We all know that food and beverages are a match made in heaven, but usually what we don’t know are the pairs beyond wine and cheese that exist, are simple to make and equally sumptuous. Welcome to this new section on my blog called Cocktails And Cuisine With Aditi, wherein I shall share some classic, some offbeat, some regular and some unique food and beverage combos that you will enjoy trying.
Having a big Halloween party? Don’t forget to whip up some whisky cocktail drinks inspired by the festival to brew up the spooky factor, says the whisky expert – Rohan Bhardwaj, APAC Brand Ambassador, Grants Whisky
Blood & Sand
Ingredients:
Grant’s Family Reserve (50ml)
Orange juice (50ml)
Sweet vermouth (45ml)
GARNISH: Maraschino cherry with a teaspoon of juice
Instructions
Add Whisky, Orange Juice, and sweet vermouth to a shaker.
Add in a spoon of juice from the Maraschino cherry jar.
Strain and garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
Grant’s Royale
Ingredients:
Grant’s Family Reserve (50ml)
Champagne (100ml)
Sugar cube soaked in bitters
GARNISH: Lemon twist
Instructions
Add sugar cube soaked in bitters to a Champagne flute.
Savour the golden malt and introduce your taste buds to these rare yet refreshing whisky cocktail recipes because Summer is nature’s way of saying let’s party
Because the Liquid Sunshine promises to add some extra spark and chemistry to your romantic valentine date nights we bring to you your soon to be favourite
Whisky Cocktail recipes for your forever.
Recipes
GRANT’S BLOOD AND SAND WHISKY COCKTAIL – So we all know the best thing about winters, Orange and Whisky. This cocktail is surely
going to be your and your partner’s favourite drink for the romantic winter
nights
Ingredients –
50ml Grant’s Family Reserve 50ml Orange Juice
45ml Sweet Vermouth Instructions
_1. Add Whisky, Orange Juice and sweet vermouth to a shaker. 2. Add in a spoon of juice from the Maraschino cherry jar.
3. Strain and garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
Key to your drink: https://grantswhisky.com/en/our-cocktails/grants-blood-and- sand/
GRANT’S ROB ROY WHISKY COCKTAIL – Don’t chase anything but Cocktails and Dreams. Woo your partner’s taste buds with the relishing flavour of your favourite cocktail .
Ingredients
50ml Grant’s Family Reserve 15ml Sweet Vermouth
1-4 Dash (es) of Bitters
Instruction
Add whisky, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir.
Strain and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Key to your drink: https://www.grantswhisky.com/en/our-cocktails/grants-rob- roy/\
GRANT’S GINGER WHISKY COCKTAIL – Here we are for all our old school love birds with there would be favorite cocktail drink for the season.
Give your LOVE a twist and enjoy this all-time favorite whiskey cocktail.
Ingredients
50ml Grant’s Family Reserve 150ml Ginger Ale
1/2 Lime
Instruction
Add the whisky into an ice filled glass.
Top with ginger ale, and squeeze half a lime. Garnish with lime wedge.
Key to your drink- https://www.grantswhisky.com/index.php/en/our- cocktails/grants/
Ain’t no party complete without the perfect booze, these cocktails are sure to ‘sleigh’ your party this holiday season!
Recipes
GRANT’S BLOOD AND SAND WHISKY COCKTAIL – So we all know the best thing about winters, Orange and Whiskey. This cocktail is surely going to be your favourite party pooper.
Ingredients
50ml Grant’s Family Reserve
50ml Orange Juice
45ml Sweet Vermouth
Instructions
Add Whisky, Orange Juice and sweet vermouth to a shaker.
Add in a spoon of juice from the Maraschino cherry jar.
GRANT’S AND GINGER WHISKY COCKTAIL – Don’t chase anything but Cocktails and Dreams. Woo your taste buds with the relishing flavour of your favourite whiskey and ginger ale.
GRANT’S OLD FASHIONED WHISKY COCKTAIL – Here we are for all our old school pals with there would be favourite cocktail drink for the season. Give your tongue a twist and introduce it to the cocktail world.
Ingredients
50ml Grant’s Family Reserve
One sugar cube soaked in bitters
Orange peel for garnish
Instructions
Soak sugar cube with bitters, add to a mixing glass and muddle.
Add ice followed by half of the whisky & stir.
Repeat and strain into glass over a single ice cube.
While some whisky lovers will tell you that it is a drink that has been designed to be enjoyed on its own, there is no doubt that it makes some pretty fine cocktails as well. So, here we will have a quick look through some of the finest ones that you can enjoy. The beauty is that a lot of these are very simple to make as well, so if you are not an experienced mixologist, you are in luck!
A lot of whisky cocktails involve a simple syrup. Essentially all you need to do is put equal parts water and white sugar over a medium-heat saucepan, remove it from the heat when the sugar has dissolved and allow it to cool. Which whisky you use depends on your taste, so you may be a Jim Beam fan or you could take a look at a kikori whisky review for something different. So, let’s move onto those cocktails.
The Manhattan
Probably the most iconic of them all, Manhattans have been enjoyed for years by many iconic people and characters. The classic way to serve it is to strain it into a cocktail glass with a Maraschino cherry. Your other ingredients are vermouth, bitters, the simple syrup we talked about earlier and lemon peel.
There is something especially great about going up to a bar and ordering an Old Fashioned and it is a cocktail that even many whisky purists enjoy from time to time. It is traditionally served in a short tumbler glass. You will need bitters again as well as the simple syrup, but you will also serve it with ice cubes and some orange peel to garnish. Squeeze the peel to release the oil to drop into the drink.
Hot Toddy
Though it may not be the right time of year right now to be enjoying one of these, there is nothing like a Hot Toddy during the cold winter months. Originally it was a drink that was designed to cure a whole range of illnesses, though it is not medically prescribed today! As well as your whisky of choice, you will need honey, cloves, nutmeg and lemon to garnish. Place the ingredients in a mug and pour in some hot water while stirring everything together.
Whisky Sour
The one thing that puts people off this particular cocktail is the frothy raw egg white, so you need to make sure you find the freshest eggs before serving up this particular cocktail. You will need lemon juice and your trusty simple syrup as well as your whisky and egg white. Shake everything vigorously before serving and serve in a glass of your choice.
John Collins
Though this is only a subtle variation on the Whisky Sour, the club soda that you add to the previous ingredients already listed above give it a different sort of edge. If you aren’t sure which one you prefer, it is worth giving both a go side by side!
True to its name, the moment you step into Orb, you feel the celestial vibes, it feels like a heavenly body, or may be just another planet, but for sure there is something magical about the place. You feel transformed into another world and it also stands true to its name in other way, that it is a circular shaped bar with a huge centre piece of lighting and circular shaped seating around it. The beautiful ambience is marked by the dim blue and pink lighting and with some live DJ music thrown in, it becomes one of the hottest party destination in Delhi. It really makes for the perfect place to hang around with your friends over drinks and music.
Coming to food and drinks, they are as rocking as the ambience of the bar. The bartenders are extremely friendly and they really turn around things to serve finest and most intriguing drinks. When you visit, you ought to try their signature cocktails, they will just blow you over. Khopdi is one such fascinating drink, the process of making it is itself so interesting that yo cant help but keep looking at it for a long time.
Other amazing drinks were Orange Caprioshka, Chilli Chocolate Bunny, Apple Cinnamon Punch, Pale Lady on the Beach and many more..
Finger food to go along with drinks is pretty good too. We tried the Bruschetta, Orb Special Pizza, Achari Fish Tikka and Prawn Tempura. The Bruschetta was really good and so were the Prawns, but I personally loved the Pizza and Achari Fish Tikka the most. The fish was crispy on the outside, perfectly spiced and tender from the inside. The taste of roasted garlic and basil pesto on the pizza was just amazing, I loved it. Chicken Tenders and Cottage Cheese Tikka was good too.
The desserts were the highlight, I tried the Oreo Cookie Baileys Cheese Bar, which was simply awesome. I normally don’t like cheese cakes but this was really nice. Next I tried the Hazelnut Mousse Fudge, which too was nice, but there is a scope for improvement in this one, as I found it a bit dry.
Overall I spent a great evening at Orb, with my friends and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, it would be evident if you see the pictures below 😉
With the festive season around, there is an air of excitement and celebration across. Mumbai, the city of vibrant night life is bustling with festive sale, offers and deals. But what’s there for the party animals? The revelers this time will have newer destination to party and bring in the New Year.
Pubs and sports bars have been enticing their visitors for a while, but this December a brand new partying hotspot has opened in the busy streets of MIDC.
To experience the excitement of the festive season, I had the privilege to experience a pot pourri of exhilaration. This uber classic café in GoldFinch hotel is a destination in itself for creatures of the dusk. Café Mojo is place which has mastered the art of flawlessly blending the English and continental culture.
A hospitable staff escorted me in the bar area, where I met the business partners of the Pub. After having a chat with them, I learnt that it’s a one-of-its-kind pub which devised a unique concept of “e-beer” in India. It’s said that Café Mojo is India’s first eBeer pub where one can pour his/her own beer and pay by the ML and not by Glass. This system allows you to order food and drinks through a card; you get a card that you need to recharge by any amount you like. The card can be used for all future visits and is refundable. Well! That appeared like a boon in the turbulent times of demonetization where you needn’t worry about the cash.
While I explored the venue, I saw that the interiors were quite similar to ones in the West and best part about this pub is that every table has a beer hose. All you have to do is place the card on the sensor and beer shall be ready to ooze from the hose. There are 3 levels in the cafe – a bar, a lounge and a roof top seating area where sheesha is served.
A wide range of lip-smacking recipes are listed on the menu. But I planned to have the most basic ones. I ordered Nachos and the preparation was just as the way it should be.
The next in my list was Beer Battered Prawns. I must confess that this was best I’ve ever had at any other places. On the concluding bit, I was offered Farm House Veg Pizza whose thin crust was just perfect and tender chicken wings. And these two recipes where flawlessly made.
[easy-image-collage id=4205]
Not to forget, the Mojito perfectly complemented the platter I had ordered and they have an array of cocktails to fuel-up.
Apart from drinks and gastronomic delights on its menu, great music and exciting events are on its list.
It’s a destination that should be listed on e every party animal’s bucket list.
Aspri Spirits, leading importers and distributors of some of the finest brands in the world of Wines and Spirits hosted a master evening class with Mr. NILS BOESE, Brand Ambassador- Mast Jägermeister SE, on 22nd June 2016 at Bandstand, Hauz Khas, New Delhi.
The evening commenced with Mr. Nils Boese taking the patrons through Jägermeister profile and sharing his experience with the brand. He took them on a voyage of Jägermeister history and shared some interesting insights about the company and the brand. He also demonstrated interesting ways of creating exquisite cocktails with the unusual spirit.
Mr. Nils Boese is a renowned bartender and has a rich experience of 25 years. He runs his own small bar in Hildesheim, Germany, which is close to Wolfenbüttel where Jägermeister is meticulously produced. He is working with Jägermeister since 2010 as a Brand Ambassador.
Jägermeister, recognized as a unique herbal spirit, is made from 56 different herbs, blossoms, roots and fruits, including star anise, cinnamon, ginger and a secret set of herbs. It is the world’s 8th best-selling premium spirit brand and it also ensures to remain the World’s favorite herbal liqueur. Best served as an ice-cold shot, Jägermeister is a versatile spirit, which can be used as a premium ingredient in cocktails and long serves.
Nils first made us all taste the ice-cold Jägermeister shot, and it tasted amazing, and I think being ice cold plays a very important role in enhancing the taste of the drink.
Nils then also prepared some unique cocktails, twisting the taste around with Jägermeister and each one of his cocktails was amazing. He prepared one particular cocktail with tea, and it had a very refreshing taste.
Matt Djokovic, Regional Director Asia mentioned “India represents one of the most important growth opportunities for Jagermeister, not only within Asia, but globally. With a booming young adult population – around 19 Million Consumers will reach legal drinking age every year in India – we feel Jagermeister is uniquely positioned to leverage the strengths which have made it the 8th largest imported spirit in the world”
And here is Nils talking about his bartending experience over the years and his association with Jägermeister.
It was great fun attending this master class and learning to make so many cocktails.
About ASPRI: Aspri Spirits Pvt. Ltd. was established in 2004. The company today represents some of the finest brands in the world of Wines and Spirits and is one of the leading players in the imported alcoholic beverage segment. The company with its commitment to ensure highest quality standards focuses on the sales, marketing and distribution of its diverse portfolio and is dedicated to building premium international brands in travel retail and domestic markets across South Asia.
About Jägermeister:Jägermeister was created by Curt Mast in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, more than 80 years ago. Now one of the world’s most popular spirit brands and rated the top liqueur brand around the globe, it is still produced in its original form by Mast-Jägermeister SE, the family owned business founded by Curt’s father, Wilhelm Mast.