[Recipe] Anyar Paloma by Alejandra May Zaw Win from Iron Balls (Bangkok)

This cocktail is rooted in Myanmar’s Anyar region, the central dry zone where flavor is built through balance rather than richness. Toddy-palm jaggery and tamarind form the backbone. In Burmese cooking, tamarind is not just sweetness but structure, used as an acid, while jaggery brings a deep, mineral warmth.

Being half Burmese Alejandra May grew up in Yamethin, a true Anyar town. Growing up,

her great aunts would treat her to desserts built on jaggery, tamarind, and spice. Those flavors shaped how she understands balance today.

Ginger lifts and lengthens the palate, with a subtle saline touch to echo the savory edge found in Burmese food. Toasted sesame is kept as a light aromatic, a quiet nod to one of the region’s defining crops.

Ingredients:

45ml Tequila Blanco

15ml Cointreau

15ml Lime juice

10ml Spiced tamarind jaggery syrup*

60ml Pink Grapefruit soda

Rim the glass with Sesame blended with Sea Salt

Make the Spiced Tamarind Jaggery Syrup:

150g Chopped Jaggery

100g Tamarind paste

250ml Water 

1 Cinnamon stick 

3 Cloves

1 Small dried chili (or 1 pinch chili flakes)

15g Sliced fresh ginger

1 pinch Fine sea salt

15ml Fresh lime juice

Add the water, jaggery, tamarind, cinnamon, cloves, chili, ginger, and salt into saucepan and bring to low simmer, stir gently. Once jaggery is dissolved, reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and steep for 10 mins, then strain (press lightly on the solids to extract the flavor but don't force too much pulp through, as it shouldn't be a thick syrup). Stir in fresh lime juice and let cool before transferring into a clean bottle.

Method:

Combine the first 4 ingredients in the shaker tin and short shake. Strain into a highball glass and top with the grapefruit soda. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.