Post #360000 by tikiboat on Fri, Feb 8, 2008 3:07 AM

Ooh she gave me Mekhong Whiskey
Ooh she gave me Hong Kong flu
Ooh she gave me Mekhong Whiskey
Put me on a breeze to Katmandu

From "Sayonara" on the album "Hell's Ditch" by The Pogues

Wikipedia also calls it a whiskey, but confirms it is
made from 95% sugar cane/molasses and 5% rice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekhong_whiskey

A BBC hosted webpage had this comment:

if you upend a bottle of Mekhong in a glass of water in such a way that
the pressure of the water does not allow the whiskey to escape the bottle,
a clear liquid will be seen to dribble into the water.
This is glycerine, used to artificially boost the alcohol content,
which can cause blindness if consumed in large quantities.
Happy drinking...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A132193

Have no idea if the above is true or not,
I do know that various plant extracts sold in the US, for edible consumption,
list glycerin as an ingredient.

In the US, I have found Mekhong Whiskey in some Thai restaurants with a bar.
I've never heard it referred to as a rum.
I don't know how to describe the taste, maybe like a rough, light rum.
Not a real strong flavor and slightly sweet.

[ Edited by: tikiboat 2008-02-08 20:14 ]