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Lê, the enigmatic owner of Hop Sing Laundromat who cultivates an air of mystery both around himself and his Chinatown bar, has lately been lending his cocktail skills to other venues. He created the cocktail list for Rouge’s revamp on Rittenhouse Square and now he’s working with Glu Hospitality, which owns Vesper Sporting Club in Center City; Vesper Dayclub, the adults-only pool club in Northern Liberties; and Germantown Garden, a new indoor/outdoor bar that opened over the summer near the Piazza in Northern Liberties.
It’s at Germantown Garden (1029 Germantown Avenue) where Lê’s pitchers can be found. He came up with four fruity large-format drinks for the bar, dubbed “Hop Sing Pitchers by Lê” on the menu. Each is $30 and designed for four people to share.
There’s the Hannibal Lecter, with gin, passion fruit syrup, lemon juice, muddled dragon fruit, and strawberry. The No Alibis blends mezcal, cucumber syrup, lime juice, muddled mint, and cucumber. Tea 4 Two is a bourbon, oolong tea, mango syrup, lemon juice, and muddled mint combo. Or go for the C’est Si Bon with vodka, strawberry syrup, lime juice, and muddled blackberries.
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Juices are always supposed to be freshly squeezed in a Lê cocktail, so let’s hope the Germantown Garden bartenders are sticking to his rules.
To eat, the indoor/outdoor venue — open year-round — is serving a mostly pan-Asian menu from chef Hee Chang with tuna chirashi, bulgogi, pulled pork bao, eggplant lettuce wraps, kimchi fried rice, edamame ravioli, and a piece of naan made into a cheesesteak of sorts with sriracha ketchup. There’s also Buffalo wings, roast chicken, and a regular cheesesteak (but on ciabatta). The weekend brunch menu covers the brunch staples, with waffles, french toast, steak and eggs, and omelets.
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