Chef Joe Zobel has a flair for marrying the flavors of Thailand and his home state New Mexico together in some of his dishes, and I wanted to bring some of that eclectic inspiration to our cocktail list. I’ve always loved Thai iced teas and thought they would work well as a Thai tea cocktail with the addition of some classic tiki flavors like falernum (a spiced liqueur), pineapple, and coconut. I like to keep the cocktail lighter than a traditional Thai iced tea by using coconut cream instead of adding extra syrups or condensed milk. We also top the cocktail with a light whipped coconut foam, which makes it great for those who are dairy-free. This recipe may seem daunting, but you can simplify the steps by buying falernum and vanilla vodka and using a fresh Mandarin orange slice as a garnish. You can also replace the coconut foam with regular whipped cream or whipped coconut cream, but it will be heavier than the coconut foam. Then you’ll just have to infuse the coconut water and assemble the cocktail!
Fern Bar also serves a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail without the vodka and using a non-alcoholic falernum syrup (we make ours in-house), which makes it the perfect cocktail for an all-ages get together.
Long Thailand Ice Tea
3 oz. Thai tea-infused coconut water*
1.5 oz. vanilla vodka**
.75 oz. falernum***
.5 oz pineapple juice
.5 oz orange juice
1 oz. coconut cream
Garnish
coconut foam****
dehydrated Mandarin slice
pansy
Add all ingredients together in a Collins glass. Top with ice and then garnish with the coconut foam, dehydrated Mandarin slice, and pansy.
*Thai Tea-Infused Coconut Water
1 quart coconut water
1.5 oz Thai tea
Cold steep the tea in the coconut water for anywhere from 6-12 hours, then strain.
**Vanilla Vodka
Infuse one 750ml bottle of vodka of your choice with one vanilla bean for 24 hours, shaking every few hours. At Fern Bar, we use local Hanson’s of Sonoma Organic Vodka.
***Falernum
8 oz. rum (preferably light rum)
40 cloves
.5 cup blanched almonds
4 limes, zest
1 nutmeg
1 small cinnamon stick
4 oz. 2:1 cane sugar syrup
Infuse rum with everything except cane sugar syrup. Strain after 24 hours and add cane sugar syrup.
****Coconut Foam
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup sugar
3 gelatin sheets (or 1 packet powdered gelatin)
Bring coconut cream, coconut water, and sugar to a low boil. At the same time, bloom gelatin sheets in ice water. Whisk the gelatin sheets or gelatin powder into the coconut mixture and let chill in the fridge. Separate the set coconut and put that into an ISI container and charge with one or two canisters.
Mandarin Slice
Slice a Mandarin orange about 1/4″ thick and dehydrate at 135 degrees for 4-8 hours.
Check out more drink recipes from Fern Bar here!
