From Pandan and MSG to Baijiu, MAKfam’s Spring Cocktails Prove the Bar is Keeping Up with the Kitchen
Photo courtesy of Dan Richard Photography
Five new creations and two fan favorites begin rolling out March 25
DENVER (March 18, 2026)— MAKfam has built a reputation on creating bold, tradition-inspired Chinese food through a modern lens and this spring you’ll want to pair their dishes with the bar’s new cocktail offerings. Beginning March 25, the new spring cocktail menu will start rolling out across the coming weeks, introducing five original cocktails alongside the return of two fan favorites—the reimagined Little Tiger and the Umami-tini. The lineup includes cross-cultural influences, including a nod to Hong Kong cinema and Chinese drinking traditions, and ingredient exploration such as pandan, roasted rice tea, and MSG. Alongside the cultural storytelling, the menu showcases inventive techniques, from milk clarification to alternative acids, that push texture, sustainability, and visual appeal in equal measure.
"Roasted rice tea and pandan are two ingredients that are really fun to work with. They both have these green, spring-like qualities, but also a nuttiness and depth that hold up against MAKfam’s big flavors and spice without overpowering them,” says MAKfam Bar Lead Quinn Lucero. “With tea specifically, the tannins and complexity make it a really rewarding ingredient to build around"
The Spring 2026 Cocktail Menu:
Emerald Punch: Rum, lime, pandan, lemongrass, and almond milk, served over a large rock and garnished with dehydrated lime. Built around the technique of milk clarification—where milk proteins bind to tannins and other compounds and then strained away—this cocktail emerges brilliantly clear, with a smooth, velvety mouthfeel that belies its bold ingredients. Grassy and herbaceous up front, with a malty, creamy finish
Sesame Sazerac: A riff on a classic, with cognac, rye, Tsingtao syrup, and a toasted sesame Peychaud's float. Cognac has long been a point of pride in Chinese drinking culture; XO sauce, a staple at MAKfam, takes its name from the "extra old" designation on French cognac bottles which showcases the prestige of fine ingredients. That same spirit animates this drink. The toasted sesame Peychaud's float, a layer of bitters resting on the surface of the drink, delivers a fragrant, aromatic first sip. Spirit-forward and spicy, it finishes with a warm, nutty depth.
Hong Kong Daisy: Bourbon, orange liqueur, lemon, VLT syrup, served in a Nick and Nora glass with a lemon peel. A reverent nod to Vita Lemon Tea, the beloved Hong Kong juice box. Bright and citrusy up front, it finishes dry and bitter.
A Better Tomorrow: Ming River Baijiu, Amaro Nonino, yuzu lime syrup, pineapple, and Cocchi Americano, garnished with lime zest. Named after the iconic John Woo film and the unforgettable scene where Chow Yun-Fat lights a cigarette with a hundred-dollar-bill, this refreshing Baijiu sour carries that same air of confidence. Baijiu, China's ancient grain spirit and the most consumed spirit in the world, forms the backbone of the drink. Tropical and tart up front, with a bitter finish, it's a lower-ABV pour that lets the funk of Ming River's sorghum base and the brightness of yuzu and lime speak for themselves.
The Price of Tea in China: Orange peel–infused gin, roasted rice tea syrup, crème de cacao, and soda, served in a Collins glass with an orange fan. Light and approachable, this sparkling cooler builds earthy, fragrant depth from roasted rice tea and the subtle richness of crème de cacao. The roasted rice syrup is spiked with lactic acid, a technique that replaces fresh citrus with a softer, rounder brightness, lending the drink a cream soda–like effervescence that makes it dangerously easy to drink.
Little Tiger Drink (re-imagined and returning): Sotol, Clairin rum, cayenne vanilla tincture, rice orgeat, pear brandy, and mint, finished with burnt cinnamon and served in your favorite tiger mug. The latest evolution of a MAKfam classic. The pairing of Sotol and Clairin, two terroir-driven spirits, brings smoke, earthiness, and grassiness that plays beautifully against the sweetness of pear brandy and the slow heat of cayenne. Smoky and grassy up front, it finishes fruity and warm, with a spice that sneaks up on you.
Umami-tini (returning): Botanical gin, dry vermouth, and house-made scallion brine, garnished with a cocktail onion. An elevated homage to the Gibson, where the classic whispers pickled onion, the Umami-tini turns that note all the way up. House-made scallion brine and MSG deepen the savory profile into something altogether more complex. MSG is a point of pride at MAKfam—a kitchen staple long maligned by a myth rooted in racism rather than science. Spirit-forward, briny, and unapologetically savory.
"Alternative acids offer a more sustainable path to achieving brightness in cocktails—delivering that signature pop without the waste associated with traditional citrus use,” says Lucero. “Paired with clarification techniques, the result is a visually stunning drink that opens the door to exciting experimentation with flavor and texture. We hope you enjoy our new spring cocktails!"
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About MAKfam
MAKfam represents the essence of America’s new Asian culinary movement by reimagining tradition-inspired Chinese and Cantonese recipes through a modern perspective. Husband and wife team, Chef Kenneth Wan (2024 James Beard Emerging Chef Semifinalist and 2025 and 2026 James Beard Best Chef Semi Finalist) and Doris Yuen, first got their start through a series of street market-style pop-ups in Jersey City, NJ, and Queens, NYC before opening in Denver’s Avanti Food and Beverage in 2019 as Meta Asian Kitchen. Now MAKfam, which retained their Bib Gourmand designation from MICHELIN Guide in 2025, aims to redefine the limitations of Asian fare with contemporary dishes like their málà mozzarella sticks and Spicy garlic butter rice cakes, while also paying homage to their traditional roots with classics like chicken congee, wonton soups, and beef stir-fry noodles with their brick and mortar under the rebranded MAKfam moniker in Denver’s vibrant Baker neighborhood. Visit their website at www.makfam.co and on Instagram at @makfamdenver.