On the modern Vietnamese restaurant Moon Rabbit, tofu is remodeled. It’s crisped and crumbled over steamed rice muffins; it shifts right into a silky cheesecake; it’s whipped and served over roasted greens. However all of that tofu presents a problem.

“Since tofu is a staple in our savory and dessert choices, we regularly have an abundance of leftover tofu whey from the kitchen,” explains Thi Nguyen, the restaurant’s bar director and one among our Finest New Bartenders of 2024. As an alternative of letting the whey—the liquid in a container of tofu that’s typically discarded—go to waste, Nguyen repurposes it right into a base for Moon Rabbit’s home easy syrup.

The transfer not solely reduces waste within the kitchen, however provides nutty taste and a slight creaminess to any cocktail that calls on the sweetener. It additionally boosts texture. “When utilized in a shaken drink, it creates an exquisite foam on prime,” says Nguyen. Stirred drinks with the whey-based syrup, in the meantime, get “a wealthy, full mouthfeel.” To make it, she merely swaps out what would sometimes be water for the whey.

Along with classics like Daiquiris and Previous-Fashioneds—which the syrup folds seamlessly into—Nguyen has lately used the ingredient in a collaboration with New York’s Bangkok Supper Membership. Her Đậu Hũ (tofu) cocktail takes inspiration from a tofu-based Vietnamese soup. She pairs the tofu whey syrup with chive-infused rum, lime juice and umami bitters within the lush, savory drink.

It’s an ideal showcase of Nguyen and Moon Rabbit’s method to recipe growth, which she sums up as a wedding between two driving forces: “Sustainability and creativity go hand in hand.”