recipesmixologytravel tips

Recipes to Travel With: Make a Pandan Negroni on the Road (Plus Where to Try It in Person)

ddiscovers

2026-02-06

10 min read

A compact, travel-friendly pandan negroni recipe, packing tips, substitutions and top city picks to taste pandan-forward cocktails in person.

Bring the bar on the road: how to make a pandan negroni without the baggage

Travelers and outdoor adventurers hate wasting time hunting down trustworthy, unique local drinks — and also hate lugging full-size bottles through airports. If you want a fragrant, Southeast-Asian–twist on a stirred classic without the hassle, this guide gives you a compact, travel-ready pandan negroni recipe plus smart packing, substitution and ordering tips — and a short list of bars in major cities where bartenders have made pandan cocktails a regular (or seasonal) fixture as of early 2026.

The 30-second pitch (what you need to know right now)

Make it travel-friendly: use travel-sized spirit bottles (50–100 ml), pandan extract or syrup instead of fresh leaves, and pre-batch into sealed mini bottles for hotel fridges.
Substitutions: rice gin → any dry gin (or vodka + pandan syrup in a pinch); white vermouth → Lillet Blanc or dry vermouth; green Chartreuse → other herbal liqueurs (Strega, Bénédictine) if Chartreuse isn’t available.
On the road technique: quick jar infusion, pandan extract drops, or pre-made pandan syrup are your best bets when you can’t blitz fresh leaves.
Where to try one: Bun House Disco (London) is credited with a pandan negroni; in 2024–26 experimental bars across Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Melbourne and New York embraced pandan-forward cocktails — see the city list below and always call ahead.

Why pandan matters in 2026 — trends that shape this drink

Through late 2024 and into 2025, cocktail menus continued a steady pivot toward regional ingredients and sustainability. By 2026, travelers expect authenticity coupled with practical access: smaller menus that rotate seasonally, pre-batched cocktails for in-room enjoyment, and bars promoting hyper-local botanicals. Pandan — with its grassy, coconut-like aroma — fits that trend perfectly: it’s distinctive, shelf-stable in extract form, and translates well to spirit infusions.

At the same time, the micro-bottle movement (50–100 ml) and curated travel cocktail kits exploded in popularity in 2025, giving you legal and practical ways to bring choice spirits on the plane. Combine that with bartenders’ continued experimentation with rice gins and Asian liqueurs, and the pandan negroni is a perfect example of 2026 travel cocktail culture: familiar format, local flavor.

The travel-ready Pandan Negroni — single serve (travel edition)

This compact recipe minimizes gear and fresh produce while keeping the aromatic character intact.

Ingredients (single serve)

50 ml dry gin or rice gin (50 ml fits a travel-size bottle)
15 ml white vermouth or Lillet Blanc
15 ml green Chartreuse (or substitute; see swaps)
5–8 ml pandan syrup OR 3–5 drops pandan extract (adjust to taste)
Ice (hotel ice or pre-frozen cubes from a convenience store)
Lime peel or orange twist for garnish (optional)

Method (no blender, hotel-friendly)

Fill a mixing glass or a sealed jar with ice.
Add gin, vermouth, Chartreuse and pandan syrup/extract.
Stir for 20–30 seconds to chill and dilute — if you don’t have a bar spoon, use a metal spoon or shake briefly in a closed container for 10–12 seconds.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice if you have it, or enjoy straight in a tumbler.
Garnish with a citrus twist. The citrus oils lift pandan’s sweetness and balance the herbal Chartreuse.

Compact batching: 4-serving travel batch (fits in 200–250 ml bottle)

Pre-mix and decant into 200 ml amber glass bottles for a few hotel nights:

Gin — 200 ml
White vermouth — 60 ml
Green Chartreuse — 60 ml
Pandan syrup — 20–30 ml (or 12–16 drops pandan extract)

Mix, label with date, and chill. With a high ABV and sterile bottle, this will keep chilled for several days. Always use a clean bottle and keep refrigerated when possible.

Substitutions and why they work (practical mixology for travelers)

Fresh pandan leaf: often restricted by customs. Use pandan extract (concentrated drops) or commercial pandan syrup instead.
Rice gin: if you can’t find rice gin, use a floral dry gin (preferably Asian-style or a London dry with jasmine/ylang notes). If you must, swap with 50 ml vodka + pandan syrup for a neutral canvas.
White vermouth: Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano are great alternatives; they keep similarly when chilled and provide that fortified wine backbone.
Green Chartreuse: if unavailable, use Strega or Bénédictine (slightly sweeter) or a small measure (10–15 ml) of an herbal amaros like Montenegro mixed with extra pandan if you need the herbal lift.
Pandan syrup vs extract: extract is ultra-compact (microlitre pipette vial) and ideal for carry-on. Syrup gives mouthfeel and sweetness; if you pack syrup, plan on refrigeration after opening for best flavor.

How to make pandan flavor on the road — 4 quick techniques

1. Pandan extract drops (best for flights)

Carry a 10–15 ml amber vial of food-grade pandan extract. Use 3–5 drops per 50 ml cocktail and adjust. Tiny, TSA-friendly and robust.

2. Quick jar infusion (no blender)

Chop or tear fresh pandan (only if you legally obtained it locally and can transport it). Put into a sealed jar with spirit and agitate every 15–30 minutes for 1–3 hours. Strain through a coffee filter. Note: many countries restrict fresh leaves in luggage — prefer dried or extract.

3. Pre-made pandan syrup (hotel fridge)

Make a small batch at home: 1 part pandan-infused water to 1 part sugar, simmer off heat, cool and decant. Sugar acts as a preservative for short trips. Store in a small glass bottle and refrigerate when possible.

4. Tea-bag style (dried pandan)

Carry dried pandan tea bags. Steep a bag briefly in 30–50 ml of warm water, mix with spirit — works especially well with gin to make a pandan cordial on the spot.

Packing smart: bottles, weights and rules (2026 practical tips)

By 2026, the market for travel-sized spirits and cocktail kits made it easier than ever to pack responsibly. Here’s how to do it without drama:

Carry-on liquids: most security regimes still enforce a ~100 ml / 3.4 oz limit for containers in a clear bag. Travel-sized spirit bottles (50–100 ml) and extract vials fit here. For some flights, duty-free purchases after security can carry larger bottles but check your connecting airports’ rules.
Checked baggage: bottles larger than 100 ml are safer in checked luggage, placed inside sealable plastic bags and surrounded by clothes to cushion. Be mindful many countries restrict the import of fresh produce — don’t pack fresh pandan leaves across borders.
Mini bottles: glass 50 ml Boston rounds with tight screw caps are ideal. Amber glass minimizes UV degradation.
Cocktail kits: in 2025–26, mobile resellers and kit makers produced curated kits with measured syrups, bitters and micro-bottles of spirits — look for ones marketed as “travel cocktail kits” or “hotel cocktail kits.” They’re an easy no-hassle route.

“Pandan brings a fragrant Southern Asian sweetness to a mix of rice gin, white vermouth and green Chartreuse,” — Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni has been widely covered in drinks press and remains a reference point for pandan negroni variations.

Where to try a pandan negroni (or pandan-forward cocktails) — major-city picks

Menus rotate seasonally, so always call or check a bar’s menu profile before you go. These picks are bars that, in recent years up through early 2026, have embraced pandan or Southeast Asian ingredients and are reliable places to ask for a pandan negroni or a pandan-forward riff.

London

Bun House Disco (Shoreditch) — Credited with a pandan negroni that combines rice gin, white vermouth and green Chartreuse. A good first stop if you want to try a pandan negroni.
Other east-London cocktail spots with rotating Asian-inspired menus — call ahead to request pandan riffs.

Singapore

Native — A bar known for celebrating local ingredients and frequently rotating pandan and tropical botanical cocktails.
Operation Dagger — Experimental bar with a history of local-ingredient riffs; ask about pandan additions or off-menu variations.

Bangkok

Asia Today — Focuses on regional flavor and regularly showcases Thai herbs and tropical aromatics; pandan variants often appear in seasonal menus.

Hong Kong

Quinary — Known for inventive, botanical-driven cocktails; pandan notes are not unusual on their rotating list.

Melbourne

Classic craft cocktail bars (e.g., The Everleigh) and newer experimental venues mix in Southeast-Asian flavors during festivals and summer menus — call in advance to find pandan offerings.

New York & Los Angeles

Look for bars with SE-Asian chefs or menus that highlight Filipino, Indonesian or Malaysian flavors. Many New York and LA bars will do custom pandan riffs on request if they carry pandan extract or syrup.

Note: bar menus change frequently. If you’re traveling specifically to try a pandan negroni, call first, ask if pandan extract/syrup is in house, or request a bartender to riff using pandan — most experienced bar teams can make a pandan-forward negroni quickly.

Pandemic-era and post-2024 service shifts that help travelers

By 2026, many bars formalized their bottle-to-room or bottled cocktail services after pandemic-era lessons: pre-batched cocktails for takeaway, sealed mini-bottles, and contactless add-ons became standard. If you don’t have time to sit at a bar, ask whether they will seal a pandan negroni for takeaway (local laws permitting). This is often the easiest way to enjoy a fresh bar-made pandan negroni back at your hotel.

Safety, customs and sustainability

Customs: fresh pandan leaves are plant material and often restricted — avoid crossing borders with fresh leaves. Use extracts or commercially-packaged syrups. For last-minute border or documentation issues, check resources like emergency passport & travel help.
Alcohol rules: check airline and destination laws for transporting spirits and the allowed ABV in carry-on or checked luggage. When in doubt, buy small bottles at duty-free after security.
Sustainability: favor refillable amber glass bottles and local bars that source ingredients responsibly. Many bars in 2025–26 adopted zero-waste strategies for botanicals — ask about their sourcing.

Extra tips from field experience (real-world testing)

Bring a pipette bottle of pandan extract. You’ll use it more than you think — and it’s the cleanest way to dose flavor precisely.
If you’re batching, label each bottle with date and contents and consume within 4–7 days refrigerated for peak freshness.
Ask for a citrus twist. Pandan’s sweetness benefits from a bright oil rinse of lime or orange.
When a bar doesn’t carry pandan, request a pandan riff: bartenders can substitute pandan syrup or add pandan bitters to achieve a similar profile.

Final tasting notes

The pandan negroni sits between floral gin-forward cocktails and herb-driven aperitivo tradition. It keeps the bitter-herbal backbone from Chartreuse and vermouth but brightens and softens with pandan’s tropical aroma. For travelers, it’s an ideal cross-cultural drink — recognizably in the negroni family but unmistakably Southeast Asian.

Try it tonight — and tell the world

Pack one 50 ml bottle of gin, a 50 ml herbal liqueur, a small vial of pandan extract and a 50 ml vermouth into your travel kit, and you’ll be set for several nights of room-service-level cocktailing. Make the recipe above, snap a photo, tag the bar you visited or the hotel where you mixed it, and share your tasting notes with other travelers.

Call to action: Try the travel pandan negroni on your next trip — then share your version and the bar where you found inspiration. Want a downloadable travel cocktail checklist and an airport-friendly bottle list? Subscribe to our travel cocktail newsletter for 2026 updates, seasonal bar guides and vetted packing lists tailored for travelers and outdoor adventurers.

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