Smriti Dey
March 04, 2025
Readily available in any Indian kitchen – curry leaves bring a bitter yet earthy aroma to cooking, while tamarind offers a sour and woody flavour, making them unique additions to cocktails with distinct profiles. Mixologists can explore and integrate unique characteristics to drinks by using a variety of techniques to obtain varied textures that create a nuanced taste profile, offering creative possibilities.
Citrus juices like orange, lemon or grapefruit infused with tamarind highlights the fruit’s inherent sweetness and balances off the latter’s robustness, when combined.
To add a distinctive scent and taste to drinks, infuse gin, vodka or rum with curry leaves utilising a standard infusion process, and celebrate their distinct fragrant and herbal flavour.
One of the best ways to infuse the taste of fresh curry leaves into a drink is to muddle them beforehand, releasing their oils with a pestle or muddler for a mellow undertone.
Meld the tamarind pulp with the sugar and water to make syrup, simmering until the sauce thickens and the flavours blend, to achieve sour profiles in cocktails.
The final product features a syrup that combines the sourness of tamarind with the herbal, somewhat pungent flavour of curry leaves, ideal for a unique, exotic spin. *Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.