Coconut flower nectar

Coconut flower nectar or coconut flower juice is the clear liquid extracted from the sap of coconut flower stems.^[1][2] It can be drunk raw or processed into a spirit.^[3]

Organic coconut flower juice from Samut Songkhram province, Thailand

History

The harvesting of coconut flower nectar ( Thai: น้ำหวานดอกมะพร้าว) a longstanding agricultural practice in some countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam and Thailand. In Vietnam, the process had largely followed out of practice with agricultural advancements.^[4] Members of the community in Tra Vinh are reviving the practice, as saltwater intrusion into the Mekong Delta has forced farmers to turn away from harvesting the coconuts themselves.^[3][5][6]

Thailand

In Thailand, coconut flower nectar (Thai: น้ำหวานดอกมะพร้าว, RTGS: nam wan dok maphrao) is primarily harvested from palm sugar trees in the country's central plains region, including Samut Songkhram province.^[7] The nectar can be drank raw and fermented and distilled into an alcohol known as "drunken sugar" (Thai: น้ำตาลเมา, RTGS: nam tan mao).^[8][7]

Onson (Thai: ออนชอน), founded by Tammawit "Tiger" Limlertcharoenwanich, is a distillery based in Sakon Nakhon province in Isaan, which produces a spirit from the nectar.^[2] In 2022, then Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat listed Onson as one of his favorite Thai spirits.^[9][10]