OI VIETNAM 13
Neat, Please
Landed Vibe’s whisky tasting host Jesse
Selvagn’s credentials are nothing to
sneeze at.
Sake Central general manager’s
decade-plus long career in food and
drink has included a post at a Michelin
two-star restaurant and roles as a
sommelier of both whiskey and sake.
He’s professionally certified as a sake
sommelier. But it’s his particular
manner as a storyteller that stands out
in the Landed Vibe workshop he leads
called “Explore the Craft and Culture of
Japanese Whisky,” an event that centers
around a storied drink.
Take his telling of Japan’s decision
to liberalize trade and end isolationism
in the mid 19th century. “The US was
like, we want to trade or we’ll just shoot
you with our cannons,” he explained to a
group drinking Suntory whisky highballs.
“And they were like, okay,” he continued.
“One of the first things to come off the
harbor was a big barrel of whisky.”
Selvagn spends little time coaching
in the etiquette of drinking. He advisesnot to bury your nose in the neat pour, a
gentle sniff will do before a light sip that
coats the whole mouth, and to kind of
chew it. He spends most of the session
talking about the story of the whiskies,
the Hakushu distillery’s decision to
scale down their production to explore
new, interesting blends; the road to
producing award-winning Japanese
whiskys today that started with very bad
recipes at first chapters of the nation’s
history; and so on.
Ask Selvagn to tell you the story
of how the man who founded Nikka
whisky who, while on a research trip
to Scotland, fell in love with a foreign
woman prompting an international
scandal. His Japanese corporate
handlers were sent to break them up.
Parents were incensed. It was a whole
thing. The Nikka whisky itself? It’s got a
nice, honey-peat feel on it that finishes
clean. But enjoyment of the drink is
certainly greater hearing Selvagn tell
you the whole story in his animated and
rousing manner as if he witnessed it
first hand. Landed Vibe is a platform that helps millennials turn shareable values of their
profession, skill or hobby into on-demand payable activities, either for entertainment,
skill learning or travel experience purposes, to be booked by millennial locals, expats
and travelers alike. To expore the 80+ experiences that are available, visit
landedvibe.com.Sneaky Drinks
You’re an adult, so you may have
forgotten by now what the thrill of
playing secret agent was like. Just so you
know, it’s still really cool.
You’ll do plenty of slinking in this
Landed Vibe experience aptly titled
“Let's Sneak in some Hidden Rooftops
and have Drinks.” As the name implies,
there’s a lot of sneaking around involved.
Go up darkened stairs by the light of a
cell phone. Get up a rooftop by ladder.
Worry if you’re supposed to go there, but
then just do it anyway.
This Landed Vibe experience
involves visits to a range of elevated city
sites, like Hung Hoa Beer, a charming
rooftop bar that’s got that yellowed,
paisley, vintage look like memories
remembered from a generation ago.
Take in neighboring Districts 3 and 5
from this homey, warm pub.
Next, hosts will spirit you away on taxi
to the next destination, which is definitely
a rooftop but maybe isn’t a bar. That’s why
they’ve bought drinks beforehand and
ride dirty to the next place.
How is this experience different
than just going out for drinks to the
usual place, like OMG Rooftop and the
glitzy Chill SkyBar? For one, this is a
lot quieter. The only sounds that reach
Text by Jesus Lopez-Gomez
Images by Vy Lam and Sake Centralyou on Saigon’s rooftops is whatever
music or noise seeps up from the world’s
surface below. The rooftops you’ll see on
these excursions—some quaint drinking
areas with a stocked bar, and some just
literally the tops of building—feature
less production overall than the typical
rooftop bar. There are so few places
to put your attention rather than the
moment itself. Look at where we are.Check out the artfully written message
sprayed on to the side of this hidden wall.
Conversation is made easy by alcohol
and the shared thrill of being in a place
where maybe you’re not supposed to be.
It’s funny though, being in restricted
spaces is a powerful bonding element to
the counter strangeness of strangers who
are, physically and otherwise perhaps,
with you now.