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.