Desi Tadka in Cocktails

Let me confess first. I am a great lover of Cocktails. It is almost 30 years when my journey to this unusual path was started. It was my encounter with a fancy counter at a five star hotel in South Bombay, where a smart young man was standing at a counter surrounded with fancy bottles of different shapes and size filled with liquid color ranging from gold, black, pink, red blue, green. That was the time the gentlemen serving drinks used to be called bar tender , now he is known Mixologist. When bartender asked me which drink, I requested him for a cocktail he liked most. He served me Sex On The Beach. I sipped, loved its whole creation and asked him to share its ingredient. In fact, he felt more than happy that somebody liked his drink and proudly shared the ingredient that was my first lesson in cocktail making. I purchased couple of books on this art, but soon realised that there is lot of scope for innovation.

Mixologists : funfilled avatar of bartender

a typical bar counter

That was the time, people used to rush on the bar counter and ask their glass to be filled with a drink. Drink meant for most of the people whiskey or those with army background or rough and tough ordering for Rum. Ladies were scared to move in the direction of bar counter, only very few among them dared to take a glass of wine or gin and tonic.

Over the period of time, whole scenario has been changed, now people prefer something different from Whiskey. Increasing number of lounges and restaurants now have Cocktails based on Indian spices,herbs and fruits on their beverage menus.  


Think of childhood food memories and you would mostly remember biting into that piece of raw mango,or guavas peppered with spices or having tangy kala khatta!  Interestingly,most of the newage Indian bar menus now cater to rekindling these familiar tastes,with Indian ingredients taking precedence over classic Western cocktails.

In last few years , we have seen many Western dishes getting a desi twist.This is the way forward, as Indian ingredients are closer to our heart.Even if we are to look statistically, India was traditionally a whiskey-drinking country.When vodka was introduced here, it caught on and the hip and trendy partied with vodka.Soon,vodkatinis took on an Indian twist and today,we have interesting combinations with tequila and rum too.
Initially there were mixologists who experimented with the Bloody Mary giving twist with coriander,chillies and rock salt. Even die hard puritan cocktail lovers appreciated these efforts. Now there is a welcome change from the syrupy,fake,green apple and cranberry drinks that ruled the roost for the better part of the decade.Peoples' ability to adapt to flavors in relation with alcohol is always easier.For example,look at spirits like gin ;they are both derived from botanicals and herbs and are a rage worldwide.We may use the same philosophy with our drinks. Flavors and herbs that are familiar to the Indian palate are served in a different avatar.Many rest bars use home made aam panna,home grown narangi (Indian mandarin), ginger, coriander and kokum in cocktails. 

In the recent time, the best innovation in cocktail, I have experimented, shared with friends, relatives and guests alike is Vodka Paani Puri. In Mumbai it is not so common but in north it has become almost must in marriage, birthday functions wherever hard drinks are served.


I have to admit majority of the Indian drinkers do not love experimenting with their drinks on an evening out, but the ingredients and tastes from their everyday life click for them. Even visiting mixologists and barmen from abroad have found the Indian  innovations  very inspiring. In fact there are so many interesting fruits and spices that can give classic cocktails an Indian twist.For instance,take a drink like Tom Collins;while using gin,you could use an Indian fruit like mausambi and add coriander and chillies to give it that spicy touch the country is famous for.
With inspirations ranging from mangoes and mausambi to tamarind and cinnamon,theres an entire new world that Indian barmen have unearthed for partygoers.And restaurants too have used these to complement their Indian dishes.We even have bars that have come up with signature goodbye drinks like the paantini (sweet betel leaves flavoured with vodka). A decade ago,one wouldnt be caught ordering for a cocktail that had words like dhania or pudina in its name.But,with Indian words turning hip in the recent past,I can say cheers to a new side of partying for Indians!

New-age mixologists have reinvented these.From fenny-inspired margaritas to toddy martinis,we wonder if native Indian brews will turn hip and trendy next!
Some of the popular desi cocktails :

Sugarcane fun :

Take a tall glass of sugarcane juice.Add a small shot of dark rum on top.Do not mix.Cover the rim with black salt and voila,your drink is ready!

Cucumber crush :

Mix cucumber juice,chopped coriander,chillies,lemon juice and gin together.Add finely-chopped cucumber in a short whiskey glass.Pour the mix and serve your guests a healthy cocktail.


Chili Vodka :

Put few chili in a bottle of Vodka for few days, then enjoy a different flavor.