Indian-Inspired Summer Drinks: How To Craft Cocktails And Mocktails For Brunch
Come summer, brunches laid out on the patio or in one’s backyard become sought after ways to mark the long, warm mornings. And these repasts complete with salads, fruits, frittatas, hummus platters and other assorted finger foods can be accompanied with different cocktails and mocktails prepared during this season.
Indian regions are known for their warm summers and for culinary ingredients which are seasonally available aplenty during these months. Evidently, Indian cuisine is rich in preparations that prominently reveal these crisp and bright summery flavours through different delicacies.
Incorporating such Indian spices, fruits and herbs into drinks can be an interesting way to craft blends inspired by the diverse and wide ranging array of this vibrant region’s flavours. From sweet to spicy to earthy to aromatic, different Indian ingredients can build varied layers into relatively simple drink recipes.
Read on below for some handy tips and hacks involved in crafting brunch time cocktails and mocktails in summer weather that are inspired by Indian flavours:
Add Spices
One of the most essential techniques involved in infusing drinks with Indian flavours is to add spices. These can include a wide variety ranging from cinnamon, cardamom and cloves to saffron, nutmeg and even star anise. Spices play a vital role in preparing Indian curries and desserts because they introduce both potent flavours and aromas into these dishes. Adding spices like saffron and black pepper to a shaker before muddling summertime drinks can introduce their colours and flavours into subtly sweet and savoury sherbets and spritzers prepared for brunch.
Use Floral Ingredients
Another interesting element in Indian cuisine is the incorporation of floral ingredients. Roses are often used in the form of dried petals, fresh garnishes, rose syrups and rose crushes to build their floral notes into desserts like kheer and drinks such as gulkand lassi. Use this fragrant flower along with jasmine, kewra and tulsi to imbue their notes into different blends. With this, summertime mixes will acquire a fresh quality that is perfectly suited to a brunch menu comprising salads, fruits and other small bites.
Incorporate Seasonal Fruits
In Indian regions, summers are most looked forward to because when the climate starts to become warmer, so too fruits like watermelons, muskmelons and mangoes begin to ripen. These seasonal fruits eventually find their way into different juices, milkshakes and ice creams and even certain savoury dishes like salads that are prepared in summer. Make the most of this fresh produce and use mango pulp and slices as well as watermelon juice to craft drinks inspired by creamy, tropical, Indian flavours.
Make Spirit Infusions
Yet another hack involved in crafting summertime drinks using Indian flavour notes is to prepare spirit infusions. Different liqueurs can be prepared at home that are a combination of summertime Indian flavours like cardamom and rose or ginger and jaggery which are complete with sweet and spicy tastes. These liqueurs can be incorporated into cocktail and mocktail blends to introduce their subtle flavours into mixes which lend them a touch of Indian culinary tastes and aromas.
Use Herbal Garnishes
When it comes to finishing drinks off with aesthetic garnishes, Indian herbs can be handy ingredients. Not only will herbs like tulsi and curry leaves introduce this regional touch into drinks but they will also imbue lots of rich, fragrant qualities into blends which endow them with multiple layers of flavour. Herbal garnishes are an excellent alternative to introduce a bit of contrasting tastes into drinks too, such that a sprinkling of red chilli powder can actually lend a drink a spicier touch.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
