Naam Krachiap
ICED HIBISCUS TEA
น้ำกระเจี๊ยบ
Steeped in water, dried hibiscus flowers leave the liquid a vivid red and impart a mouth-puckering tartness. Plenty of sugar balances this acidity and some salt keeps things interesting.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
10 cups water
45 g / 1¼ cups dried hibiscus flowers, briefly rinsed and drained
7 oz / 1 cup granulated sugar
7 g / 2 tsp kosher salt
Ice cubes, for serving
Pour the water into a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the hibiscus, sugar, and salt. Cover, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes to extract the hibiscus flavor. Let cool to room temperature, strain into a pitcher, and refrigerate until chilled.
The tea will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. To serve, stir well and pour into ice-filled pint glasses.
Naam Lam Yai
DRIED-LONGAN DRINK
น้ำลำไย
Sweet with a floral, tropical flavor, the longan is similar to its cousin, the lychee, and grows like crazy in Thailand. This drink features the darker, slightly musky, honeyed quality of dried longan. Rehydrated in the course of making the drink, the fruit is added to the glasses and is pleasant to chew on.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
10 cups water
14 oz / 2 cups granulated sugar
3½ oz / 1¼ cups dried longans (preferably Thai)
5 g / ½ tsp kosher salt
Ice cubes, for serving
In a medium pot, combine the water, sugar, longans, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let cool to room temperature, then pour (including the longans) into a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled.
The drink will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. To serve, stir well and pour the liquid and some longans into ice-filled pint glasses.
Naam Manao
LIME DRINK
น้ำมะม่วง
Salt makes food taste better. In Thailand, this logic extends to drinks as well. There you’ll find it in orange juice, pineapple juice, and this lime drink (pictured opposite, at left), where it tempers the sweetness of the sugar and bumps up the flavor of the citrus. Making the Salty Water takes no time at all and ensures that the salt will dissolve in the cold drink. A pinch of salt stirred in also does the trick, though not as reliably.
Makes 1 serving
Ice cubes, for serving
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp Naam Cheuam (Simple Syrup; this page)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (preferably from Key limes or from regular [Persian] limes with squeeze of Meyer lemon juice), plus 1 lime wedge (preferably Key lime)
3 drops Salty Water (recipe follows), from an eyedropper or straw
Seltzer, chilled, for topping off
Fill a pint glass with ice and add the simple syrup, lime juice, and salty water. Top off with seltzer and stir well. Squeeze on the lime wedge and serve.
Salty Water
Makes about ½ cup
½ cup water
45 g / 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp fine sea salt
In a small pot, bring the water to a simmer, then turn off the heat, add the salt, and stir until dissolved. Let the mixture cool. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 year.
Cha Manao
THAI ICED TEA WITH LIME
น้ำมะนาว
In the States, Thai tea typically gets mixed with a copious amount of sugar and half-and-half. In Thailand, it’s often treated with a similar dose of sugar plus evaporated and sweetened condensed milks. Yet there you’ll also find boldly sweetened Thai tea spiked with lime for a drink (pictured opposite, at right) that’s lighter and more refreshing. Thai tea varies by brand. Some pair black tea with star anise and cardamom and others with lemongrass and pandan. Most contain artificial colors that tint the brewed tea orange. Results vary, but only slightly.
Makes 4 servings
6 cups water
4 oz / 1⅓ cups Thai tea mix, such as Pantainorasingh or Number One Hand brand
1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp Naam Cheuam (Simple Syrup; this page)
5½ tbsp fresh lime juice (preferably from Key limes or from regular [Persian] limes with a squeeze of Meyer lemon juice), plus 4 lime wedges (preferably Key lime)
Ice cubes, for serving
In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the tea, stir well, let the water come back to a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover and let steep until the water has cooled to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing lightly to extract the liquid, then stir in the simple syrup, and refrigerate until chilled.
The tea will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. To serve, add the lime juice and stir well. Pour the tea into four ice-filled pint glasses and stick a lime wedge on the rim of each glass.
Nước Mát
VIETNAMESE ICED ARTICHOKE TEA
ชาอติโชค
On hot days in Vietnam, I often seek out this popular drink made from fresh artichokes simmered until they infuse water with their vegetal, vaguely anise-like flavor. Pandan leaf, a common ingredient in Thailand as well, lends a welcome nutty, rice-like quality.
Makes 12 to 16 servings
5 oz / 1 small artichoke
4 quarts water
1 lb 5 oz / 3 cups granulated sugar
4 g / ½ fresh or thawed frozen pandan leaf
Ice cubes, for serving
Halve the artichoke lengthwise and scoop out and discard the fuzzy choke from each half. In a medium pot, combine the artichoke and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for 1 hour to extract the flavor from the artichoke.
Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Add the sugar and pandan leaf and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, strain into a pitcher, and refrigerate until chilled.
The tea will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. To serve, stir well and pour into ice-filled pint glasses.
Naam Gek Hoi
ICED CHRYSANTHEMUM TEA
น้ำเก๊กฮวย
Dried chrysanthemum flowers make a floral, slightly sweet, and particularly refreshing iced tea.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
11 cups water
28 g / 1½ cups dried chrysanthemum flowers
Ice cubes, for serving
Pour the water into a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the chrysanthemums, cover, and turn off the heat. Let steep until cooled to room temperature, then strain into a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled.
The tea will keep, covered, for up to 1 day. To serve, stir well and pour into ice-filled pint glasses.
Naam Takrai Dawk Anchan
LEMONGRASS AND BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER DRINK
น้ำตะไคร้อัญชัญ
Fresh lemongrass supplies the flavor and aroma, while dried butterfly pea flowers (all the rage at health-minded markets) provide the striking blue color. Squeeze in a lime wedge and watch blue become purple.
Makes 10 servings
10½ cups water
10½ oz / 1½ cups granulated sugar
3 g / 1 tsp kosher salt
17 oz / 7 large stalks lemongrass
25 g / 1¼ cups dried butterfly pea flowers
Ice cubes, for serving
10 lime wedges (preferably Key lime)
Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally so the sugar and salt dissolve completely. When the water reaches a boil, lower the heat to maintain a rolling simmer.
Cut off the top 9 inches and the bottom 1 inch from the lemongrass and remove the outer layer. Bruise and then cut it into ¼-inch pieces.
Add the lemongrass to the pot. Let the water return to a simmer, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the butterfly pea flowers.
Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-safe pitcher. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled.
The drink will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. To serve, stir well before pouring into ice-filled pint glasses. Stick a lime wedge on the rim of each glass.
Naam Bai Boa Bok
PENNYWORT DRINK
น้ำใบบัวบก
A relative of parsley, pennywort (bai boa bok in Thai) is an herb that’s sometimes served raw alongside phat thai in Thailand. It’s also blended with water and sugar to make this refreshing, vivid-green drink. Find bunches at Southeast Asian markets with a solid stock of herbs.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
3½ oz fresh pennywort, roots trimmed and discarded
8½ cups water
8¾ oz / 1¼ cups granulated sugar
Ice cubes, for serving
Combine the pennywort and 2 cups of the water in a blender and blend until smooth.
Drape a double layer of cheesecloth over a medium-mesh strainer and set the strainer over a large mixing bowl. Pour the pennywort mixture through the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth around the solids and squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the remaining solids in the cloth. Set the liquid aside.
Combine the remaining 6½ cups water and the sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally so the sugar dissolves completely. Take the pan off the heat, let the mixture cool for 5 minutes before adding it to the pennywort juice. Whisk well.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled.
The drink will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. To serve, stir well and then pour into ice-filled pint glasses.