Pandan Negroni at Home: The Bun House Disco Recipe and Variations

Overwhelmed by endless cocktail recipes? Make one that matters: the Pandan Negroni — Bun House Disco style, at home.

If you love gin cocktails and Asian ingredients but get lost in too many variations, this guide gives you a single, trusted path: how to recreate Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni at home, understand pandan syrup vs pandan‑infused gin, and build accessible variations — from a non‑alcoholic negroni to low‑proof and tropical twists. Read this first for the shortest route to a brilliant, balanced pandan negroni, then dive into the make‑ahead tips, troubleshooting, and serving ideas.

Quick overview: What you’ll get (inverted pyramid)

• Signature recipe: Bun House Disco pandan negroni (25ml pandan gin, 15ml white vermouth, 15ml green Chartreuse).
• Two pandan methods: pandan‑infused gin (aromatic, vivid green) and pandan syrup (sweeter, versatile).
• Three accessible variations: non‑alcoholic, lower‑proof, and tropical.
• Actionable tips: ingredient swaps, shelf life, scaling, and garnish ideas.

The Bun House Disco Pandan Negroni — Signature Recipe (single serve)

Inspired by Bun House Disco in London (the bar that popularized this riff), the pandan negroni swaps classic red bitter elements for a South‑East Asian fragrance. This version uses pandan‑infused rice gin, white vermouth, and green Chartreuse.

Ingredients

• 25ml pandan‑infused rice gin (recipe below)
• 15ml white vermouth (dry or blanc/bianco style)
• 15ml green Chartreuse (for herbal depth)
• Ice: large cube or chilled mixing glass
• Garnish: pandan leaf or lime twist

Method

1. Fill a mixing glass with ice.
2. Add pandan‑infused gin, white vermouth and green Chartreuse.
3. Stir 20–30 seconds until well chilled and diluted to taste.
4. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over a single large ice cube.
5. Garnish with a narrow pandan leaf or a lime twist and serve.

Make pandan‑infused gin (fast and classic methods)

There are two common ways to get pandan into a cocktail: infuse the spirit or make a pandan syrup. Each changes texture, sweetness and shelf life. Below are trusted home methods used by bars and cocktail pros up through early 2026.

Pandan‑infused gin — blender infusion (fast): 175ml batch

This mirrors the Bun House Disco technique: blitzing extracts strong flavor and color quickly. Use rice gin for authenticity if you can, or any floral, clean gin.

• 10g fresh pandan leaf (green part only), roughly chopped
• 175ml gin (rice gin preferred)

1. Roughly chop pandan; place in a blender with gin and blitz 10–15 seconds until uniformly green.
2. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin — first coarse, then fine — to remove solids.
3. Transfer to a clean bottle and rest 12–24 hours in the fridge for flavors to marry. Use within 2–3 weeks.

Notes: blender infusion gives deep color and immediate aroma. Because you’re mechanically extracting, the infusion will be intense; taste and dilute with plain gin if needed.

Pandan‑infused gin — gentle cold infusion (longer, cleaner): batch size 350–500ml

1. Bruise 20g pandan leaves (or tear them) and place in 350–500ml gin.
2. Seal and leave at room temperature for 24–48 hours, tasting every 12 hours.
3. Strain and bottle. Keeps 4–6 weeks refrigerated.

Gentle infusion yields a subtler, more integrated flavor and a fresher green color with less grassy edge.

Pandan syrup (simple syrup with pandan) — how and when to use it

Pandan syrup is a sweet, aromatic syrup made by simmering pandan with sugar and water. Use it when you want sweetness plus pandan aroma without altering the base spirit’s ABV or texture. Syrup is the bartender’s secret for zero‑proof cocktails and for dialing sweetness precisely.

Pandan simple syrup — recipe (makes ~300ml)

• 4–5 pandan leaves (washed), tied or shredded
• 300ml water
• 300g granulated sugar (1:1 ratio)

1. Combine water and pandan in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
2. Add sugar, stir until dissolved, and simmer 2 more minutes.
3. Cool, strain, and bottle. Keeps 2–3 weeks refrigerated.

For a less sweet version, use a 2:1 water to sugar ratio (makes a lighter syrup); adjust in cocktails accordingly.

Pandan syrup vs pandan‑infused gin — which should you choose?

Short answer: use infused gin when you want pandan to be the base spirit’s personality; choose syrup when you need controlled sweetness, longer shelf life, or a non‑alcoholic path.

Comparison at a glance

• Flavor intensity: infused gin = aromatic, spirit‑forward; syrup = sweet and aromatic but less alcohol aroma.
• Color: blender‑infused gin yields vivid green; syrup yields pale green and adds body.
• Versatility: syrup is more flexible — use in iced tea, mocktails, desserts; infused gin is specific to alcoholic cocktails.
• Shelf life: infused gin (refrigerated) 2–6 weeks; pandan syrup 2–3 weeks refrigerated (longer if you add preservative like citrus or bottle sterilization).
• Control: syrup lets you precisely dial sweetness; infusion modifies ABV and spirit profile.

Accessible variations: Non‑alcoholic, lower‑proof, and tropical twists

Bars and home mixologists in 2026 are increasingly creative with alternate spirits and syrups. Below are practical recipes that preserve balance and the pandan signature.

1. Non‑alcoholic pandan negroni (zero‑proof)

Trends through late 2025 and into 2026 show bars using premium non‑alcoholic gins (for juniper backbone) and craft syrups to replace bitter elements. If you don’t have commercial products, make a great mocktail with pantry items.

• 35ml non‑alcoholic gin substitute (brands like Lyre’s, Seedlip, or equivalent)
• 20ml white grape juice + 5ml apple cider vinegar (to mimic vermouth acidity) or 20ml non‑alcoholic vermouth if available
• 10–15ml pandan syrup (adjust to taste)
• 10ml herbal tea reduction for bitterness (strong black tea + rosemary or a few drops of non‑alcoholic bitter)

1. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir, and strain over a large cube.
2. Garnish with a lime twist or dehydrated lime wheel.

Tip: if you have a non‑alcoholic bitter aperitif (many new brands launched 2023–2026), use 10–15ml of that in place of the tea reduction to achieve a more authentic negroni bitterness.

2. Lower‑proof pandan negroni (sessionable, 20–30% ABV)

Lower the alcohol while keeping balance by reducing gin and adding fortified wine or a lower‑ABV bitter.

• 20ml pandan‑infused gin
• 25ml white vermouth (or bianco)
• 10ml green Chartreuse or 10–15ml herbal aperitif
• Optional 5ml pandan syrup if you want more pandan aroma

1. Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large cube.
2. Result: softer, more sipper‑friendly drink that preserves the pandan note.

3. Tropical pandan negroni (bright, fruity twist)

Bring in tropical notes — think coconut, lime and a touch of pineapple — for a beachy pandan riff.

• 20–25ml pandan‑infused gin
• 10ml white vermouth
• 10ml green Chartreuse
• 10ml coconut water or 5ml coconut syrup (for body)
• 5–10ml fresh lime juice
• Optional 5–10ml pandan syrup

1. Shake lightly with ice to chill and add a little aeration from the coconut water.
2. Double strain into a chilled coupe or over fresh ice; garnish with toasted coconut or a lime wheel.

Practical shopping list & equipment

Keep a small home bar stocked so you can make these variations quickly.

• Essentials: gin (or rice gin), white vermouth, herbal liqueur (Chartreuse or substitute).
• Pandan leaves (fresh), pandan paste or pandan extract as backup.
• Sugar, water, ice, lime, coconut water (optional).
• Tools: blender (for fast infusion), fine sieve/muslin, measuring jigger, mixing glass, bar spoon, strainer.

Make‑ahead, storage and safety tips

Save time and avoid waste with these pro tips.

• Infused gin storage: refrigerate and use within 2–6 weeks. Taste before use — vegetal notes can intensify over time.
• Syrup storage: refrigerate up to 2–3 weeks. Sterilize bottles for longer life.
• Scaling: multiply infusion and syrup recipes linearly. For syrup, larger batches often taste cleaner if you steep pandan cold overnight before boiling.
• Safety: when blending alcohol, do it in short bursts — avoid overheating and always strain thoroughly to remove leaf particles.

Balancing flavors — a short guide for perfect outcomes

Understanding how pandan interacts with bitter, sweet and herbal elements is key.

• Pandan brings fragrant, vanilla‑like, grassy and coconut hints — amplify with lime or coconut water.
• Bitter elements (Chartreuse, Campari, aperitifs) add backbone — reduce if your pandan is very aromatic.
• Sweetness from pandan syrup can quickly overpower. Start low and add by 2.5–5ml increments.
• Acidity (lime or white vermouth) keeps pandan from feeling cloying.

Troubleshooting common issues

Too grassy or vegetal

Shorten infusion time, dilute with plain gin or add a splash more vermouth. Blender infusions extract more chlorophyll — if you get a grassy note, rest the bottle a day and taste again.

Muted pandan flavor

Use more pandan leaf or switch to blender infusion for intense extraction. Fresh leaves are best — frozen leaves are OK but weaker.

Syrup too sweet

Use a 2:1 water:sugar simmer or dilute the syrup with a little hot water and re‑bottle. Alternatively, reduce the added syrup in the cocktail and balance with a splash of citrus or extra vermouth.

2026 trends & why this recipe matters now

Across late 2024–2025 and into 2026, cocktail culture accelerated two big shifts that make the pandan negroni especially relevant:

• Fusion of Asian ingredients: chefs and bartenders continue to blend South‑East Asian flavors into Western classics — pandan is a standout flavor because it adds familiar, dessert‑like notes without resorting to heavy sweetness.
• Rise of craft syrups and non‑alcoholic options: as companies scaled artisanal syrup production and non‑alcoholic spirit categories matured, home bartenders gained tools to make consistent zero‑proof and low‑proof versions. That means you can enjoy the pandan profile whether you’re sober‑curious or hosting a mixed crowd.

“DIY syrups and careful infusions let home bartenders achieve bar‑level consistency,” says the modern craft movement that grew as artisans scaled production and technique through 2025 and 2026.

Pairing and serving suggestions

• Serve the pandan negroni with lightly spiced bar snacks — roasted peanuts with five‑spice or shrimp crackers.
• For dessert pairing, try pandan cake, coconut flan or mango sticky rice to echo the pandan coconut notes.
• Glassware: rocks glass with a single large cube for the classic expression; coupe or Nick & Nora for shaken tropical variants.

Final actionable takeaways

• Start with the blender infusion if you want quick, vivid pandan gin — or make syrup if you want control and versatility.
• Use the Bun House Disco ratio (25ml pandan gin : 15ml white vermouth : 15ml Chartreuse) as your baseline, then adjust sweetness and bitterness in 2–5ml steps.
• For zero‑proof, substitute non‑alcoholic gin and a non‑alcoholic bitter or strong tea reduction; for lower proof, reduce gin and increase vermouth.
• Make small test batches before scaling up to a party size. Keep records: how much pandan you used and steep time — reproducibility is key.

Try it tonight — and share your version

Recreating Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni at home is straightforward and rewarding. Make the infusion or syrup, follow the recipe, then tweak to your palate. If you loved this guide, take one small action now: make a single‑serve batch with the baseline recipe, photograph your garnish, and share it with a note about which variation you tried.

Call to action: Try the pandan negroni tonight, tag us with #PandanNegroni and subscribe for more tested recipes, pantry swaps and mixology tips that make adventurous cocktails achievable at home.

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