Cocktails With Indian Mahua As The Star Ingredient
India has had its cocktail revolution. A part of this revolution was to find and use indigenous ingredients and local, traditional alcohol beverages to make modern cocktails. This led to the re-discovery of the delicious Mahua, an indigenous liquor which has been made in India since ancient times!
What Is Mahua?
Mahua is a traditional Indian liquor made by indigenous communities living in central, northern and eastern India. The liquor has sweet, floral notes and has been consumed by the locals for centuries. It is made using sundried flowers of the Mahua tree. The flowers are naturally sweet to taste and give the liquor a unique flavour profile. Also, Mahua is the world's only pot-distilled and fermented spirit.
History Of Mahua
Mahua liquor gained recognition in the 1900s when it was used as a substitute for imported alcohol during the British colonisation of India. Since Mahua gave a tough competition to the liquors brought by the British, they promptly banned it. This diminished its popularity as well as cultural significance. The indigenous community for whom making and consuming Mahua was part of their culture, were denied the right to produce and sell it beyond rural markets. Elite Indians also looked down upon the liquor, wrongly believing that it was of questionable quality.
However, after the wave of modern mixology gripped India, bartenders turned to local and traditional ingredients and liquors, leading to the rise in demand for indigenous alcoholic beverages such as Feni and Mahua. Today, the perception of Mahua has changed drastically and it is considered a good quality liquor with a distinctive flavour profile. It even gained global attention as cocktail enthusiasts found it to be an exceptional drink.
M-Cosmos
This Mahua-inspired version of Cosmos has floral and fruity notes due to the grapefruit juice added to it.
Ingredients
45 ml Mahua
15 ml Cointreau
10 ml Lime Juice
30 ml Grapefruit Juice
45 ml Smirnoff Vodka
1 Grapefruit slice, for garnish
Method
Take a cocktail shaker filled with ice and add lime juice, Cointreau, grapefruit juice and Mahua. Shake well and double-strain the concoction into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a grapefruit slice and serve.
The Passionate Indian
This drink will make you fall in love with Mahua and passion fruit combination.
Ingredients
45 ml Mahua
20 ml Passion Fruit syrup
20 ml Lime Juice
Orange peel, for garnish
Method
Take a cocktail shaker filled with ice and add lime juice, passion fruit syrup and Mahua. Shake well and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel and serve.
Mahua Fig Sour
This sweet and sour cocktail will make your day.
Ingredients
60 ml Mahua
15 ml Sugar Syrup
15 ml Lime Juice
1 Egg white
4 Figs
Orange Twist, for garnish
Method
Take a cocktail shaker and muddle the figs in it. Add lime juice, sugar syrup, egg white and Mahua in it. Shake well without ice, and then with ice. Double strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange twist and serve.
Mahua Mehul With Gin
Ingredients
90 ml Tanqueray Gin
12 to 14 sundried Mahua flowers
100 ml Lemonade
A drop of Attar, for the zing
Mint, for garnish
2 Marigold flowers, for garnish
2 Gummy bears, for garnish
Method
Muddle the flowers with gin until they turn pasty. Take a copper bucket and add ice and strain the muddled flower paste into it. Top with lemonade. Garnish with mint. Place the marigold flowers over the top and gummy bears on the handle sides. Dip the stirrer tip in attar and put it into the bucket on the stand.
While it's great to learn about alcoholic beverages, it is important to also consume alcohol moderately. Remember to serve and drink responsibly to ensure you and your guests are healthy and out of harm's way. If you know anyone who has trouble controlling their alcohol intake, please refer them to a professional immediately.
