Why Do Thais Like Mixing Whiskey With Too Much Soda Water?

[thai_narak]

i prefer beer more than whisky and for me putting ice on the beer is a crime. but again, why thais mix too much soda water with whiskey? i cannot taste the whiskey when they mix soda in it or maybe i have a problem with my taste buds?

what do you guys think about this?

[kayo]

hey.

i'm guessing your fairly new at this game?

It's done a lot in many sub tropical countries (bith ice in beer and whisky mixers)

Generally i think it's two things:

Hydration.

and not getting too trashed but drinking all day.

as for me; when in Rome!

but I do generally put a bit more whisky than the locals.

[britmaveric]

Uh whats this got to do with I drink too much forum?

[IvanLaw]

hey.

i'm guessing your fairly new at this game?

It's done a lot in many sub tropical countries (bith ice in beer and whisky mixers)

Generally i think it's two things:

Hydration.

and not getting too trashed but drinking all day.

as for me; when in Rome!

but I do generally put a bit more whisky than the locals.

Stopped drinking alcohol over 8 years ago BUT previously

When drinking in Thailand with Thai friends I could not drink beer with Ice in it so stuck to Whisky

Eventually they got used to me and gave me two glasses

One for whisky & One for mixer

Stopped dehydration and stopped me getting drunk to quickly

SLANG (Cheers)

[IvanLaw]

Uh whats this got to do with I drink too much forum?

Sorry Brit

I did not realise you had a drink problem as above.

Took me a long time to become T Total so I sympathise.

[thai_narak]

hey.

i'm guessing your fairly new at this game?

It's done a lot in many sub tropical countries (bith ice in beer and whisky mixers)

Generally i think it's two things:

Hydration.

and not getting too trashed but drinking all day.

as for me; when in Rome!

but I do generally put a bit more whisky than the locals.

i don't think i'm new to this stuff but what i'm saying is that they mix too much soda that that booze tasted like water. whiskey with a bit of soda and ice is fine with me but beer and ice? no way man.

[thai_narak]

Uh whats this got to do with I drink too much forum?

where do you think the thread be posted?

[IvanLaw]

Uh whats this got to do with I drink too much forum?

Sorry Brit

I did not realise you had a drink problem as above.

Took me a long time to become T Total so I sympathise.

Britmaveric

OOPS just realised you mean I drink to much forum,

Not that: you = I drink to much

I think?

Sorry, my Apologies

[Neeranam]

whisky and soda - people would get thrown out the pub where I come from for doing that. I've met many Thais who drink Johnny Walker and coke - imagine that, it's sacrilegious.

7/11 staff could never understand why I never bought soda with my whisky, now they can't understand why I don't buy whisky with my soda.

[solo siam]

because its cheaper and the whisky lasts longer.

[jinjok]

carbonation adds to drunkeness and lends certain taste

i agree - sacreligious for anything jw red and above, but spey royal below - its fine. thats not really scotch anyway... (but its passable and not sugar/rum).

[Krupnik]

Sort of gone off the whiskey you get in Thailand but I always liked vodka with soda water and lemon squeezed in.

Could do with one of them right now as it goes....!

[think_too_mut]

i prefer beer more than whisky and for me putting ice on the beer is a crime. but again, why thais mix too much soda water with whiskey? i cannot taste the whiskey when they mix soda in it or maybe i have a problem with my taste buds?

what do you guys think about this?

What was the "whiskey"? Lao Khao? Mekong or MacAllan?

Where did the soda come from?

Never seen any soda around unless I brought it.

[astral]

I know this may sound like heresy, but this is esactly why I drink Shandy (beer/Sprite mix)

I can keep up with the heavy drinkers, without getting too blasted my self.

[gampaan]

My wife's family, I thought were notorious for too much soda that I couldn't even drink it. I love my Jim and Pepsi, but what they do to whiskey was abhorrant I thought. Glad to see this thread to know I'm not alone . A little Coke or water, OK but they seem to go too far.

[doctormann]

A little tale:

A while ago, when I was very new to LoS and having observed the Thai habit of drinking whisky with copious amounts of soda, I decided, silly me, that a bit of education was required.

Having then recently returned from a trip to UK, I had brought back with me a couple of bottles of single malt - one a Talisker and one an Ardbeg. Anyway, the next time that I got invited to a Thai party I took along the Ardbeg, thinking that I would show them what a 'proper' whisky was like. We duly broached the bottle and the subsequent train of events went something like this:

They, having sampled a drop of the neat spirit, 'Not like, too strong. Can drink with water?'

Me, 'OK, can do, but better to take whisky and water separately and not mix.'

They, 'Still not really like. Too strong. Can add Soda?'

Me, 'I think you not understand. In Scotland, whisky is same same Buddha - you must treat with big respect. If you add soda to malt whisky big, hairy Scotsman will appear, like magic, and will lop your heads off with Claymore!'

They probably didn't believe the bit about the Claymore but, suffice it to say, I had the rest of the bottle all to myself!

DM

[Jockstar]

Me, 'I think you not understand. In Scotland, whisky is same same Buddha - you must treat with big respect. If you add soda to malt whisky big, hairy Scotsman will appear, like magic, and will lop your heads off with Claymore

And the rest! :D

[luumak]

I could not agree more but the reason I do is:

It slows my amnt of consumption down and I add water at same time. I can drink it, in fact I'm drinking too much. But its in the a.m. I feel marginally better having drank the water as well. Beer and especially Whisky w/ water - it's lame and the beer tastes awful sure, I agree but it does help in the morning.

I would never put soda in good whisky :-)

Edited November 18, 2007 by luumak

[Oleg_Rus]

in 1998, we brought a present to some thai company - really rare cognac (some 20++years old)

That thing was delicious big time, not like some from Foodland or so, no, real McCoy. Consider some 300$ more per bottle. And a can of grade "A" black Caspian caviar (1 pound ~ 400$).

Now here comes the banana....

At the dining table m**f**rs mixed cognac with cheap ass soda (deluted) and freakin' fried caviar with cashew nuts, garlic and chili - makes it look like a bum's <deleted>!

well, nobody even touched it.

[rott]

whisky and soda - people would get thrown out the pub where I come from for doing that. I've met many Thais who drink Johnny Walker and coke - imagine that, it's sacrilegious.

A good friend of mine became an alcoholic addicted to J & B and coke, 1 bottle of J & B a day plus 2 litres of coke. Took 3 years to turn him from a great guy into a nightmare, and another 7 to kill him.

[rgs2001uk]

whisky and soda - people would get thrown out the pub where I come from for doing that. I've met many Thais who drink Johnny Walker and coke - imagine that, it's sacrilegious.

7/11 staff could never understand why I never bought soda with my whisky, now they can't understand why I don't buy whisky with my soda.

people would get thrown out of the pub where i come from for ordering johnny walker, cheap blend, real men drink single malts.

vodka and irn bru, or if its getting near to giro day, buckie, are the tipples of choice for the locals.

[Datsun240Z]

Me, 'I think you not understand. In Scotland, whisky is same same Buddha - you must treat with big respect. If you add soda to malt whisky big, hairy Scotsman will appear, like magic, and will lop your heads off with Claymore

And the rest!

Johny Walker, Keep walking.

[robertsonmartin]

Makes me cringe when I see people put ice in VSOP Brandy (e.g Remy). Surely this should be warmed up and not chilled ?!?

[mark5335]

Makes me cringe when I see people put ice in VSOP Brandy (e.g Remy). Surely this should be warmed up and not chilled ?!?

I've noticed the same practice in Singapore and Malaysia as well as Thailand. The argument is that they're living in a hot tropical climate, and therefore cognac on ice is fitting. However, the irony is that when I witness people drinking Martell with ice, it's usually in a karaoke room with the air-con blasting out a freezing 18 degree breeze. A warm cognac would be more fitting, however, the cold air is more conducive to slap n tickle with the karaoke hostesses.

[maichai40]

There is only 1 reason they do that: Whisky last longer mixed with soda and 4 people can drink all night with a bottle (or maybe 2). Stop.

[philo]

i prefer beer more than whisky and for me putting ice on the beer is a crime. but again, why thais mix too much soda water with whiskey? i cannot taste the whiskey when they mix soda in it or maybe i have a problem with my taste buds?

what do you guys think about this?

You have - I am sorry to say - misunderstood the whole concept of beer and ice. In Thailand we do not 'putting ice on the beer' - we are putting beer on the ice. The same thing goes for whiskey and soda...

[glegolo]

i prefer beer more than whisky and for me putting ice on the beer is a crime. but again, why thais mix too much soda water with whiskey? i cannot taste the whiskey when they mix soda in it or maybe i have a problem with my taste buds?

what do you guys think about this?

You have - I am sorry to say - misunderstood the whole concept of beer and ice. In Thailand we do not 'putting ice on the beer' - we are putting beer on the ice. The same thing goes for whiskey and soda...

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I do not agree at all... you have not misunderstood at all. I think that Thai mostly is looking for the "rush of alcohol" rather than

the taste. They dont simply care. What concerns the beer it is a big problem down here in the heat with limited number of coolers and fridges.. so why not use the ice. I agree however, use ice to beer is a crime.

Glegolo

[Samuian]

Lao Kao and green or red Fanta -

Henessy and Soda -

or as has been written before: single Malt and cheap ass Soda...

says it all - no further comments!

[cpofc]

I have been running around Asia guzzling piss since i was 16 and have never really been any good at drinking beer in the tropics even though I tried very hard. i was a rum and coke drinker, a drink I would quickly turn to after the first couple of beers. In the 'Old Days' when there were only 2 beers and little refrigeration for same in the LOS, it was difficult for a drinker, Top Shelf stuff like scotch was out of the question as it was too expensive. So it was Mekhong and Coke. Haven't times changed and isn't it wonderful! When was the last time you saw a group of thais woofing into a bottle of Mekhong, it's main use now is for farang tourists to take home as a souvenir.

About 10 years ago i realised that if I was going to live in and socialise in an all thai environment I should do as the Romans do and get with the program. So, I converted to drinking the now national favourite of Scotch and Soda.

There are a number of reasons why it is sometimes deliberately made 'weak'. The way thais drink is to buy or bring your own bottle and then pay for the 'mixers' (Soda) and ice as you go. The more soda you drink (and more ice) the more profit the establishment makes. Pretty basic. The cost of the Soda and ice will vary from establishment to establishment depending on the 'class' of the place, entertainment, services etc. This is a great system and certainly alot cheaper than buying it by the glass at exhorbitant prices. Most establishments will also hold the bottle for you behind the bar if you don't finish it, or you can take it with you when you leave.

The other factor is that the Thais, who are the experts in my opinion when it comes to having fun, don't want to get legless in the first hour of the evening, they will wind up getting legless, yes, but eventually. it does not make sense to them to wipe themselves out too early in the evening, they don't get much time off as it is. Drinking it weak prolongs the fun basically and it also makes the bottle last longer when in a group.

This method also makes things very easy when it comes to service and efficiency, Especially in the larger, busier establishments. If you have ever gone out as a group in place like Australia and 20 people order 20 different types of beer, wine and spirits. it takes you an hour to get a shout in!

I drink with my thai friends and neighbours in our Soi anything up to 4-5 nights per week and we may not always drink it too weak either, very often we load up our drinks.

Hong Thong has become a BIG favourite lately in and around where i live when drinking in the Soi. Must be the econ situation. Believe it or not I am quite used to it now. Bit of a worry actually.

[billsykes]

i prefer beer more than whisky and for me putting ice on the beer is a crime. but again, why thais mix too much soda water with whiskey? i cannot taste the whiskey when they mix soda in it or maybe i have a problem with my taste buds?

what do you guys think about this?

Have you ever seen a Thai that has drunk half a bottle of whisky? not nice, i can tell you. I had a bar in phuket many years ago, Thais paid double just to keep them away.