprised. Thank you for sharing.