Thailand – A Sting in the Tail

The Singapore Sling is a famous cocktail drink first made by Ngiam Tong at the Raffles Hotel, Singapore, sometime between 1910 and 1920. To say the drink is popular would be very much an understatement with the cocktail selling at over 500 baht in the Raffles Hotel Long Bar, Singapore.

Association between the rich and glamorous world of cocktail drinks date back over 100 years. Towards the end of the last century saw the “common” people pick up the reins and make the drinks a fun and party time beverage.

The modern day and working class cocktail mix has brought with it some names that might have made Ngiam Tong wish he’d kept the top firmly screwed on the gin and the cherry brandy under the bar counter. He would certainly give an eyeball to the highball glass names of the cocktails about nowadays.

Sex on the Beach, Slippery Nipple, Orgasm and Legspreader are hardly the mix of the rich escaping the heat of the Singapore night in the Long Bar. Asia’s famous cocktail drink has stood tall and proud for nearly 100 years but could there be a new kid about to chase it from the block.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched a signature cocktail to lure the missing tourists back to the Land of Smiles. The cocktail is being marketed as “Thailand in a Glass” and the joint promotional venture in tandem with the Thai Hotel Association (THA) has used “very Thai ingredients” to make a cocktail that promises to be a drink for all occasions. A drink that the TAT and THA hope will put the punch back into Thailand’s tourism industry. So let’s take a look at just what is going to bring the tourist’s back to Thailand.

Siam Sunray

• 1 shot  vodka
• 1 shot  coconut liquer
• 15 ml.  syrup
• 1/2  small red chilli pepper
• 3  slivers lemon grass
• 3  slices of ginger
• 1  Kaffir lime leaf
• 1  dash of lime juice
• Soda Water

How to make

Crush together the chilli pepper, ginger, lemon grass and lime leaf into a cocktail shaker. Add in the vodka, coconut liquer, syrup and lime juice. Shake continuously and then strain into an ice filled glass, top with soda water. Garnish with a slice of lime, lemon grass and a red chilli.

The Siam Sunray looks to be a cocktail with a sting in it’s tail and I hope it tastes as good as it sounds. I’ll certainly be giving it a try on my next Thailand holiday. If it’s not to your taste then Beyond The Mango Juice would like to offer you a couple of alternative cocktails to try.

Yellow Peril

• 1 shot Whisky
• 1 bitter lemon
• 3 slices of bitter gourd
• 1 dozen very sour grapes
• table salt

Take the bitter lemon, bitter gourd and very sour grapes and squeeze the juice into a yellow cocktail shaker. Pretend you are really old and shake to suit. Pour the contents into an ice filled glass and before each taste place a pinch of salt on your tongue. Garnish with anything yellow.

Background

The Yellow Peril is a favoured drink amongst the Bangkok elite and was invented by a group of friends during a lengthy airport stay. Very unpopular in the northern Thai provinces.

Red Rusty Nail

• 1 bottle lao khao
• another bottle of lao khao
• 1 shredded papaya
• 4 tablespoons of sticky rice
• any red fruit

Take the shredded papaya, sticky rice and any red fruit and place inside a large mortar. Beat the ingredients vigorously with a pestle until a rich goo is achieved. Add ice, lao khao, garnish with chicken feathers, put your head down and good luck.

Background

This cocktail is exclusive to the northern Thai villages and was invented in celebration of the now defunct 30 baht healthcare card. Said to guarantee a good nights sleep even if drunk in the morning, its grainy taste comes from its rice based ingredients. Definitely one for the men.

I don’t know about you but I think the Siam Sunray looks a class act way above the rest. If you are drinking today then take my advice and don’t touch the pestle. Happy days.

Credits

Photograph Singapore Sling Paul Fenton

Photograph Siam Sunray Cocktail Tourism Authority of Thailand

Photograph Glass © Igorr | Dreamstime.com