Guest Shift: Phúc Lê of Hybrid Saigon and Bar57 at oMM Mixology

On 6 December 2025, Phúc Lê – Bar Manager of Hybrid Saigon and Bar57 – stepped behind the bar at oMM Mixology for a one-night guest shift. Working with Cointreau and The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, he brought four cocktails built around a line he likes to quote: "Magic is just a science that we don't understand yet." The night was part of oMM's regular guest shift series, which brings leading bartenders from Vietnam and across Asia to Saigon.

Who is Phúc Lê?

Phúc Lê, full name Lê Nguyên Phúc, has spent more than ten years behind the bar and is Bar Manager of Hybrid Saigon and Bar57 in Saigon. Earlier in his career he ran the bar at FIREWORKS Raw – Grill & Craft Bar, where he and the kitchen team blended local ingredients with Japanese techniques.

Guest bartender Phuc Le preparing one of his signature creations behind the counter at oMM Mixology, turning precise science into sensory wonder

Awards and recognition

• Country Champion, Opihr Gin Vietnam 2017 (The Dot Magazine)

• Top 8, World Class Vietnam 2023 (The Dot Magazine)

The night: magic, explained by science

For his guest shift, Phúc treated the bar like a small laboratory where the result still feels like a trick. Each drink started from something familiar – an apple, a classic Sidecar, a green garden note – then turned it with techniques such as fat-washing, fermentation and carbonation, so guests tasted something they recognised in a form they did not expect.

Phuc Le walks guests through his cocktail journey against an immersive visual backdrop, where the boundary between modern mixology and art installation blurs

Four cocktails on the menu

• Apple – "this apple, that apple and another apple".

• Death in Green – The Botanist Islay Dry Gin with pennywort, Green Chartreuse and honeydew melon, finished with a foam.

• Sidecar on the Ice – Cointreau with kumquat, tangerine, lime and sherry, a citrus-forward turn on the classic Sidecar.

• Desperado – The Botanist washed with white chocolate, fermented chillies, strawberry and bell pepper, carbonated with CO2.

Between science and magic

oMM Mixology is a meeting of art gallery and flavour laboratory, so the idea suited the room. Guests at the open bar watched each drink come together up close – washing, fermenting, foaming and carbonating – until the process looked, for a moment, like sleight of hand.

The buzzing yet intimate ambiance along oMM's sleek bar counter as guests watch drinks come together up close throughout the evening

Why Phúc Lê at oMM

Behind the bar at oMM, the team goes directly to growers, roasters, fermenters and distillers to understand each ingredient, then uses techniques such as vacuum distillation, centrifugation and infusion to draw out flavour – an approach shaped with creative advisor Shuzo Nagumo. Phúc's habit of treating technique as a route to wonder, and his use of local ingredients such as pennywort and kumquat, made him a natural fit for a series built on exchanging ideas across one bar counter.

The night in pictures

Scenes from Phúc Lê's guest shift at oMM Mixology, 6 December 2025.

Guest bartender Phuc Le alongside the oMM Mixology team, celebrating a successful collaboration centered around craftsmanship and shared creativity

An intimate moment at the bar counter, where thoughtful cocktails, warm lighting, and quiet conversations define the night

The buzzing yet intimate ambiance along oMM's sleek bar counter as guests watch drinks come together up close throughout the evening

More guest shifts at oMM

See all guest shifts and gatherings at oMM Mixology, including Thịnh Lê, Hữu Phú, Mahaniyom from Bangkok and Shuzo Nagumo. Upcoming dates are announced on the Events page, and tables can be booked via TableCheck. You can also revisit the original Phúc Lê guest shift recap.