What on earth is a Joss Shot? Energy drinks are a big deal in south-east Asia, with Red Bull Thailand (the original) being a great example of this. What many do not realize though is very country has its own variation. In Cambodia this is Joss, which much like Red Bull now means there is a Joss Shot.
So, what exactly is Joss, where can you get it and what is this Joss Shot that everyone likes to talk about? The Street Food Guy decided to go exploring.
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What the Joss Cambodia?
Joss is an energy powder – no, not cocaine that is soluble in water and creates a drink that gives you a genuine boost of energy. Joss is bright luminous yellow and a cult drink among Cambodians.
It is available in markets, as well as pharmacies due to its pseudo-medicinal purposes. There are also numerous online stores that you can buy Joss from, with it genuinely seemingly being only a Cambodian thing.
Extra Joss as it is called has also now become a cult drink for shots, with certain bars even specializing in it to some extent.
What is a Joss Shot?
So, basically if you understand how, barroca, or other soluble drinks work then you understand that they fizz a lot and are meant for a certain amount of liquid, say usually a pint. The drink then fizzes until filling the glass.
If though you were to say use less liquid, such as what might fit into a shot glass then you will get something that fizzles like fuck and because highly concentrated. What many bars, such as say Monkey Republic among others do is putt Extra Joss in vodka and the you drink it.
Much like Vodka Red Bull this has the dual application of giving you liquor and energy one fail swoop. I have heard of people even throwing nose candy in the mix for some extra va va voom.
Which bar has the best Joss Shot in Phnom Penh – The Big Easy
If you are looking for the best Joss Shot in Cambodia then you should head to The Big Easy, which is also the best place to watch football in Cambodia. When you come here simply sitting at the bar, especially for regulars is enough to get you one.
So, why does the Big Easy offer the best Joss Shot? Quite simply because they pretty much invented it. This means that this is their house shot, much like my chocolate vodka was when I had “The DMZ Bar”. This means that if the bar or a local buys you s shot this is what you get.
The Joss Shot outside of Phnom Penh
For shots the next big party place outside of Phnom Penh is of course Siem Reap (link). Thankfully the Big Easy also has a bar here (link). And while it is no Phnom Penh, it is pretty good. Of note they also have a place out in Koh Rong Sanloem if you need to get your party on.
As for other places such as Kampot, Sihanoukville, or Battambang I am yet to test out but it is very much on my to do list.
How does the Joss Shot taste?
And how does it taste? Well it tastes pretty rank, as you can see from the video below. In essence it tastes very chemical like and is still dissolving in your mouth as it goes down the hatch.
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSFm4YNth
But a shot being rank is exactly what you want from a shot, I mean is there anyone out there that truly likes even Tequila? Therefore having Joss Shot is akin to having Pong Ta Kun, or fish amok, a quintessentially Cambodian thing to do!