5 great cocktails with a desi twist

You’ve faced the Monday morning blues. And the weekend still seems oh so far away. But don’t let this Tuesday leave you dry. Cheer up. Here’s a little something to chase down those mid-week blues. And it doesn’t have to be the same old vodka soda or rum and coke. Westland publications has just brought out The Tulleeho book of Cocktails: instant karma, anarkali and some other mouthwatering mixes, with some delightful desi twists to your regular cocktails. We’ve chosen five cocktails that will make your Tuesday evening a little less humdrum. Sit back, relax and try these cocktails for that early mid-week buzz that you so rightly deserve. Just don’t go overboard and miss that important meeting tomorrow morning. 1)      The Jamuntini: For all those gin drinking ladies and gentlemen, this martini comes with a sweet and sour twist thanks to the addition of Jamun or the black plum. Forget about gulping down your gin with that left-over bottle of Sprite. It probably has no fizz left in it anyway. Gin with jamuns makes for a delicious summer drink and this drink has a pretty colour too. Its relatively easy to make, so try it out without too much fear of going wrong. Once you’re done, you can swirl your rich pink coloured glass as you relish in the glory of  your new found talent for whipping up martinis with a fruity zing in them. Big plus: if you think that your Jamuntini has all the right pep to it, serve it for your big weekend party. Recipe: London dry gin: 60 ml Jamun: 5-6 Lime juice: 10 ml Sugar syrup: 15 ml Salt to rim Ice to fill shaker Muddle the jamuns in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, add the gin, lime juice and sugar syrup. Shake and double strain into a chilled salt rimmed cocktail glass. Serve immediately. Tulleeho book tip: Add red chilly power to the salt as well and then rim the glass. This is will make your drink more fiery. 2)      Mind Cooler: Remember that Khus ka sherbet that your mother insisted was good for you and would get rid of all the dehydration. Well this Mind Cooler is going to spice up your mother’s advice. Khus, gin and a bit of Sprite, this gin concoction will make the desi in you very happy and give some respite in the torrid heat. Plus it’s easy to make. So yeah, here’s a gin drink that won’t make it necessary for you to drink gulps of water after you’ve tried it. Recipe: London dry gin: 45 ml Khus syrup: 15 ml Lime juice: 15 ml Salt to pinch. Sprite/7-Up to top up Ice to fill glass Lime slice to garnish Add ice to glass and then build to the drink by adding the first three ingredients one by one in the order listed above. Add a pinch of salt and then top up with Sprite/7-Up. Garnish with lime slice and serve. 3)      Orange zinger: This old-fashioned whiskey based cocktail is for all those whiskey loving Indian men and yes, women too. But this cocktail comes with a hint of ginger and the zing that comes only with orange marmalade. That’s why they chose to call it a zinger. Ginger cocktails are big hit all over and this cocktail is a must try for all whiskey fans. Recipe: Indian Whiskey: 60 ml Orange marmalade: 2tsp Ginger: 1 inch finely grated Soda: a splash Ice to fill and shake glass Orange slice to garnish Add the whiskey, orange marmalade and grated ginger to a shaker full of ice, shake well and strain into the ice-filled glass. Add a splash of soda, (do not top up), garnish with orange slice and serve. [caption id=“attachment_21592” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Mix that Vodka up with some nice home shikanji. Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images”]  [/caption] 4)      Vodka Shikanji: Tired of having your run-of-the-mill shikanji? Yes, it’s good for you and all but it can never give you that high you’re looking for, right? So go ahead and pour that bottle of vodka in and give your shikanji the buzz that it always seemed to lack. Seems simple enough and you’re wondering why you didn’t do this before. Experiment with this cocktail and perhaps if you’re in a more daring mood, you can come up with more inebriating versions of the zesty vodka shikanji. Recipe: Vodka: 60 ml Lime juice: 30 ml Sugar syrup: 45 ml Mint: 8-10 leaves Shikanji salt: 1 tablespoon Ice: to equal volume of liquid ingredients. Add all the ingredients in a blender with ice and blend. Pour into a glass, top up to taste with water and serve. 5)       Corrito: What do you do when you have a bottle of Thumbs up and some white rum? Mix them and gulp it down straight up. Well you could spice things up for a change. Just add some chaat masala and tabasco to that boring old drink and just like that, you have for yourself a Corrito, with all right desi flavours to make it your new must-serve at parties. Recipe: White rum: 45 ml Coriander leave: 3-5 sprigs leaves Lime chunks: 3-4 Sugar syrup: 10 ml Tabasco: 2-3 dashes Chaat masala: a pinch Thumbs Up: to top Ice to fill glass Muddle the lime and coriander leaves gently in the glass. Add the ice, rum, chaat masala, sugar syrup and Tabasco. Top up with Thumbs Up and serve. The Tulleeho book of Cocktails authored by the Tulleeho inc, is published by Westland India ltd. The book is priced at Rs 395 and you can buy it by clicking here.