“Does this already have a name? If not I call it a Tom Yum Collins.” — Doreen, here

I’m not ashamed to say I married up, ladies, especially when it comes to taste in liquor. 

Before I met Albert, it was all virgin cocktails (shame!), critter wines and the occasional shot of Stoli. Then a fateful weekend two years ago reminded me I married right: a whirlwind tour of Portland, Ore. on our fifth wedding anniversary that basically centered on cocktails, largely at his urging. I grew up across the river in Vancouver, Wash. and knew about Portland’s famed microbrews. Big deal — we had Lucky Lager Brewery in downtown Vancouver anyway, snobs!  

What I didn’t know was that P-town had developed quite the cocktail culture. And on that anniversary weekend, with temperatures soaring near 100 degrees, we took a magic carpet ride through some of the strangest concoctions. Lavender sugars, jalapenos, Serrano chilies, cucumbers, cracked black pepper, honey, garden herbs — it was like my fantasy condiments stand, only they were in drinks.

After we returned home to Tacoma, Wash., I couldn’t get one particular bad girl out of my mind: a simple martini from a Cajun restaurant featuring honey-pepper infused vodka. La la la la la — oh, hello pretty clouds. Great liquid.

I hit the liquor stores and cleaned them out of every bottle of Ukrainian Nemiroff honey-pepper vodka in the county. And, then, during an uncharacteristically creative evening of drinking and pouring, I experimented with a basic Tom Collins, subbing gin with the Nemiroff, and came up with my new favorite summertime drink, inspired by my favorite cuisine, Thai. If you hate sweet but love the pucker of sour and salt, this one’s for you.

Tom Yum Collins

Salt-rimmed glass
Palm full of cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 fresh-squeezed lemon (about 1 oz.)
½ ounce Triple sec
½ ounce agave or simple syrup
2 ounces honey pepper vodka (or plain vodka or gin in a pinch)
club soda

Salt the rim of a Collins glass by rubbing a cut piece of lemon around the lip, then dip into bar salt. Add a few cilantro leaves and ice.

In a shaker, muddle cilantro and lemon juice. Add triple sec, agave and vodka (or gin) and ice. Shake like mad for 10-15 seconds, then strain into the salt-rimmed Collins glass. Splash with soda as desired. Stir. Serves 1 very happy person.

Note: If you can’t find honey-pepper infused vodka, muddle red pepper flakes with the cilantro and lemon juice.

Posted at 4:32pm and tagged with: Special Guest Star, submission, Doreen, submission, recipe,.