Bangkok and Phuket: A Bloody Mary Tour

Thailand is a place for sipping cocktails out of fresh coconuts, lounging on beautiful white sand beaches and running into the occasional elephant.  But during my whirlwind two week honeymoon in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai and Phuket, I found that as much as I love Thailand, the bloody marys... well... they kinda suck.  Maybe they just don't fit the context of fresh juice mai tais and 90° weather, or maybe it's just not an oft ordered drink, but aside from Kuppa Cafe (the only one I'd actually recommend) each bloody mary faced the same problems; they were too warm and too bland.  Below I review four Thailand bloody marys and one from my layover in Japan.  If you happen to be on Sukhumvit in Bangkok, be sure to visit Kuppa Cafe.  Otherwise, stick to the Singha.

Kuppa Cafe

This bloody mary was by far the best bloody mary I had in Thailand.  Super fresh tomato juice, to the point where the tomato "water" begins to separate from the tomato pulp, combined with lots of big chunky ice cubes created a refreshing cocktail that was much needed after walking around in the muggy Bangkok heat. A nice hit of Tabasco and a good dash of Worcestershire made it spicy, salty and bursting with a zippy acidic flavor.  As a side note, they also have some really great coffee.

3 Celery Stalks

Hotel Novotel, Suvarnabhumi Airport

Ugh.  This was just terrible.  I was lucky enough to be seated next to a little station that contained various condiments for my raiding pleasure.  But even with my own addition of Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, I just couldn't get past the fact that my bloody mary had absolutely NO ICE.  Not like the ice had melted, but like, it just wasn't serve with ice.  I guess it was drinkable, but it wasn't pleasant.

1.5 Celery Stalks

Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

Maybe it's just too damn hot to drink bloody marys in Thailand.  Even though this drink looks like it contains plenty of ice, by the time I was done photographing, it was beyond watered down with absolutely no hint of Tabasco, Worcestershire or anything else.  I quickly remedied it by adding my own seasonings, but the damage was already done.  It was just not satisfying.

2 Celery Stalks

Avista Hideaway Resort & Spa

You can basically read the review for Le Meridien above.  Same problem, same warm drink, same bland flavor.  But I did enjoy having this cocktail at the hotel's swim-up bar.  That was fun.

2 Celery Stalks

Delta Sky Club, Tokyo-Narita International Airport

Okay, I know it's not Thailand, but I thought I'd include it anyway.  A delayed Delta flight left me with time to kill, so I took full advantage of the DIY bloody mary bar in the Delta Sky Club.  All your typical stuff is available with one notable perk: the vodka is self serve.  Enough said.

3 Celery Stalks [wpgmza id="5"]

Post script: I'll just throw this pic in for fun because, yeah, I actually did this.