In the last year or so of recipe developing that I’ve done, it appears that I’ve developed a knack for making cocktails. I don’t know if its due to my past restaurant experience of making drinks, from drinking lots of them or both, but either way, I’ve made some fun ones. When we settled on Thailand for this week, I knew I wanted to do a fun Thai influenced cocktail as it’s not very common. If you haven’t gathered yet, I like stepping out of the norm and trying the unexpected. I’m the same way with Halloween costumes but I digress.
If you are new to Thailand flavors, there are some that are consistently woven through many recipes. Lime, ginger, lemongrass, coconut, thai basil, curries, fish sauce, shrimp and others. I toyed around with a couple different ideas before we landed on our final product and while I can say the recipe testing was fun, I’m really happy with where we landed.
Let’s start out with what goes into the drink. Thai tea bags that I acquired from Amazon was our first ingredient. Traditionally, Thai tea is a strongly brewed tea that is served with milk and sugar. You can either have it hot or cold, the latter turning it into Thai Iced Tea. The beverage is very popular at Thai based restaurants. I wasn’t opting to add milk or sugar to this one but I did want that strong tea flavor. If Amazon isn’t your thing, you can also find Asian Tea options in some groceries stores or Asian Markets.
After tinkering around with going with ginger or another route, I decided to switch things up and infuse some thai basil into the mix. While regular basil will work with this recipe too, thai basil can also be found online or in Asian supermarkets. The contrast in flavor here is that Thai Basil has a faint licorice or anise flavor profile. To be perfectly honest, I’m not generally a fan of those flavors at all. But something about it being so subtle really makes it actually enjoyable. I created a simple syrup out of the basil by steeping fresh leaves right in the syrup while it was cooking. It really adds the flavor without making it too in your face.
The lime juice gives a bonus kick of tang and the vodka lays a great base to celebrate the other flavors. This works great as a martini straight up or if you prefer like me, can be served on the rocks. It packs a punch so don’t let those smaller glasses fool you. This is a great recipe for those who are cocktail connoisseurs or for those who want to try something different. Enjoy!
Thai Tea Coolers
Serves 2
- 3 oz Thai Tea, steeped and cooled
- 6 oz Vodka
- 2oz Thai Basil Syrup (see recipe below)
- Juice from Fresh Lime
- Additional lime wheels for garnish
Fill martini shaker with ice. Add cooled Thai Tea, Vodka, Thai Basil Syrup and Lime Juice.
Shake vigorously for 1 minute and serve in a chilled martini glass or over rocks.
Thai Basil Syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 8-10 Thai Basil Leaves
Place all three ingredients into a small pot over low heat. Steep for 30 minutes and allow to cool naturally.