Indian Themed Cocktail Recipes

[ThinkingBartender]

While looking through my files, I came across the cocktail specs for a bar I used to work at, Akbar.

I uploaded them here

So this seems like as good place as any to ask what others are doing specifically with Indian ingredients.

Strangely, there was no punch recipes on the menu, or anything approaching an authentic Indian drink (except Lassi and Kingfisher beer).

Cheers!

George

[JasonTrue]

In Tokyo I had a sweet lassi with vodka...

It was similar to the drink Calpis (Calpico in the US?) or Milkis.

[Megan Blocker]

Here's a link to the Tabla cocktail menu - they have a couple of drinks with tamarind and ginger (not to mention chiles and curry leaves).

[KatieLoeb]

Saffron infused vodka with a lemongrass or ginger simple syrup might be a good starting point...

I've found a tamarind syrup at my local Middle Eastern grocery that is pretty flavorful, if not as tart as I'd hoped it was. It's from Kassatly Ajyal. I've tried it mixed with tequila and cachaca on separate occasions and it worked fairly well. It's kind of viscous so it gives whatever cocktail it's used in a nice mouthfeel.

[markemorse]

Has anyone tried using the Foco juices for this kind of stuff? I really love their roasted coconut juice and would love to see this in a cocktail...aloe vera would be nice too (if you haven't tasted it, you should...very uniquely sweet and fresh), but not sure how Indian that is....

mem

Edited May 27, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Milagai]

Has anyone tried using the Foco juices for this kind of stuff? I really love their roasted coconut juice and would love to see this in a cocktail...aloe vera would be nice too (if you haven't tasted it, you should...very uniquely sweet and fresh), but not sure how Indian that is....

mem

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aloe vera in food not very indian, but why not...

surprised no one mentioned mango - e.g. mango

daiquiri, etc...

milagai

[angusw]

and oddly while we are thinking about Indian ingredients what are the Indians themselves doing?

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=237861

aw

[Mayur]

Wow; that's a heck of a list!

Devi (in NYC) does some South Asian-themed cocktails also, which are pretty good.

Lassi is easy enough to make into a Ramos fizz variant; buttermilk (at least at the fat content they use in India!) does pretty much the same thing as heavy cream when emulsified along with egg whites. So, a Ramos with some black salt and minus the superfine sugar should do nicely.

Black salt is a great salty-/smoky-drinks accent in general, as is the chaat masala it's found in. Amchur (dried mango) is delicious as an alternative to citrus or pomegranate molasses, although if used for the former, you're best off chucking in a bit of citrus and a bit of amchur. (Bonded Applejack plus amchur, palm sugar, and lime juice is a *serious* treat.)

[slkinsey]

Lassi is easy enough to make into a Ramos fizz variant; buttermilk (at least at the fat content they use in India!) does pretty much the same thing as heavy cream when emulsified along with egg whites.

I found this an interesting comment. Are you suggesting that Indian buttermilk is high in fat? If this is the case, I wonder if it is actually buttermilk.

Real buttermilk is simply the liquid that is leftover after cream has been churned into butter. That's why it's called buttermilk. Since most of the milkfat goes to the butter, real buttermilk is quite low in fat (afaik, lower than lowfat milk). What one normally finds in American supermarkets isn't actually real buttermilk. Rather, it is lowfat milk that has been cultured with bacteria to mimic the tartness of real buttermilk. If anything, this "buttermilk" is just a very thin unflavored/unsweetened yogurt. Real buttermilk has a thin texture, whereas cultured "buttermilk" has a thick texture.

[Mayur]

Lassi is easy enough to make into a Ramos fizz variant; buttermilk (at least at the fat content they use in India!) does pretty much the same thing as heavy cream when emulsified along with egg whites.

I found this an interesting comment. Are you suggesting that Indian buttermilk is high in fat? If this is the case, I wonder if it is actually buttermilk.

Real buttermilk is simply the liquid that is leftover after cream has been churned into butter. That's why it's called buttermilk. Since most of the milkfat goes to the butter, real buttermilk is quite low in fat (afaik, lower than lowfat milk). What one normally finds in American supermarkets isn't actually real buttermilk. Rather, it is lowfat milk that has been cultured with bacteria to mimic the tartness of real buttermilk. If anything, this "buttermilk" is just a very thin unflavored/unsweetened yogurt. Real buttermilk has a thin texture, whereas cultured "buttermilk" has a thick texture.

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Right. I probably should have put quotes around "buttermilk", which is pretty much what you described. (Hinglish loves using "butter-" as a prefix for "fatty"; hence "butterfruit" for avocado, etc.)

[alacarte]

I once tried to use Kulfi as a cocktail concept. It kind of worked, but in the end it just tastes a lot like a frozen White Russian. my Kulfi cocktail recipe

[cax77uk]

Just put together a new cocktail list with a cardamom infused gin cocktail (with pineapple and passionfruit).

Cardamom also great in a mango mojito!

RM