Coldest Beer in SE Asia

Ditch the ice cubes usually required to cool your luke warm beer in Thailand - welcome to icy beer slushies!

About 50 metres NW of the clocktower in Trang ( on Th. Visetkul ), in a square off the main footpath, opposite what has to be the largest portrait of the King in Trang, is a cluster of food stalls. The one with its ' kitchen' virtually on the footpath, has something special inside...

It seats about 25 people at a time and would do double that in take-aways. We frequented enough, that the main attraction - the beer fridge - became self service for us. It is set so cold that the beer would pour semi - frozen from the bottle. At 40 baht (AUD$1.30), a tallie, naturally, we were regulars.

One evening, the young chef working there decided he was up for a session with us. All was going well until he decided we should skull the drinks. To be fair, he'd already helped himself to a few during service and is prettly lean. He chose to down his beer through a straw. After spilling a few bottles, then smashing a couple more, he got up, did the swagger and then head butted the gutter. Game over. As one of the other chefs was still cleaning down, the young guy was sat in a chair and hosed down. He had split his ear open and grazed his shoulder and arm. We thought it was time to head off. We returned the next day, to find that he was a no show and in the bad books with his old man, the owner!

Cocktail hour

A trip to the boat harbour sets you among yachts/boats from all around the world. A perfect place to lose yourself with a cocktail.

A trip up the eastern side of phuket island will take you past the boat harbour. Stop into 'Watermark' a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a refreshing cocktail. Rumour has it, the best on Phuket.

We settled in for some classic cocktails with a Thai spin.

Capriosca: 2 shots vodka

3 limes (cut in wedges)

1 tsp palm sugar (however much you'd like)

Add lime wedges and and sugar into cocktail shaker (or glass), crush with pestle until lime juice has released.

Add vodka and crushed ice, mix well and serve.

The Watermark version was very generous on the lime and vodka!

Moscow Mule: 50ml vodka

70ml lime juice

4 lime wedges

1 knob fresh ginger

200ml soda water

sprig of mint

Crush ginger with pestle to break down and release juice. Slightly press mint (stem included).

Mix in a highball glass with ice.

The fresh ginger adds a tangey savoury dimension, making it not as sugary as alot of mules.

"Nuts Anybody, nuts?"

Original, Thai style beer nuts...a tasty treat.

The Thai version of beer nuts incorporates typical Thai flavours:

Roasted peanuts are mixed with a small amount of salt, sugar, chilli, fried kaffir lime (finely sliced), and crisp garlic. Gets the taste buds tingling and the mouth watering!

Buckets Up

Any coastal location in Thailand is well stocked with small plastic buckets, not for building sand castles, but for filling with a special beverage.

This unique beverage sells for 150-300 baht ( $5-$10 AUS) depending on the spirit. A traditional bucket involves : ice, hip flask of sangsom whisky, coke/ redbull and always a handful of straws (variations of spirits available). Have by yourself or share with friends, a great conversational, communal drink. Word to the wise: caution to those who don't share !

Beer garden suprise

Beer you say! Order your own 3.3 litre jumbo tube with a tap. Self service was never made so easy, just pour it slow.

Sharing a 'pour your own' supply of beer at the beer garden near LAFIGA night club was a great way to cohearse with locals.

The only move from here was to the night club itself. After three months in a more reserved country, you can imagine our suprise and excitment when we rounded the corner to find wall to wall people,dj's and catwalk holding scantily clad girls rubbing themselves against each other. "The juices were flowing" !!

While letting our hair down the locals where forth coming with communal drinks, (later we figured probablly not a great idea to accept; druggings and all). People were very keen to meet and dance with the only foreigners in the place, they really seemed to get a thrill out of us getting involved in the carry on. In fact we got so carried away we were amongst the last five people to leave, well and truely after the lights came on.