Drinks in Thailand – Part 2
The word drink literally means “to drink” or “to mix” and therefore, refers to any number of substances that can be consumed either by drinking them or by mixing them with another substance. It may be an alcoholic beverage, in which case, the term drink is more appropriate. We use several other terms to refer to these beverages including “hot drink” and “hot chocolate”. In this article we will explore some common characteristics of drinks and the variations on the basic theme that the beverage may not contain alcohol.
Many different juices exist, from one that’s light and refreshing to a more hearty drink like a ginger ale. Juice is also made by juicing fruits and vegetables as well as herbs, spices, and grains. The word juparana comes from a Hawaiian word that means “fruit stone” and is used to describe the solid form of many tropical fruits. Juparana juice is popular in many tropical drinks including, but not limited to: cashew juice, coconut juice, and pineapple juice.
An alcoholic beverage is one of the most common and widely drunk beverages in the world. Nearly every country in the world consumes some sort of alcoholic beverage, whether it be liqueur wine, beer, or distilled spirits. Almost every culture in the world has at least one type of alcoholic beverage. For example, in the United States there are more than forty different brands of beer available and nearly one third of the entire population consumes distilled spirits. Within the United States, the most popular brand is vodka.
In the United States, the single most popular drink is coffee, consumed in large quantities every day. However, across the world, drinkers of all types of drink share some common beverages. For example, in the United Kingdom, drinkers typically enjoy a glass of orange juice, a cup of tea, a glass of water, or a shot of espresso. In India, there are Vanda, a refreshingly sweetened rice wine, and in Japan, sake, a light rice wine that is mixed with either sweetened green tea or honey.
In Japan, a drink known as sakebilly is made from a combination of sake (a sweetened rice wine) and fruit juice. The Japanese also enjoy a pink grapefruit drink called mochi, which consists of a glass of sweetened fruit juice, a slice of red grapes, and a touch of ripe red or pink musk. In Indonesia, a drink is called tembu and consists of a bowl of raw Tembu noodles with red beans. The beans can be eaten or dissolved in the small amount of alcohol used to make the drink. Thailand’s version of the drink is called mee goreng and involves a cup of sweetened rice wine, fish paste, and egg white.
Other drinks include mango shake, sweet and sour punch, and horchata, which consists of sweetened rice wine, cardamom seeds, and Cayenne pepper. Horchata is a herbal drink made from dried flowers of the flower known as “horny goat flower”, while mango shake is made from crushed dried fruit of the mango tree. A drink made from green tea called matcha is served when guests are staying away from sweets and are instead opting for water. All beverages have a slightly different flavor and should be consumed on their own without any mix.