Local Drinks

1. ชาเย็น

   Cha yen

   Thai iced tea

   Usage

   The orange sweet milk tea, also written "cha thai". It is very sweet by default — say so when ordering if you want it less sweet

2. ชามะนาว

   Cha má-nao

   Lime tea / lemon tea

   Usage

   Iced black tea with lime juice — the lighter alternative to the milk tea. In Thailand "manao" means the green lime, not the yellow lemon

3. ชาชัก

   Cha chák

   Cha chak (pulled milk tea)

   Usage

   Milk tea aerated by pouring it back and forth between two vessels — the same drink as Malaysian teh tarik, common in southern Thailand

4. โอเลี้ยง

   O-líang

   Oliang (Thai iced black coffee)

   Usage

   Iced black coffee with no milk — but plenty of sugar. The name comes from Teochew for "black and cold"

5. กาแฟโบราณ

   Ka-fae bo-ran

   Traditional Thai sock-brewed coffee

   Usage

   Strong coffee brewed through a cloth sock filter, served sweetened with condensed milk by default. A common sign at old-market coffee shops

6. นมเย็น

   Nom yen

   Nom yen (Thai pink iced milk)

   Usage

   Bright pink iced milk made with red syrup. Caffeine-free, so it works as a children's order

7. น้ำเต้าหู้

   Nám tâo-hû

   Soy milk

   Usage

   Sold hot at morning stalls, usually with toppings (tapioca pearls, barley) stirred in, and eaten with fried dough sticks (pathongko)

8. น้ำมะพร้าว

   Nám má-phráo

   Coconut water

   Usage

   Served either straight from the young nut with a straw, or bottled. A practical way to rehydrate in the hot season

9. น้ำอ้อย

   Nám ôi

   Sugarcane juice

   Usage

   Pressed to order from the cane in a roller mill at markets and roadside stalls. Very sweet

10. น้ำส้มคั้น

    Nám sôm khán

    Freshly squeezed orange juice

    Usage

    Squeezed from small green-skinned Thai mandarins — the juice is still orange. Sold in small bottles at markets and roadside stands

11. น้ำเก๊กฮวย

    Nám kék-huai

    Chrysanthemum drink

    Usage

    Dried chrysanthemum flowers boiled and sweetened — a yellow, caffeine-free drink that goes well after spicy food. Usually in the fridge case at eateries

12. เฉาก๊วย

    Chǎo-kúai

    Chao kuai (grass jelly drink)

    Usage

    Chopped black herb jelly served with ice and syrup — sold both as a drink and as a bowl-served dessert

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