June 15, 2008

Thai Cooler



Ingredients:

for the syrup:
1 1/2 inch knob galangal cut into small chunks
1 handful fresh mint
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
zest of one lime

to serve:
club soda
limes


Directions:
Place the sugar, galangal, mint, water and zest in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens to a light syrup. Keep an eye on it as it can quickly go from "syrup" to "sticky candy" in just a few minutes. Strain into a heat safe container. Discard solids. Allow to cool. Spoon 2 tablespoons of syrup into each glass. Top with the juice of one lime and stir to combine. Top with club soda. Repeat for each glass.




Note: Any leftover syrup should be poured into a jar and refrigerated for future use. It can keep up to 2 weeks.



Yield: 6-8 drinks.

My thoughts:
It has been a busy weekend! So busy I haven't done much cooking or eating. I did make time to create this refreshing drink and it was well worth the little bit of extra effort. It is a wonderful treat on a hot day. If you cannot find galangal root, you can subsitute fresh ginger. Galangal root also a rhizome and has a flavor similar to ginger. However, galangal has a more complex flavor which containes some citrus notes. If you wanted to be naughty, I think this would be great spiked with some white rum as a sort of Thai mojito.
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7 comments:

  2. I'd never heard of galangal until now, but that sounds awesome.

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  4. That looks great. I like the rum idea and I think just using the syrup to sweeten ice tea would be tasty, too.

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  5. Galangal sounds like a made up word, I love it.
    Where does one buy the fanciful galangal?
    I can't wait to make this for my friends just so I can say the word a bunch of times. ;)
    Sounds really good.

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  6. Galangal is found at most Asian grocery stores, but I have actually seen it at regular grocery stores as well. I bought this at Wegmans.

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  7. I have been so busy with work this summer, I haven't been checking in as much as I'd like, and I've missed some great dishes! That pulled pork looks like a really unique take on the traditional, and the ice pops are being added to my next tapas night menu!

    ReplyDelete

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