Elderflower, rose petals, cucumber, thyme may have been added to gin-based cocktails by bartenders with spectacular results, yet a popular culinary adage says “what grows together, goes together”, denoting that ingredients from the same region tend to make a good combination.
Indeed, new cocktail menus are being created by bartenders keeping this in mind. The new plant-based cocktails menu at Edible Archives in Goa, for instance, makes use of teffal, kokum, bimli, and many other local ingredients, for cocktails like Kokum Feni, Bimli Urrak and Mango GiNger.
Similarly, The Himalayan takeover by Hapusa, held recently in Mumbai and Goa, celebrated Himalayan ingredients. UK-based bartender Swanand Korgaonkar, aka Swani, selected ingredients to complement the botanicals in Hapusa dry gin, which is made with foraged Himalayan juniper berries and botanicals like raw mango, Gondhoraj lime and turmeric.
Anand Virmani, co-founder, CEO and distiller, NAO Spirits & Beverages, which organised The Himalayan takeover by Hapusa, says the team chose ingredients like edible camphor, Earl Grey tea, cardamom and timbur to create four cocktails.
Guests at the Himalayan Takeover by Hapusa events were not given a regular cocktails menu, but instead, a platter with ingredients in a bowl. They could smell and feel the ingredients, and then place their order for a cocktail made with these.
The first cocktail, Forest Trail, with edible camphor, channeled the idea of celebrations, tranquility and festivities. “Camphor for us Indians stands for that. Edible camphor is traditionally used to flavour Buddhist holy water. It is believed to have the ability to purify the body and soul,” Swani says.
Timbur (Himalayan Sichuan Pepper), the second key ingredient in the Hapusa gin event, was chosen for its mildly "spicy, bitter" taste. “This Himalayan spice, (Himalayan Sichuan Pepper), typically used for chutneys with roasted tomato as the base, has been infused in the drink. It is not overly spicy, yet tingles your palate, rendering a bit of heat. Instead of the usual orange peel, we garnish it with a charred cherry tomato, which gives it a nice savoury bite,” says Swani.
Cocktails No. 3, with Earl Grey tea, eucalyptus, Kaffir lime, is gentle and aromatic, compared with the earthiness of the first two. “The Old Fashioned Mountain View, with cardamom and saffron, offers a gentle sweetness (to the gin cocktail),” says Swani.
Ingredients are key
Swani says seasonality is an important criteria when selecting an ingredient for a cocktail. “That’s when nature offers its best, and we must make use of it,” he says.
In the past, Hapusa has used ingredients like Pomelo, Rhododendron, Dalle (Himalayan Cherry Chillies), Himalayan Pink Salt, from the Himalayas for their cocktails.
Tinkering with cocktails takes practice and precision, of course. But there's more to it – the right ingredients, most often, work like magic.
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