Best Cocktails You’ve Never Heard Of: Top Bartenders Spill Mixology Secrets, Global Inspirations And More
The mixology scene across top Indian bars today is quite an interesting space. From experimenting with local ingredients to drawing inspiration from global flavours integrated into the Indian context, bartenders are showcasing creativity, imagination and lots of innovation. A lot goes on behind the bar when these mixology pros take to crafting signature blends.
It is not for naught that their creations then become rather intriguing takes on age-old formulas. Experimenting with smoke, ferments and flavours, Indian bartenders still have a few secrets, which they employ now and again to produce absolute masterpieces. The resulting drinks are sheer genius, perhaps the best cocktails that you are yet to hear of.
So, for the amateur mixologists and cocktail aficionados out there, we have compiled some cocktails crafted by some top bartenders and a few mixology secrets that they have divulged. Let’s dive in.
Bagan Bari And Cinnamon Apple Julep
At Kolkata’s fine-dine restaurant Trincas, bartender Anant Puri crafts two stunning works: the Bagan Bari and the Cinnamon Apple Julep. His focus here, he explains, is on creating cocktails with bright, fruity flavours.
The Bagan Bari, which literally means ‘Garden House’, is one of the favourites at Trincas. It is a fresh summer cocktail, with “sweet, tangy and cool” flavours that are suited to Kolkata’s “hot and humid weather.”
For its part, the Cinnamon Apple Julep is an “absolutely scrumptious” drink, he says, “because of the complimentary flavours of cinnamon, apple and whiskey.”
Spilled Secret: He reveals that while making Bagan Bari the trick “is to balance the sweet and sour elements.” Even as the drink is quite spirit-forward, it remains balanced when it is made with other fresh flavours. While making the julep, the key thing is to “combine the right flavours” he suggests, which comes with experience and observation. “Cinnamon and apple are a classic combination,” he reminds us, “and whisky with its depth and smoke goes well with both ingredients!” For him, whether the drink is spirit-forward or whether the spirit remains is disguised, the strength of a bartender, the true secret, lies in knowing what the guest wants.
Phoenix Mule
Over at Le Meridien Ahmedabad, the Assistant Food And Beverage Manager Vishal Shukla speaks of the Phoenix Mule that the bartender prepares here. “At first glance, the copper mug hints at a familiar Moscow Mule,” he says, but the drink has a surprise inside. It is brought together with the addition of “Medjoul dates muddled with fresh apple juice, lime, honey, and a splash of ginger ale.”
One of the reasons this cocktail is a bartender’s favourite is because it “tells a story of sweetness meeting spice.” Dates lend a luscious depth, while ginger ale gives the cocktail a zing. It is an unexpected combination, he opines, besides dates are hardly a common ingredient in cocktails which is perhaps why the drink remains underrated. But once guests taste it, they are immediate fans.
Spilled Secret: Making this cocktail is all about muddling. He suggests, “Crack just enough ice to bruise the dates but, not over-pulverize them. That’s how you unlock the caramel-like richness without making it heavy.”
Whispers Of The Himalayas
Bartender Govind Samant at The Westin, Resort And Spa Himalayas, prepares a drink called the Whispers Of The Himalayas, almost as a call to the location where the hotel is nestled. The drink comprises the floral flavours of buransh, described as the flower of the mountains. Its delicate, tart and floral taste remains underrated because most guests have never tasted buransh in a cocktail.
Moreover, the taste of the cinnamon syrup, rather than being too overpowering, is in fact just pronounced enough to lace the floral cordial. And what lends the drink its silky texture and cloud-like foam is a frothy layer of egg whites.
Spilled Secret: For Samant, the buransh cordial is more than just sweetened flower extract. It is blended with a touch of Himalayan honey which “rounds off the tartness without overpowering the floral notes.” And one of the main reasons this drink tastes clean is a double-infused cinnamon syrup, first simmered, then rested overnight.
Also Read: Why Bartenders Prefer Blended Scotch, A Whisky Built For Experimentation
Dragon’s Breath And Pineapple Wine
When Santosh Kukreti curated drinks at Dea in Mumbai, he worked with fire and ferments to make stunning cocktails. One cocktail which stands out for him for its fermentation is the pineapple wine. A “sustainable” cocktail, he explains that it is made by charring pineapple before it is juiced, fermented and bottled to create a homemade wine. What makes it interesting is the presentation. “We fill a glass with liquid nitrogen and swirl it and drop it on the table,” he describes, adding a smoky, theatrical touch to the drink.
The other cocktail he talks about is dragon’s breath. A stellar variation of an espresso martini cocktail, it is made with vodka as the base, coupled with coffee liqueur, espresso and house made maple caramel syrup. “The best part about this drink is, it served in a cacao pod,” that he says is sourced from Karnataka or Kerala. Cut and dried, coated with beeswax, the drink is served in this container with a chocolate drop. “This is nothing but a chocolate mousse made using dark chocolate, cream, and then we dip it in liquid nitrogen. Once you take a bite of that, smoke comes out of the mouth,” he says, creating the eponymous dragon’s breath.
Spilled Secret: These cocktails are ingredient focused and technique forward, the mixologist maintains. Dragon’s breath in particular also draws from his experiences in Japan, where he once visited a bar where every drink had a chocolate element.
A Classic Ginger Lemon Honey And Brewed Concoctions
For her part, freelance bartender Ami Shroff is immersed in utilising local ingredients and whatever is available in the region where she is blending drinks. She creates a special menu for each event she caters to, focusing on “simple, local and fresh” produce.
She speaks with fondness of two cocktails. “Ginger is something I use a lot in the bar,” she says. Evidently, one of the drinks that is an absolute stunner for her is a simple ginger lemon honey where ginger juice can be combined with soda and water, coupled with a spirit of choice. A splash of pineapple or apple can also be infused in the cocktail, served over ice in a coupé or martini cocktail glass.
“And that’s like a simple combination,” she says, “I can play with so many variations.”
The other cocktail is a drink that explores the floral delicacy emanating from freshly brewed tea. “Just pick your favourite tea, or flower of choice, anything that you can brew — from marigold to hibiscus to rose or jasmine…” After making a nice brew, blend that with lemonade, she adds, before mixing with any white spirit like gin or vodka. The drink can also be made without sugar by swapping the lemonade with soda.
Spilled Secret: For this bartender, good cocktails can be made using what “we are familiar with, what’s accessible.” And these are drinks that remain underrated, she says. But, she continues, based on our cuisine and regional availability of ingredients, the flavour diversity is absolutely endless. It’s also interesting to look at produce we use at home, to reproduce the same combinations in cocktails, she remarks.
Two other elements that make up Shroff’s secret tips are temperature and dilution. Maintaining alcohol’s temperature and preventing the drink from feeling too watered down are her key suggestions. Striking a balance of flavour and water consistency is the trump card.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
