I'm Making a Copycat Cocktail
I honestly don't think I've ever tried this before, but I figure my wife's baby shower is as good a time as any to try
I’ve been absent from these pages far longer than I expected to be. My only excuse, which I think is a good one, is that my wife is pregnant and we’re expecting our first baby in October. This has, of course, resulted in a great many things changing and is probably why I’ve written a lot less about making drinks and more about the business of booze in the last few months. But that’s about to change, too.
My wife’s baby shower is next weekend, and I’ve been tasked with stocking the bar. I’m not 100% sure what the full menu is going to be, but I know the focal point.
The Laab Sided
One of our favorite restaurants in Phoenix is Glai Baan, a casual super-authentic Thai place with an unbelievable bar program. Mary’s favorite cocktail in the city has always been their Laab Sided, primarily because it included fish sauce and she loves funky, salty drinks. I’ve never tried to really even figure out what else is in it, let alone how to make it. But now, it’s my wife’s one request for what I can do for this shower.
Thankfully, it’s been on the menu for many years and more than 6 years ago a local writer got the details from the bar and shared them for the world. Huge thanks to PhoenixMag!
As you can see there, the drink really hinges on a few things:
A syrup blended with green onions and shallots
Cucumber vodka
Fish sauce
Because I need to make a batch that can be either alcoholic or not, I can’t rely on the cucumber coming from the vodka and I can’t be making these fresh with multiple components.
So, I’m going to spend the next ~10 days working on what my take on this is going to be. I’ll be publishing short updates along the way as I figure things out, and then I’ll do a full update on this drink and the full bar after the party.
This should be fun.