Pod Thai

Name: Pod Thai
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 1 Cocktail
Ingredients: 1 ⁄ 2 cup sugar; 4 cardamom pods, crushed; 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and thinly sliced; 3 sprigs Thai basil; 1 oz. fresh lime juice; 1 1 ⁄ 2 oz. light rum; 1 oz. cardamom-lemongrass syrup; 1 ⁄ 2 oz. crème de coconut; Club soda, for topping

Serves
makes 1 Cocktail

HELEN ROSNER

Cardamom-lemongrass syrup lends a bit of Thai spice to a fresh cocktail made with rum and coconut. This recipe first appeared in the iPad edition of our October 2013 issue with the article A Toast to Paradise.

Ingredients

For the Cardamom-Lemongrass Syrup

¹⁄₂ cup sugar
4 cardamom pods, crushed
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and thinly sliced

For the Cocktail

3 sprigs Thai basil
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 ¹⁄₂ oz. light rum
1 oz. cardamom-lemongrass syrup
¹⁄₂ oz. crème de coconut
Club soda, for topping

Instructions

Step 1

Make the cardamom-lemongrass syrup: Boil sugar and 1⁄2 cup water in a 1-qt. saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add cardamom and lemongrass; let cool and then strain. Makes 1 cup. Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.

Step 2

Muddle 2 basil sprigs with lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add rum, crème, syrup, and ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a glass mug; top with soda and garnish with remaining basil sprig.