Kota Pandan Liqueur by Nico de Soto 700ml

Fifteen years ago, Nico de Soto fell in love with a leaf. Pandan — the long, blade-shaped plant native to Southeast Asia, nicknamed "Asia's vanilla" for its warm, sweet, almost custard-like aromatic profile — became the signature ingredient of his career as one of the world's most internationally respected mixologists. At every bar he's built or run since, from the Experimental Cocktail Club to his own Mace in New York City and Danico in Paris, you would find a pandan cocktail on the menu, made with syrups and tinctures he prepared himself, batch after batch, entirely by hand. It was, by his own account, a genuine obsession.

The problem with obsessions built on labor-intensive house-made syrup is that they don't travel. Every bar that wanted to serve a proper pandan cocktail had to reinvent de Soto's process from scratch — sourcing real pandan leaves, steeping them, straining them, balancing the sweetness, hoping for consistency batch to batch. De Soto's solution was to build the ingredient he wished had existed all along. He partnered with Maison Gabriel Boudier — the family-owned liqueur house in Dijon, France, producing spirits since 1874, with nearly a century and a half of expertise in sourcing rare botanicals and mastering the infusion and extraction processes that turn raw ingredients into genuinely balanced liqueurs. Together they created Kota — named for the Indonesian and Malay word for "city" — the first commercially available pandan liqueur in the world.

The production begins with real pandan leaves sourced from Thailand, infused in neutral grain spirit over several days before distillation — a process that ensures the flavor is genuinely and authentically derived from the plant rather than manufactured through synthetic flavoring. The resulting distillate is blended with natural flavors and a measured amount of sugar to capture what pandan delivers at its most complete: a complex interplay of vanilla, toasted almond, sweet grass, and buttery richness. The Spirits Business described "a rich, buttery bouquet, followed by subtle grassy nuances and nutty undertones — a smooth and creamy texture, its initial biscuit-like sweetness balanced by the vanillic and herbaceous character of pandan." The Liquor Barn found "fresh, distinctly green" aromatics giving way to vanilla custard, toasted rice, biscuity and buttery mid-palate notes, and a subtle nuttiness recalling roasted peanuts. Bottled in Wild Glass — 100% post-consumer recycled glass — Kota is exactly what de Soto set out to build: the ready-made ingredient that eliminates the need for labor-intensive house-made pandan syrup, for every bartender who has ever wanted to pour a genuinely great pandan cocktail without reinventing the wheel first.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Maison Gabriel Boudier has been producing liqueurs and crèmes in Dijon, France, since 1874 — one of the country's most established artisan liqueur houses, recognized worldwide for its ability to source exceptional, sometimes genuinely rare ingredients and to translate them into shelf-stable, ready-to-pour spirits through mastery of infusion and extraction technique. Nico de Soto — a French-born, globally trained mixologist whose résumé includes Paris, New York, and London, owner of Mace in New York City and Danico in Paris, and former curator of the drinks program at the Experimental Cocktail Club — brought fifteen-plus years of pandan expertise to the collaboration, along with a specific and clear vision: capture pandan's genuine complexity in a bottle that any bartender or home enthusiast could use immediately.

Production begins with real pandan leaves sourced from Thailand — not synthetic flavoring, not extract, but the actual plant. The leaves are infused in neutral grain spirit over several days, allowing the plant's full aromatic compound profile to transfer into the base spirit before distillation. The resulting distillate is then blended with natural flavors and sugar to round out and balance the final liqueur, calibrated to capture pandan's specific and celebrated character: the "Asia's vanilla" identity that comes from a genuinely unique combination of vanilla, almond, and butter notes unlike any other plant used in liqueur production anywhere in the world. Bottled at 18% ABV in Wild Glass — a bottle manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled glass, reflecting a specific sustainability commitment in the production and packaging. The brand launched in Europe in 2024 and arrived in the United States in March 2025, imported by Maison Ferrand USA.

Critics Reviews

The Spirits Business:
"On the nose, it presents a 'rich, buttery bouquet,' followed by 'subtle grassy nuances' and with 'nutty undertones.' The palate offers a smooth and creamy texture, which its initial 'biscuit-like sweetness' balanced by the 'vanillic and herbaceous' character of pandan. Its finish is 'long-lasting and warming.'"

Master of Malt:
"Pandan leaf leaps out first — grassy, vanilla-rich, and slightly nutty. Notes of coconut milk, almond biscotti, and buttery pastry follow."

Difford's Guide:
"Crystal clear. Digestive biscuits, peanuts and vanilla. Biscuity, buttery, nutty (peanuts) and vanilla with grassy butterscotch. Long biscuity finish with faint vegetal notes."

Curiada:
"Nose: Fresh and green with aromas of vanilla bean, creamy coconut, and buttery shortbread."

Spirited Bristol:
"This liqueur offers a harmonious blend of vanilla, almond, and buttery biscuit notes, complemented by subtle grassy undertones. Its smooth and creamy texture makes it a versatile addition to both classic and contemporary cocktails."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Crystal clear in the glass — an unusual and immediately distinctive presentation for a liqueur of this aromatic intensity. Pandan leaf leaps out first — fresh, distinctly green, and immediately recognizable to anyone who has cooked with the plant. Vanilla bean and creamy coconut follow with warm, custard-like richness. Buttery shortbread and digestive biscuits add the most specifically comforting and the most memorably bakery-adjacent secondary aromatic — "Asia's vanilla" made vividly literal in the glass. Toasted almond and grassy butterscotch add complexity beneath the primary sweetness.

Palate
Smooth and creamy at entry — vanilla custard and toasted rice leading the way with genuine richness. Biscuity and buttery notes expand at mid-palate alongside a subtle nuttiness that recalls roasted peanuts — the most specifically and the most memorably distinctive secondary flavor quality in the entire profile. Grassy butterscotch adds depth without excess sweetness; at 18% ABV, the liqueur stays balanced and never veers into syrupy territory. Digestive biscuits and monkey nuts (peanuts in their shells) carry through with genuine textural interest.

Finish
Medium in length with a gentle, lingering warmth — vanilla and a trace of coconut persisting into a clean, lightly herbaceous close that invites the next sip. Long-lasting and warming, with faint vegetal notes closing out a genuinely complex and specifically unique liqueur experience.

Quick Overview

Cocktail Suggestions

Neat Over a Large Ice Cube — the simplest and the most direct way to experience the full pandan character.

Pandan Espresso Martini
1.5 oz vodka · 1 oz Kota Pandan Liqueur · 1 oz fresh espresso · ½ oz simple syrup. The vanilla-almond-buttery character elevates the classic Espresso Martini with genuine Southeast Asian depth.

Pandan Daiquiri
2 oz white rum · ¾ oz Kota Pandan Liqueur · ¾ oz fresh lime juice · ½ oz simple syrup. A tropical classic elevated with unique depth.

Pandan Piña Colada
2 oz white rum · 1 oz Kota Pandan Liqueur · 2 oz pineapple juice · 1 oz coconut cream. The pandan's coconut and vanilla character aligns naturally with the classic tiki format.