Mekhong (Thai spirit)

Mekhong is a Thai spirit of the twentieth century, a distilled spirit made from rice and sugarcane molasses and flavoured with herbs and spices. It is sold as a Thai whisky, although it falls outside the category as the Scotch tradition defines it. David Thompson in Thai Food places it among the Thai spirits that sit beside the village rice spirit lao khao, and it is the best known of the bottled, branded spirits of the country. It is made and drunk by Thais at home and at the table, and it belongs to the tradition of distilled rice spirit that runs through mainland Southeast Asia.

Mekhong is an amber spirit, sweetened and softly spiced, bottled at roughly 35 per cent alcohol by volume. The base is fermented rice and cane molasses, and the distillate is flavoured with herbs and spices and coloured with caramel. The result is rounder and sweeter than lao khao, the clear white rice spirit of the villages, and nearer to a spiced rum in the mouth than to a whisky. It is poured over ice, lengthened with soda and a squeeze of lime (Citrus aurantiifolia), or taken alongside food in the Thai manner.

Mekhong is drunk with the salty, sour, hot and sweet dishes of the Thai table, with grilled meats, fried fish, salads and the many small dishes that accompany a bottle. Thompson in Thai Food describes the Thai habit of drinking with food, and the spirit is taken in company, diluted with soda and ice. The sweetness and spice of the spirit meet the chilli and salt of the food, and the soda and lime lift the palate between mouthfuls so that the strong flavours of the table stay clear.