7 February 2026

From the bartender’s corner: Khatta Meetha

I am trying to make some cocktails with distinctly Indian theme. We will see how many I can come up with. Today’s was Khatta Meetha. This literally means “Sweet and Sour”.

Tamarind juice with Old Monk rum from India and sugar syrup. Garnished with a cinnamon stick.

By the way, did you know India has the highest per capita consumption of rum in the whole world?

1 February 2026

From the bartender’s corner – Tamarindo Margarita

This is a twist on the original Margarita recipe. First, I have used Tamarind juice. Growing up in a village in India, tamarind was one of those much sought-after things in the tree. It was always about who could throw a stone or stick to fell a bunch of them, and then the incredible squint in the eyes once the sharp, sweet, tangy, and sour taste exploded in the mouth.

In any case, I used a bit of lime juice with it, then, instead of the traditional tequila, went with mezcal to add earthy tones. Finally, topped up with Grand Marnier and Tajin salt for garnishing.

11 January 2026

Cleared out a lot of alcohol and liqueur bottles

Thirty, to be precise! This year’s goal is to try to specialize in Indian cocktails. Which means cocktails with some Indian twist to it. So far, I have some base alcohols from India and some tropical fruit juices from there. And a myriad of Indian spices.

This will be tricky. Indian spices are so flavorful that the palate I am afraid will overwhelm the nose. Let’s see if trial and error gets me anywhere.