What is a cocktail? The dictionary defines it as “an alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit or spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as fruit juice or cream.”
Right…. So when was the last time you added a little chaat masala to your rum or a dash of aamchur to your vodka?
Sounds weird? Tacky maybe?
Well, it doesn’t have to be. Push aside those long island ice teas, screwdrivers and bloody marys for a weekend and try these “Desi Cocktails” instead.
Tamarind Margarita
Tamarind has a quintessential “Indian” flavour. A dash of raw tamarind to a drink adds the much needed zest and sourness to it.
To prepare the tamarind margarita, you will need…
2 ounces of tamarind
2 ounces of tequila
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce of lime juice
Shake the ingredients together until blended and pour it all in a double rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.
The Lassi cocktail
This sinful, creamy drink is popular popular in highway dhabas and swanky cities too.
For the lassi cocktail, you will need…
50 ml coconut rum
70 ml mango lassi (or the normal lassi)
30 ml Irish Cream
Shake the ingredients together with ice. Pour the contents into a glass (an aluminium one, if you are a slave to traditional appearances!) and garnish with mint.
Corrito
Have you tried masala thumbs up? Now imagine that with some liquor thrown in. If you haven’t tried this chaat masala flavoured drink, well, you can try this cocktail straightaway.
For this tangy cocktail, you will need…
50 ml White Rum
3–4 Coriander Leaves
3–4 pieces of Lemon Zest
A dash of sugar syrup
A dash of Chaat Masala (or more if you are adventurous)
A little ‘thumbs up’ to top up
Place the lime and coriander in the glass and shake the rest of the ingredients in a shaker. Pour the contents in a glass and add ‘thumbs up’ to top up the drink.
These are just some we could fit in here. You can go crazy with an infinite number of combinations that work for you! Because Hey! That’s what a cocktail is all about!
