Pod Thai

I had the most amazing drink at Bootlegger Tiki in Palm Springs last night. Actually, I had several amazing drinks there but I'll post about that in the right place. Anyway, has anybody drank and more importantly, tried to make a Pod Thai?

Here's a picture:

Here's a recipe:
http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/pod-thai-cocktail

This is not an easy one, because of the lemongrass-cardamom syrup. But it was simply ridiculously delicious. Chad Austin, the mixologist/beverage director was making me fantastic drink after fantastic tiki drink but the flavors in this one were truly amazing. I want more! Many, many more. And I don't want to have to drive 100 miles to get em!

I can probably easily get these ingredients in local SE Asian stores so maybe I'll try the recipe out. Chad was using Selvarey rum in this drink.

They are AMAZING! I will try to check out and make that recipe.

Before anyone gives this a try, does anyone have an idea if the web recipe is the same as the one in the bar? I think that would be highly unlikely unless the bartender told you it was. My impression here (and I could be wrong) is that most bartenders would put their own spin on a drink so they exhibit pride in craftsmanship and so they avoid blatantly copying someone else's work.

Looks and sounds good though!

I don't know for a fact that the recipe is the same. What Chad told me was that there were only 3 bars in the world making this drink - them, one in Thailand (the original I guess), and 1 in Hawaii. He told me he used Selvarey rum and he made his own cardamom/lemongrass syrup. We were talking about making syrups and cordials for a bit and he told me with the fruit ones anyway he adds the fruit first, then the sugar later, which was interesting, but other than that it sounds like the same basic idea. Then I know he uses basil because Bootlegger Tiki has bunches of basil sitting up on the bar that he was grabbing. And I know he squeezes his own juices and the citrus in the drink does taste like lime. I don't know if the ratios are correct and I don't know if he's using Coco Lopez or Coco Real or what.

I found Chad really friendly and not super secretive about the drinks he was making, but I was there as a customer, not a competitor. I can understand them not wanting to reveal their drink secrets in general though.

If any of you guys end up in Palm Springs go there right as the bar opens at 4 and let him demonstrate his skills for you. He made me some awesome drinks that were off menu too. I was very impressed. I need to do a whole write-up in the locating Tiki section.

Wupput, very good, thanks! I have seen other highly-experienced bartenders copy others drinks, and each time they told me where it came from, although each time the recipe was highly rated on the web but not published. (The Frisco Club from Death & Company, for example, was just released within the past year in their book.) Then others feel obligated to tweak one or two ingredients, may tell you it's "inspired by," and this is "their version." I hope my email didn't come across as a challenge or anything, I was in mid thought thinking about mixing and tasting such a recommended drink.

Please know that I had already decided to try this in the next week or so. I've been on a "try strange new and interesting things" kick lately, this definitely sounded interesting. Your write-up sold it!

By the way, I think that the cardamom/lemongrass syrup is pretty easy to make as far as syrups go -- I made a thyme tincture last month which took two weeks to fully infuse the flavors into the alcohol. It was well worth the wait.

I'll let you know how it goes, and I'll take a photo. Choice of drinking glass is critical here -- too large a glass and you dilute the flavors too much with soda. Too small a glass and you overpower the drinker.

I'd love for others to let us know if they try this. The lemongrass is a new experience for me -- from a YouTube video I watched, there are hard/tough sections you don't want to use for cooking, but which may be fine for making an infusion into a syrup. I'll buy two and will test one out, then make the syrup with the second.

Cheers to you!

That's awesome. Please report back. With pictures! I didn't take it as a challenge at all. I hope the folks who invented this drink or have put their own twist on it don't mind us trying to reverse engineer it.

Yes, the soda amount is crucial. If I had to guess I'd say 1 oz or less to 2 oz of rum. But that's just a guess.

Disclaimer: I've never had the Bootlegger version of this cocktail.

I gave the Saveur recipe a stab. It doesn't specify the glass size, makes no mention of ice, yet says to "top with soda", which leaves that volume ambiguous. I served it in a 12oz pearl-diver-style glass that was filled with ice, and I would say I probably added 2-3oz of soda, which gave it a nice pop without too much dilution. The overall flavor profile of the drink is fantastic! I especially enjoy the basil. Here's what I'll change for next time:

• Reduce the syrup in the drink to 3/4oz, as it was a bit too sweet for my taste
• Simmer the lemongrass in the syrup for about 10 minutes, add the cardamom, simmer for another minute, then remove from heat and let steep until cool. This should pop those flavors a little more.
• If I make multiples, I'll try adding 1/4oz of falernum to one for an A/B test. I'm curious if it'll goose the drink or overwhelm the lemongrass and cardamom, which were very subtle.

I'll be in Palm Springs in January. Bootlegger is added the list!

Wow, Specialcase, that looks fantastic! The Bootlegger version you could really taste the lemongrass/cardomom, so probably whatever you can do to get that flavor concentrated. It was a sweet drink, though not cloying. Seemed to me much of the sweetness came from the coconut cream.

Tele295 get there at 4 PM sharp for a seat at the bar! It's fun to watch Chad work from close range.

[ Edited by: wupput 2015-10-28 16:54 ]

I hear you on the lemongrass-cardamom syrup. I made another batch, tonight, letting the lemongrass simmer for about 10 minutes and then adding the cardamom for one minute before removing from heat. After straining, it's got miles more flavor than what I got by strictly following the Saveur recipe. I'll be making a few Pod Thai at a party, tomorrow night, so I'll let you know how it pans out.

On 2015-10-28 23:32, specialcase wrote:
I hear you on the lemongrass-cardamom syrup. I made another batch, tonight, letting the lemongrass simmer for about 10 minutes and then adding the cardamom for one minute before removing from heat. After straining, it's got miles more flavor than what I got by strictly following the Saveur recipe. I'll be making a few Pod Thai at a party, tomorrow night, so I'll let you know how it pans out.

Sounds like my kind of party!

I'm still looking for lemongrass in my area, and hope to "join the party" and try this soon!

So I finally got some lemongrass and tried making one of these. It came out pretty well but I think I may have made a mistake with the syrup.

I boiled the cut up lemongrass stalk for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile I crushed the whole dried cardamom pods a bit and then added those, reboiled, added the sugar, cooled, and strained. The syrup did have a nice lemongrassy flavor but it might have been overwhelmed by the cardamom. Or, my strainer may have been too coarse and tiny bits of cardamom may have been suspended in the syrup, because it had a bit of a cardamom kick aftertaste. It wasn't unpleasant but a bit unbalanced.

Another problem was I ran out of white rum in the middle and had to substitute half Barbados gold, which did affect the flavor profile.

Also, with the coconut I used Coco Real but I think it would be better with Coco Lopez.

And about 2 oz of soda per drink.

Still, a pretty good drink! I am going to get some Selvarey and try with that and maybe re-strain the syrup to get out any floating cardamom bits.

[ Edited by: wupput 2016-02-22 22:27 ]