If you have ever eaten in a Thai or perhaps a Vietnamese restaurant, then you have probably seen an interesting orange colored beverage in a tall glass go by with a waiter or waitress you’ve often wondered just what kind of drink this might be. You’re pretty sure it’s a Thai drink after all, you are in a Thai restaurant! What you have seen is called Thai Iced tea. It doesn’t look much like any tea that you are probably used to seeing. But, it is tea! It’s just prepared in a different way that you may not have heard of before. It looks intriguing, and it tastes wonderful, and is very welcome on a hot summer day, or whenever you are eating hot, spicy food.

Normally, Thai restaurants are not too giving when it comes to their recipes. But, the recipe for Thai Iced tea wasn’t too hard to come by. It is such a staple Thai beverage that almost anyone who knows their Thai food can tell you how to prepare it. The type of tea that is used in Thai restaurants is called Lapsang Suchong and it can be found on the internet. You can also use any good quality black loose tea and end up with the same results. You will need around 2/3 cup of black tea leaves to make two glasses of Thai Iced tea.

You’ll also need 1 and 2/3 cup of good-tasting water, preferably purified, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk, which is the amount that is in a 12 ounce can of the drink. Add to the recipe ingredients a few pieces of kitchen equipment, such as a teakettle or a large cooking utensil to boil water in, a large tea strainer, or you can go Asian for this recipe and try to locate a traditional Asian tea sock! Have ready a pitcher that can take the heat of boiling water, and a long spoon for stirring.

Place the water into the kettle or utensil and bring it to a rolling boil. Remove the water from the stove’s heat. You don’t want the tea to boil, as this would make it bitter. Add the 2/3 cup of black tea leaves to the water, and stir them with the long spoon to make sure that they have all been covered with water. You want the tea leaves to steep for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes have passed, it’s time to strain the tea into the pitcher, and remember, it needs to be a pitcher that can take the heat, for that tea is going to be very hot. This might take a little time, as 2/3 cup of tea is quite a lot to strain. Poor the tea through the strainer a little at a time, and when it begins to fill up with wet tea leaves, you can stop and remove the tea leaves, and then began to strain the tea again.

Fill the two glasses with ice cubes. Take the tea pitcher, and pour the cool tea over the ice, but do not fill the glass all the way to the top! You want to leave around one fourth of the glass empty up at the top. Get out the evaporated milk, and slowly pour it into the top of each glass. You will need either a straw or an iced tea spoon to drink Thai Iced tea properly. Some people like to mix the milk into their iced Thai tea right from the start. Others enjoy sipping their sweetened tea through the layer of milk. It all depends on how it tastes best to you, and it’s fun to experiment with both ways!

The foods of Thailand are a unique delicacy that should be enjoyed by anyone that tries it. Thai food can be quite spicy so it is probably a good idea to find out how your date feels about spicy foods. How badly will your date go if you find out after the fact that he or she simply cannot tolerate spicy? It can set the tone for the whole evening. If your date is not opposed to spicy foods then by all means bring them to a Thai restaurant.

A Thai restaurant is not your typical fare and you will be going a long way to impressing your date with your diverse tastes. Just as you are interested in a person who is up for new things you can show your date that you are willing to try new things as well. And isn’t that the purpose of a date, to show the person what you are like and to learn what they are like.

Take your time in a Thai restaurant to enjoy each others company and have a great time trying new dishes that you have never tried before. It can be quite fun for a couple to sample each other’s dishes and see what the other likes and does not like. It might be that you both don’t like Thai food, or that you both do. Or maybe there is a difference of opinion on Thai food. Whatever the outcome of your experience you will be going a long way to finding out how your date reacts to different situations, how they react to a difference of opinion and overall how you both like Thai food!

Taking a date to an unusual restaurant is a risky move. You are actually learning a great deal about the person you are interested in. Use this experience to decide if you want to continue dating or not. If all goes well you will have your experience in a Thai restaurant as a fond memory that you will both look back on fondly. Hopefully, you will both enjoy the food and each other’s company and come away from your date having had a wonderful experience.