This is not a recipe for the kids. This is a spicy, sweet and intoxicating cocktail infused with the flavors of Thai cooking, hence the name The Spicy Thai!
I love experimenting with herbal infusions in cocktails, and this is my latest experiment. The Blue Spice Basil and Key Lime Mojito is a refreshing rum based drink, while the Limoncello-Lemon Verbena Cocktail is a smooth citrusy libation.
They key to all of these cocktails is an herb infused sugar syrup. My little organic garden inspired this flavor combination. My lemongrass was huge and blocking the sun for other plants, so I needed to trim it. My serrano chile plant was heavy with ripe fruits, ready to be picked. I could have made a Thai chile paste or entree, but a cocktail seemed so much better.
Food makes me happy . . . but cocktails make me happier.
Don’t you love that stirrer? That is actually a pice of sugarcane, so it not only moves the liquid around it flavors it too. I received a sample of these from Frieda’s Produce and love them. Check your local markets for them, and don’t be afraid to request that your produce manager order them for you.
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Serrano chile peppers, sliced
- 2 4-5 inch lemongrass stalks, sliced
- 2 ounces lemongrass-chile simple syrup
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- 1 teaspoon key lime juice
- tonic water
- In a small saucepan over high heat bring the water and sugar just to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the syrup for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the syrup from the heat, add the sliced chiles and lemongrass.
- Let the syrup cool completely, then strain out the chiles and lemongrass.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
- In a tall glass filled with ice, pour 2 ounces of the lemongrass-chile simple syrup, 1 1/2 ounces vodka and 1 teaspoon key lime juice.
- Add tonic to fill the glass, stir gently to mix.
- Enjoy responsibly.
If Thai food is one of my absolute favorite cuisines, I’m guessing I’d feel the same way about Thai drinks. (And I love that glass!)