Chestnut Flip Recipe

Make chestnut purée syrup

Place the roasted chestnut purée and dark brown sugar in a small heatproof bowl. Pour the hot water over them and whisk until smooth and the sugar dissolves (about 30–45 seconds). Taste: it should be sweet, nutty and pourable. If using Shaoxing wine, whisk it in now to add a savory, aromatic note.

If the purée is too thick to pour or mix in the cocktail, warm the mixture briefly (10–15 seconds) in the microwave or over a double boiler until it loosens. Cool to warm (not hot) before using in the cocktail.

Combine main ingredients

In a cocktail shaker, add the chestnut liqueur base (about 45 ml / 1.5 fl oz of the prepared chestnut syrup), the aged rum (90 ml), the whole egg, heavy cream, toasted sesame oil, five-spice powder and freshly grated nutmeg.

Dry shake (no ice)

Seal the shaker and shake vigorously without ice for 20–25 seconds. This emulsifies the egg and creates a silky texture that defines a flip.

Wet shake (with ice)

Add plenty of ice to the shaker and shake hard for another 20 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold. This chills and dilutes the drink to the correct balance and produces a frothy head.

Double-strain the cocktail through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled coupe or small tumbler to remove ice shards and any chestnut solids so the texture stays smooth and silken.

Finish

Dust a little extra grated nutmeg over the foam. Sprinkle the toasted chopped chestnuts gently on one side of the foam so guests can share pieces. Place the whole star anise on the rim or float it on the foam for aroma.

Optionally tuck a few microgreens or cilantro leaves beside the chestnuts as a visual nod to sharing and fresh beginnings. Serve immediately while frothy and silky.

To make a non-alcoholic version: replace rum with chilled black tea or malted barley tea (90 ml) and omit Shaoxing; increase chestnut purée to 1 1/4 cups and consider adding 1 tsp vanilla extract for depth. Shake and serve the same way.