Mango Passion Cocktail

When I was in Thailand, I had a wonderful mango cocktail which has forever stayed in my memory. I've replicated it here, and the taste is very similar. It's a perfect summer drink that looks and tastes like summer sunshine. Also a great party drink, evoking images of a tropical beach paradise. Serve this Thai mango cocktail with your choice of finger foods, or really spice things up with some exotic Thai party dishes (see below for recipe links). Cheers!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• SERVES 6-8
• 2 ripe mangoes
• 1/2 cup vodka (for gluten-free diets: replace with more champagne)
• 1/4 cup lime juice (or juice of 1/2 lime)
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 Tbsp. natural syrup, like maple syrup OR substitute 1/4 cup palm or brown sugar (to taste)
• 1 bottle champagne, OR sparkling white wine (OR substitute sparkling spring water if you prefer less alcohol)
• Garnish: ice cubes OR crushed ice, lime wedges/slices, plus fresh cherries or other fruit of your choice

1. First, cut the mangoes and drop all their succulent flesh into your blender.
2. Add the vodka, lime juice, salt, and syrup. Don't put the syrup away, as you may need a little more in a minute.
3. Blend well to create a kind of mango puree. Now do a taste-test, adding more syrup if desired (how much syrup will depend on the sweetness of your mangoes). This drink should be a balance between sweet and sour, but leaning more toward the sweet.
4. If you added more syrup, blend again and continue to taste-test until you're happy with the results.
5. Pour this wonderful mango concoction into glasses, only half-filling them. Now top the glasses up with your choice of champagne, sparkling wine, OR sparkling spring water if you prefer less alcohol.
6. Top with a couple of ice cubes or some crushed ice. If desired, garnish glasses with slices/wedges of fresh lime, plus your choice of fresh fruit (I used fresh cherries). CHEERS!

Non-Alcoholic Version: To make this drink non-alcoholic, substitute the vodka for 1/4 cup water OR mango juice (or other tropical juice, such as guava or pineapple juice). Then top up your glass with sparkling spring water (such as Perrier) instead of champagne. ENJOY!

Thai-style Iced Tea

Thai iced tea is easy to make and wonderfully refreshing to drink. Various types of tea can be used in this recipe for iced tea, from Ceylon to orange pekoe (or any black tea, such as Assam) to green tea. While packaged iced tea mixes appear attractively easy to make, once you try making iced tea from scratch, you'll wonder why you never did it before - it's nearly as easy, and tastes far better! It's also healthier for you (no chemicals, colorings, or preservatives). So make up a jug of Thai iced tea today and see for yourself how simple and thirst-quenching it is!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• SERVES 2 (Double the recipe for 4 or more)
• 4 cups boiling water
• 4 tea bags (such as Assam, Orange Pekoe, Ceylon, etc..) OR 4 tsp. loose black tea (e.g. Lipton's Yellow Label)
• juice of 1 fresh lime or lemon
• 1 inch piece galangal OR ginger, grated
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar (taste-test for sweetness, adding more sugar as desired), or equivalent of syrup
• pinch of salt
• ice cubes or crushed ice
• optional: 1-2 drops jasmine essence (available in tiny bottles at Asian/Chinese food stores)
• garnish: slices of fresh lime or lemon and sprigs of fresh mint or basil

Preparation:

1. Boil 4 cups water in a pot on the stove (I use a pot instead of a kettle, which makes adding the other ingredients easier).
2. Add the loose tea or tea bags. Stir well. Allow tea to steep for at least 5-6 minutes while you add the other ingredients.
3. Grate the galangal or ginger into the tea (it doesn't have to be grated too finely, as the larger pieces will be strained out later). Stir well.
4. Add the sugar or syrup, starting with 1/4 cup. Stir to dissolve. Taste-test for sweetness, adding more sugar (1-2 Tbsp. at a time) until your desired sweetness level is reached.
5. Squeeze the lime or lemon juice into the tea, and add a pinch of salt. Stir well.
6. If using, add 1-2 drops of jasmine essence. Note: Be careful not to add much more than 2 drops, or your iced tea will turn out too "perfumed".
7. If you have been using tea bags, use a spoon to press them to the side of the bowl before removing them (to extract as much of the tea as possible).
8. Using a strainer and a ladle, strain the tea into a jug. Place jug in the refrigerator for an hour, or until tea is cold. OR, if you want to enjoy the tea right away, strain into glasses filled with ice.
9. Garnish the glasses with fresh lime slices and sprigs of fresh mint or sweet basil. Add straws if desired. ENJOY!!

Thai Mango-Coconut Bubble Tea

For this Thai Mango-Coconut Bubble Tea, you will need:

• 1 package tapioca pearls (made for bubble tea)
• Thai red tea OR regular black or orange pekoe tea (regular 'Red Rose' tea works well)
• 1 ripe mango (OR substitute 2-3 cups frozen mango)
• natural syrup, such as maple syrup (OR substitute sugar)
• 1-2 cans coconut milk (1 can will serve 2 people)
• crushed ice or ice cubes

Optional Ingredients:

• regular milk or cream, OR good-tasting soy milk, OR sweetened condensed milk
• straws (bubble tea straws work best)

Tips on Ingredients/Substitutions:

• It's best to use the black, green, or multi-colored tapioca pearls made specifically for bubble tea. These are available in most Asian food stores, and also online. Regular tapioca pearls will disappoint, as they fall apart when cooked.
• Use one of the milk options listed above if you prefer your bubble tea creamy.

Thai-style Iced Coffee Recipe

This Thai iced coffee recipe is easy to make, and makes a great drink to have in the fridge on hot summer mornings - or anytime you want an energy boost. This iced coffee recipe starts with strongly-brewed coffee, so it's a great way to use up cold coffee leftovers. Just stir in a few ingredients - including some warm spices - and refrigerate until cold, or add ice cubes and a straw for a superb iced coffee drink. Cheers!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

• MAKES 4 SERVINGS
• 4 cups hot, strongly brewed coffee - leftover coffee works well if reheated
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• optional: 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (this gives the coffee a little bit of a kick)
• Optional Garnish: whole star anise, ice cubes

Preparation:

1. If using cold, leftover coffee, pour it into a pot or sauce pan and reheat. If using fresh coffee, pour it directly into a pitcher. Note that strong coffee works the best for this recipe.
2. Add the spices and sweetened condensed milk and stir well to incoporate. Taste-test to see how sweet you want it. The more condensed milk you add, the richer (and sweeter) it will be. Adjust according to your taste.
3. Pour or ladle coffee into a pitcher and refrigerator until cold. Or serve immediately over a glass of ice.
4. If serving from the pitcher, first stir the coffee well, then pour into glasses or mugs. If desired, decorate with whole star anise (this will also add another subtle layer of spice to the coffee) - simply "float" them on the surface (see photo). Ice cubes and straws can also be added. ENJOY!

Thailand Alcoholic Drinks

Alcoholic Drinks

The three alcoholic drinks that are most readily available in bars throughout Thailand are the following: Sang Som is a Thai spirit which tastes like a mild whiskey. It is ruby in colour and is usually drunk with cola or lemonade. Thais however, will usually drink it with ice and no mixer.
Chang Beer can be found in literally all bars and has an alcohol content of 5%.
Singha Beer is a popular beer with an alcohol content of 6% and is pale in colour.