Thailand Hopes New Cocktail Can Lure Back Tourists

[mrmazinkle]

Try anything once

Except incest and Morris dancing

[ballpoint]

Try anything once

Except incest and Morris dancing

Tried 'em more than once eh?

[misterman21]

Thailand hopes new cocktail can lure back tourists

BANGKOK – Cuba's got the Mojito. There's the Singapore Sling and the Manhattan. Thailand hopes a newly created drink called "Siam Sunrays" will enter the world's cocktail lexicon and help draw tourists back to the country.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand unveiled the drink Thursday, calling it "Thailand in a glass — the new punch in Thai tourism."

The cocktail consists of a shot of vodka, coconut liqueur, a dash of chili pepper and sugar, lime juice, a few slivers of lemongrass and ginger — shaken not stirred, then strained into a glass — with ice and soda water.

It's the latest strategy to revive Thailand's key tourism industry, which was battered by political protests last year that culminated in a weeklong shutdown of Bangkok's two main airports. The airport seizure stranded more than 300,000 travelers at the start of the peak holiday season, dealing a devastating blow to Thailand's tourist-friendly image.

"Successful signature drinks are one way to fast-track holiday destinations onto the world tourism map," the tourism authority said in a joint statement with the Thai Hotels Association.

Siam Sunrays was the winner of a competition sponsored by the two agencies to create a national cocktail.

"Thailand's new signature drink is based on very Thai ingredients," the statement said, adding that the drink was now available at hotels and resorts across the country.

Article here.

Do you think it will catch on? Somehow I think it will take more than this to repair the damage that has been done to the Thai tourism sector in the last few months.

As for the cocktail itself, I think the name isn't that great, but I'll reserve my judgment until I taste one. Anyone seen this served in any of the bars in Thailand? (I'm not in Thailand at the moment, or I'd report on it myself -- although I suppose I could try to mix one up at home!)

Oh, the world economy is heading for collapse and the Thais think a new coctail will improve the decimated tourism!

How about knocking 5 baht of a bottle of chang --

[brahmburgers]

how about a healthy drink?

Incidentally, you can travel the four corners of the Kingdom and find fresh fruits galore, but it's rare to find any vendor selling fresh fruit juice.

Fresh juices are the sort of thing tourists love to drink - yet are not easy to come by in Thailand. If the vendor is daring, he/she could add protein powder and/or natural yogurt (such 'health smoothies' started to become fashionable in the States about 40 years ago).

If you are lucky enough to find a Thai vendor selling fruit juice, it's inevitable they'll water it down plus add a load of sugar and corn syrup. Tourists don't want health-debilitating sugar and corn syrup added to natural things that already have a lovely taste.

A lot of tourists are health conscious - but don't expect TAT to figure that out - they're stuck in the 1950's mentality - where cocktail parties were what adults did for fun.

[Johpa]

How about Mekong whiskey and soda nam. That'll make you forget your troubles

Actually it makes far more sense to promote the indigenous Thai drinks and encourage the development of more affordable export grade varieties of Thai whiskey, actually more of a rum. A slightly higher grade export version of Mae Khong (without the formaldehyde) or Sang Som could indeed attract tourism in the long run just as rum attracts tourists to Jamaica. Like rum, Mae Khong can be mixed with a wide variety of other concoctions to be used as the base of countless cocktails. But when is the last time you heard of anyone visiting Singapore just to have a Sling at Raffles?

[bearhunt]

how about a healthy drink?

Fresh juices are the sort of thing tourists love to drink - yet are not easy to come by in Thailand. If the vendor is daring, he/she could add protein powder and/or natural yogurt (such 'health smoothies' started to become fashionable in the States about 40 years ago).

a new smoothie shop "healthy breakfast" has opened up near chong nonsi, theres maybe 8-12 staff members in a tiny shop and when i went in they wanted to weigh me and poke me with steel things.. the smoothies have banana, protein powder, watermelon, barley, and lots of other things and actually very tasty but the staff are very overpowering.. and it shuts at 11am.. sometimes i get up late -.-

[stuandchris]

I was trting to think of a witty reply but can,t. Well done to those that did.

It just defies everything that is normal on earth even by Thai standards.

My really poor contribution, give everyone on the planet a case of chang, all will be ok for a day at least.

[lannarebirth]

Thailand hopes new cocktail can lure back tourists

BANGKOK – Cuba's got the Mojito. There's the Singapore Sling and the Manhattan. Thailand hopes a newly created drink called "Siam Sunrays" will enter the world's cocktail lexicon and help draw tourists back to the country.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand unveiled the drink Thursday, calling it "Thailand in a glass — the new punch in Thai tourism."

The cocktail consists of a shot of vodka, coconut liqueur, a dash of chili pepper and sugar, lime juice, a few slivers of lemongrass and ginger — shaken not stirred, then strained into a glass — with ice and soda water.

It's the latest strategy to revive Thailand's key tourism industry, which was battered by political protests last year that culminated in a weeklong shutdown of Bangkok's two main airports. The airport seizure stranded more than 300,000 travelers at the start of the peak holiday season, dealing a devastating blow to Thailand's tourist-friendly image.

"Successful signature drinks are one way to fast-track holiday destinations onto the world tourism map," the tourism authority said in a joint statement with the Thai Hotels Association.

Siam Sunrays was the winner of a competition sponsored by the two agencies to create a national cocktail.

"Thailand's new signature drink is based on very Thai ingredients," the statement said, adding that the drink was now available at hotels and resorts across the country.

Article here.

Do you think it will catch on? Somehow I think it will take more than this to repair the damage that has been done to the Thai tourism sector in the last few months.

As for the cocktail itself, I think the name isn't that great, but I'll reserve my judgment until I taste one. Anyone seen this served in any of the bars in Thailand? (I'm not in Thailand at the moment, or I'd report on it myself -- although I suppose I could try to mix one up at home!)

Nice. Of course the chiles, lemongrass and ginger are all toxic substances according to the government. maybe a "Blue Skyd Thailand" cocktail of vodka and cobalt 60 would spice things up. That's fully authorized.

edit: hardly an original idea I see. dam_n ads after the first post. I thought I got there first with the second post. TV really has to shitcan those ads.

Edited February 21, 2009 by lannarebirth

[Nampeung]

See thread in Bedders Lannera

I expect the SS has the option of a splash of fish sauce as in Tabasco in a BL

Edit: spelling

Edited February 21, 2009 by Nampeung

[Kimera]

Thailand in a glass? Crooked cops, corrupt politicians, maniac drivers, con artists and scams with a dash of exhaust fumes!!

Ahh. and maybe a dash of beautiful girls

[Syl]

Just had a laugh with my family...... My 12 year old Thai stepdaughter said she would rather drink her own wee wee then that new cocktail..... I think I would too.

[brahmburgers]

how about a healthy drink?

Fresh juices are the sort of thing tourists love to drink - yet are not easy to come by in Thailand. If the vendor is daring, he/she could add protein powder and/or natural yogurt (such 'health smoothies' started to become fashionable in the States about 40 years ago).

a new smoothie shop "healthy breakfast" has opened up near chong nonsi, theres maybe 8-12 staff members in a tiny shop and when i went in they wanted to weigh me and poke me with steel things.. the smoothies have banana, protein powder, watermelon, barley, and lots of other things and actually very tasty but the staff are very overpowering.. and it shuts at 11am.. sometimes i get up late -.-

good to hear there's at least on place in Thailand that has healthy & creative beverages available. Too bad they've added the fanatic aspects ("they wanted to weigh me and poke me with steel things" "overpowering").

Perhaps in 30 to 50 years or so, Thai entrepreneurs will come around to realizing that tourists are drawn to particularly healthy food and drink - and such things don't have to be extra fancy (dozens of additives/herbs/spices/seasonings) nor do they have to be expensive.

[Britannia]

Exempt it on the numerous bar closure days. Then it will really sell.

Absolutley right> Welcome to Thailand, Merry Christmas, Just done 18 hours flying? need a drink? Sorry we are having a local election, No booz for 2 days, Nothing to do with you, Well we dont want you to vote intoxicated, even though you cant vote. More Tea?

[hardy1943]

Exempt it on the numerous bar closure days. Then it will really sell.

Absolutley right> Welcome to Thailand, Merry Christmas, Just done 18 hours flying? need a drink? Sorry we are having a local election, No booz for 2 days, Nothing to do with you, Well we dont want you to vote intoxicated, even though you cant vote. More Tea?

Restore your image?Thailand keep on dreaming.The last 3 years you been the comedy hour on CNN

with your changes in Governments and your actions, Airport seizure, 1 yellow shirt can make 100 policemen run

backwards and seems like every week you make more headlines over some stupid actions.

[Igor]

Fresh juices are the sort of thing tourists love to drink - yet are not easy to come by in Thailand. If the vendor is daring, he/she could add protein powder and/or natural yogurt (such 'health smoothies' started to become fashionable in the States about 40 years ago).

Don't know where you live. Come to Chiang Mai. Lots of fresh, unadulterated juices.

[jetpilot123]

i think a little more thought at least could of gone into the naming of such a cocktail:

Tax-Sin ingrediants: Theakstons Ale (can be substituted with any British ale,up to you!) mixed with Asahi.the great thing about this drink is that evolves and with a press release claiming thailand to be the first country in the world to do the evolving drink,would surly make it at instant success..then as more countries ban Thaksin then more ingrediants are added to the drink from the participating countries.

Elephant on Sukhumvit ingrediants: Chang beer and a bunch deep fried crusty insects to be served in the same style as sticky rice in bamboo,this will also help keep the BiB at bay and off the scent by drinking out of bamboo and make for an enjoyable all night drinking session on the foot-baht after hours.

[DMasut]

Thailand hopes new cocktail can lure back tourists

BANGKOK – Cuba's got the Mojito. There's the Singapore Sling and the Manhattan. Thailand hopes a newly created drink called "Siam Sunrays" will enter the world's cocktail lexicon and help draw tourists back to the country.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand unveiled the drink Thursday, calling it "Thailand in a glass — the new punch in Thai tourism."

The cocktail consists of a shot of vodka, coconut liqueur, a dash of chili pepper and sugar, lime juice, a few slivers of lemongrass and ginger — shaken not stirred, then strained into a glass — with ice and soda water.

It's the latest strategy to revive Thailand's key tourism industry, which was battered by political protests last year that culminated in a weeklong shutdown of Bangkok's two main airports. The airport seizure stranded more than 300,000 travelers at the start of the peak holiday season, dealing a devastating blow to Thailand's tourist-friendly image.

"Successful signature drinks are one way to fast-track holiday destinations onto the world tourism map," the tourism authority said in a joint statement with the Thai Hotels Association.

Siam Sunrays was the winner of a competition sponsored by the two agencies to create a national cocktail.

"Thailand's new signature drink is based on very Thai ingredients," the statement said, adding that the drink was now available at hotels and resorts across the country.

Article here.

Do you think it will catch on? Somehow I think it will take more than this to repair the damage that has been done to the Thai tourism sector in the last few months.

As for the cocktail itself, I think the name isn't that great, but I'll reserve my judgment until I taste one. Anyone seen this served in any of the bars in Thailand? (I'm not in Thailand at the moment, or I'd report on it myself -- although I suppose I could try to mix one up at home!)

WELL I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH ALCOHOL IS ACTUALLY IN THE DRINK AND IF THEY WILL START SERVING THEM TO US BEFORE WE LEAVE OUR HOMES AS THEY TALK US INTO GOING TO THE TRAVEL AGENTS.

I'M ALREADY HERE SO IT DOESN'T MATTER.

[TAWP]

The cocktail consists of a shot of vodka, coconut liqueur, a dash of chili pepper and sugar, lime juice, a few slivers of lemongrass and ginger — shaken not stirred, then strained into a glass — with ice and soda water.

As a great number of north Europeans are allergic to nuts and stone-fruits (one of our more common allergies, together with fur/fury animals and dust) it's not really gonna have any pull...

[RubbaJohnny]

A Block Russian ?

Sound yuk Stolybollox

Who is responsible

I'll make enquiries

Sorry its foreigners I demand foreign press investigate

I don't know who's in charge good job I'm not IC

My Pen lie

[gonzobrains]

will the PAD be serving free samples in the airport?

[Johpa]

Just had a laugh with my family...... My 12 year old Thai stepdaughter said she would rather drink her own wee wee then that new cocktail..... I think I would too.

May I use the above sentence in the classroom as an example of unintended grammatical ambiguity?

[aussimike]

Let's analyze this a bit. The TAT want to promote the national cocktail while the government wants us to drink less. The disclaimer on the TAT's international ad campaign conceived by the director's brother-in-law's sister's fledgling advertising company states:

"Be aware that drinking alcoholic beverage can be harmful anytime, anywhere especially during the numerous rigged elections here in the Kingdom and long holidays that include Songkran Festival where having this drink is not allowed to be consumed and ingredients cannot be bought during business hours year round because the Thais drink too much and the men beat their wives and kids drink at school and could cause explosive diarrhea and anal leakage and in Thailand where drinking has reached the point that it is blamed for everything bad that isn't caused by hard drug abuse, the English are limited to six drinks every four hours for obvious reasons and the TAT does not take any responsibility for negative acts perpetrated by anyone consuming the national cocktail and cannot be held liable for injury and/or death of anyone acting out from effects of the national cocktail or be responsible for children conceived after consuming the concoction or underage sex performed by either party or multiple parties while under the influence of the national cocktail and may cause hair loss in males and the picture of the dying alcoholic on the beverage bottle does not represent the spirit of the Land of Smiles and the sin tax that makes up more than half of the purchase price of the national cocktail will only be spent on programs that prevent others from drinking the national cocktail and for the families of the government in power the day the tax is collected while during airport closures due to organized protests the maximum that the national cocktail can sell for will be no more than Bt626 at King Power outlets nationwide."

Enjoy!

grantbkk = you have hit the nail on the head haaa -- I wonder how much of the TAT budget went into this little marketing marvel -- heaps I am sure - after working for the TAT for 5 years I know too well how this little state enterprise can squander money with no questions asked - take a look around Bangsaen - and cast your eyes to the top of monkey mountain -- all the wonderful buildings there - occupied by monkeys and security guards, you would be amazed and now we have this little charade - your gotta be joking - a national cocktail = is that the best they can come up with??- they would do better by offering free elephant rides up and down silom road -good to see that there are some really creative minds working in the marketing and tourist promotion department now -

[grantbkk]

Let's analyze this a bit. The TAT want to promote the national cocktail while the government wants us to drink less. The disclaimer on the TAT's international ad campaign conceived by the director's brother-in-law's sister's fledgling advertising company states:

"Be aware that drinking alcoholic beverage can be harmful anytime, anywhere especially during the numerous rigged elections here in the Kingdom and long holidays that include Songkran Festival where having this drink is not allowed to be consumed and ingredients cannot be bought during business hours year round because the Thais drink too much and the men beat their wives and kids drink at school and could cause explosive diarrhea and anal leakage and in Thailand where drinking has reached the point that it is blamed for everything bad that isn't caused by hard drug abuse, the English are limited to six drinks every four hours for obvious reasons and the TAT does not take any responsibility for negative acts perpetrated by anyone consuming the national cocktail and cannot be held liable for injury and/or death of anyone acting out from effects of the national cocktail or be responsible for children conceived after consuming the concoction or underage sex performed by either party or multiple parties while under the influence of the national cocktail and may cause hair loss in males and the picture of the dying alcoholic on the beverage bottle does not represent the spirit of the Land of Smiles and the sin tax that makes up more than half of the purchase price of the national cocktail will only be spent on programs that prevent others from drinking the national cocktail and for the families of the government in power the day the tax is collected while during airport closures due to organized protests the maximum that the national cocktail can sell for will be no more than Bt626 at King Power outlets nationwide."

Enjoy!

grantbkk = you have hit the nail on the head haaa -- I wonder how much of the TAT budget went into this little marketing marvel -- heaps I am sure - after working for the TAT for 5 years I know too well how this little state enterprise can squander money with no questions asked - take a look around Bangsaen - and cast your eyes to the top of monkey mountain -- all the wonderful buildings there - occupied by monkeys and security guards, you would be amazed and now we have this little charade - your gotta be joking - a national cocktail = is that the best they can come up with??- they would do better by offering free elephant rides up and down silom road -good to see that there are some really creative minds working in the marketing and tourist promotion department now -

You're right of course. TAT is nothing but a corrupt organization dedicated to the distribution of tax funds. I have to say they do have some original thinking or they could not come up with ideas to further their money distribution program without being caught.

I forgot to include in the disclaimer that the national cocktail "may cause drowsiness". Sorry.

[Totster]

The cocktail consists of a shot of vodka, coconut liqueur, a dash of chili pepper and sugar, lime juice, a few slivers of lemongrass and ginger — shaken not stirred, then strained into a glass — with ice and soda water.

So.. They've made an alcoholic Thai soup.. good for them !

Surely a better name would have been the 'Siam Smile' though ?

totster

[saneroad]

Has anyone actually tried one? I ordered one over the weekend but the restaurant said they didn't have it....strange, as they specialize in Tom Yam, most of the same ingredients!

Anyway, I think it looks refreshing. Won't make a whit of difference to the economy, tourism or anything else, but who cares. Drink, toast and be happy!

[quiksilva]

Sounds like it could be a tasty soup though!

[wileycoyote]

Different,

Cheers Wiley Coyote

[DP25]

The cocktail consists of a shot of vodka, coconut liqueur, a dash of chili pepper and sugar, lime juice, a few slivers of lemongrass and ginger — shaken not stirred, then strained into a glass — with ice and soda water.

%99 of bars, clubs, and restaurants in Thailand will not be able to even make this.

This idea is totally retarded. Other national drinks are things that the people of those countries actually drink. Thai people don't drink this and the alcohol isn't even Thai. No one is coming to Thailand because of this lame artificial drink publicity stunt.

[Jingthing]

I want to try one. The name is a rip off of the famous Mexican cocktail, the Tequila Sunrise. But that cocktail actually LOOKS like a sunrise. Does the Sunray look like a ray? I doubt it.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Jingthing

[Samuian]

Well, well, well... guess Thai's will love it..

Nothing better than some genuine devilish frozen Margaritas or hemmingway'ish Daiquiris - keep the fruit for the squeamish or add some muesli and give it to the needy!!