Summers are here and with the mercury rising, it is best to try out some refreshing and easy cocktails that can be made at home with fresh, seasonal fruits and ingredients available in our kitchens.
The second wave of Covid-19 with its disastrous effect this year has left us all a little damp in spirits, especially with the kind of nightmares we have been experiencing. It is time for some cheer and looking at things getting back to normal slowly, albeit with caution. Summers are here with a bang and with the mercury rising and the lockdown still on in many cities, it is best to stay indoors and try out some refreshing and easy cocktails that can be made at home with fresh, seasonal fruits and ingredients available in our kitchens.
Even with restaurants opening, not many are comfortable about stepping out to outlets yet after what the city of Delhi suffered just a few weeks ago. Most people prefer meeting friends and family in small groups where everyone knows each other well and are confident about their lifestyles, vaccination status etc. Ordering in is still much in vogue than venturing out into public spaces. The good thing is that ‘caution’ is now topmost priority for us all and with time on our hands and not much going out to do, some innovative and simple summer cocktail recipes that are just crying out to be tried!
Coffeetini Recipe by Pawan Bisht at One8 Commune
Ingredients:
Vodka 120 ml
Coffee liqueur 120 ml
Fresh brewed coffee 40 ml
Coffee beans for garnish
Chocolate cookie for garnish
Ice cubes
Method:
Put the glass in refrigerator so that it can be chilled.
Take a shaker and fill it half way through with ice cubes.
Now add all the ingredients leaving cookie and beans in the shaker and shake it vigorously.
Take out the serving glass from the fridge and with the help of a strainer pour the ingredients in thecocktail glass.
Garnish with coffee beans and a cookie.
Serve chilled.
Zaafraan Sheen by Mixologist, Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity
This name of this cocktail is inspired from the first snow of winter which also called “sheen” in Kashmiri. In this drink, they have used saffron infused gin with the combination of grapefruit, along with egg whites for the ‘snow’. This drink is a version of Sour.
Ingredients:
Saffron infused Gin- 60Ml
Grapefruit Syrup- 20ml
Fresh Lime Juice- 15ml
Egg White- 1
Method:
Add all the ingredients together in a shaker
Shake it without ice
Add ice
Shake and strain in a whisky or coupe glass
Blood Orange and Rosemary by Chandraprakash Bhatt of KylinAerocity
Ingredients:
4-5 Fresh Orange cubes
1 strip of Rosemary
15ml Blood Orange syrup
30ml lime juice
15ml simple syrup
50ml Gin
Method:
Shake & double strain all the ingredients into a rock glass with ice cubes.
Garnish with dried blood orange slice and rosemary.
Behror Mule by Tobias Carvalhoof Terai
Ingredients:
Gin – 50ml
FreshJamunjuice – 30ml
Sugar syrup – 15ml
Lime juice – 15ml
Method:
Build up
Glass: Highball/Collins
Pour the gin, jamun juice, sugar syrup and lime juice
Garnish: Thin slices of Ginger
Top up with Ginger ale
I added some fresh jamun pulp and mint with the ginger slices for the garnish and it tasted divine!
“We always look to use fresh, seasonal ingredients in our cocktails. Since it is jamun season, the fresh jamun juice makes this tall and refreshing drink perfect for the hot summers. The cocktail is named after Behror in Rajasthan,” says Tobias.
Pomegranate Mojito by Hemant Mundkur of Bacardi
Ingredients:
50 ml white rum
20 ml lime juice
15 ml Sugar syrup
2 tablespoons pomegranate
8 mint leaves
Soda
Garnish: Mint sprig & Pomegranate pearls
Method:
Add pomegranate in the glass and gently muddle.
Place mint in the glass and gently tap with muddler.
Add the white rum, lime juice & sugar syrup, and fill glass with crushed ice, and a splash of soda.
Mix well, garnish and serve.
I’ve tried making all of these at home, except the Coffeetini (I need to get some coffee liquer), and have loved the freshness and flavours of most. I am not a white rum drinker as such so substituting it with a gin or vodka isn’t half bad, but my friends tell me that the recipe with the rum tastes best! The zaffran infused gin took a while but it was totally worth it. Again, recipes are indicative and the fun lies in more innovation and figuring out which taste you enjoy most. I keep switching the bases often but not too drastically.
Summers are always taxing for most of us in the capital city. The heat, pollution, humidity and the sheer discomfort that the pandemic has added. These are uncertain times. And the best thing to do is to wait it out at least for those who can. The positive side is the break from the work routine can be used well to cherish what we have: family time. And what better way to do this than to sit down and relax with one of these amazing cocktails recipes with fresh seasonal fruit and ingredients!