Buay Tang Lak: A Must-Try Blended Plum Drink in Bangkok
Sweet, sour, slightly salty and packed with ice. I found Buay Tang Lak (บ๊วยตั้งหลัก), also known as Mixology of Plum, while walking through Min Buri Market and decided to stop for a drink.
Bangkok has no shortage of drinks to try. Thai milk tea, fruit smoothies, iced coffee and colourful sodas are everywhere. But every now and then, you find something that feels a little different.
That happened while I was walking through Min Buri Market.
Between the food stalls and rows of colourful tents, I noticed a busy drink shop with a dark-red sign reading บ๊วยตั้งหลัก. Underneath was its English name: Mixology of Plum.
At the front were bottles filled with colourful syrups. Behind the counter, the staff were moving between large blenders, cups and buckets of ice.
People kept stopping to order.
That was enough to make me curious.
What Is Buay Tang Lak?
Buay Tang Lak (บ๊วยตั้งหลัก) is built around one main ingredient: plum.
However, this is not simply a glass of plum juice.
The shop uses its own plum mixture and combines it with other drinks and flavours. These can include cola, Sprite, sarsi and different fruit syrups.
Some combinations are mixed cold, while others are blended together with plenty of ice.
Why is it interesting?
Instead of treating plum as only one flavour on a long menu, Buay Tang Lak makes plum the centre of the drink and then builds different combinations around it. That is what makes the name Mixology of Plum fit so well.
A Colourful Drink Stall Inside Min Buri Market
The stall itself caught my attention before I even knew what the drinks tasted like.
There were bright red, green, orange, yellow and dark-coloured syrups lined across the counter.
Behind them were cups, blenders, ice and everything needed to keep making drinks for the crowd.
With all the bottles lined up together, the stall almost looks like a small drink laboratory.
What Is Nam Pan? Thailand's Iced Blended Drink
Some of the drinks at Buay Tang Lak are served as น้ำปั่น, pronounced “nam pan”.
It is useful to understand this word when travelling in Thailand. Nam pan basically means an iced blended drink.
It is sometimes translated as “smoothie”, but that is not always correct.
A Thai nam pan does not need to contain milk, yoghurt or fresh fruit. It can simply be a drink mixed together with ice until it becomes cold and slushy.
What Does a Thai Plum Drink Taste Like?
If you have never tried a Thai-style plum drink before, the flavour can be quite surprising.
Plum can be sweet, sour and slightly salty at the same time.
That combination is what makes it very different from a normal fruit smoothie.
Buay Tang Lak then adds other flavours around that plum base. Cola can make it sweeter and fizzy, while other combinations use Sprite, sarsi or fruit syrups.
The Drink I Tried
I chose one of the blended options.
It came in a clear plastic cup filled with crushed ice and the plum mixture.
After walking around Min Buri Market in Bangkok's warm weather, the first thing I noticed was how refreshing it felt.
The icy texture makes it easy to carry around and drink slowly while continuing to explore the market.
Then the plum flavour starts to come through.
You get sweetness, followed by sourness and a slightly salty taste at the end.
How Much Does Buay Tang Lak Cost?
For a cold blended drink inside a local Bangkok market, I found the price reasonable.
The Kind of Bangkok Find I Enjoy
What I liked most about Buay Tang Lak was that I was not specifically searching for it.
I was simply walking through the market.
That is one of the best parts of exploring local areas in Bangkok. You might arrive looking for lunch, vegetables or street food, then suddenly notice something completely different.
Sometimes the best finds are the places that were never part of the plan.
Should You Try Buay Tang Lak?
If you enjoy sweet and sour drinks, I think it is worth trying.
It is especially interesting if you want something different from the usual Thai milk tea, coffee or fruit smoothie.
Because there are several flavour combinations, you also do not have to order the same thing every time.
For me, the best way to enjoy it is simple: grab a cold drink and continue walking around the market.
If you are not sure what to order, look at what other customers are drinking or ask the seller what they recommend. Some of the best market experiences in Thailand start with ordering something you had never planned to try.
Where to Find Buay Tang Lak
I found Buay Tang Lak (Mixology of Plum) – บ๊วยตั้งหลัก while visiting Min Buri Market in Bangkok.
Look for the large dark-red บ๊วยตั้งหลัก / Mixology of Plum sign and the rows of colourful bottles at the front of the stall.
Because locations, menus and opening times can change, check the shop's latest updates before travelling specifically to visit it.
Buay Tang Lak – Mixology of Plum
A small but refreshing find from a walk through Min Buri Market.
Visit Buay Tang Lak on Facebook Google Map