Crustacean San Francisco has added a seasonal cocktail, the Cửu Long Old Fashioned, to the signature drinks menu at its new Financial District home. The whiskey serve, built on Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon and house-made pandan syrup, will run through the autumn months at the House of AN restaurant.
The cocktail arrives as cooler weather settles over the city. “As the autumn chill finally hits the air, Crustacean San Francisco introduces a cozy new cocktail packed with warm, spiced flavors of the season,” the brand said.
The drink combines Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon, house pandan syrup, Angostura orange bitters, Fee Brothers old fashion bitters and a pandan leaf garnish.
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READ THE STORYAccording to the official notes from the brand, the serve “pairs caramel and subtle spice notes of Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon with toasted coconut and vanilla grass aromas of the pandan syrup created in-house.” The brand adds that “dashes of orange and old fashion aromatic bitters complete the layered flavors of this balanced take on the classic cocktail.”
The cocktail’s name carries regional significance. The brand explained that “Cửu Long means ‘nine dragons’ in Vietnamese, referring to the Mekong Delta region as the Mekong River splits into 9 branches,” describing it as the fertile heartland of Southern Vietnam where pandan leaves grow in abundance.
Knob Creek 9 Year is the small-batch flagship of Beam Suntory’s Jim Beam distillery. The bourbon is aged a full nine years in deeply charred new oak and bottled at 100 proof.
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It is made under the supervision of Fred Noe, the son of Knob Creek founder Booker Noe, who in turn is the grandson of Jim Beam himself.
The cocktail launch follows a major relocation for the restaurant. Crustacean San Francisco, part of the House of AN portfolio, reopened in the city’s financial district in July, merging modern Vietnamese cuisine with family tradition.
The venue is a long-established name in the city. After operating for more than three decades on the corner of Polk and California, Crustacean moved to a spacious new FiDi home. The restaurant, founded in 1991 by chef Helene An, is being shepherded into its next era by second-generation owner Monique An and her husband, Kenneth Lew.
At the helm is one of California’s most decorated chefs. Master Chef Helene An is a 2024 California Hall of Fame inductee whose pioneering approach introduced Vietnamese flavors to American fine dining over 50 years ago, and now her legacy continues with her daughter Monique An and son-in-law Kenneth Lew.
“We are proud to introduce the next evolution of Crustacean San Francisco,” said Monique An, co-owner.
The new location trades on both heritage and spectacle. At the new site, the team turned up the glamour with design details like 18th-century carved Asian wood doors and a rose-gold bar.
