Tequila Day – better late than never
Yesterday (24th July) was National Tequila Day (in the US). And since we don’t have too many of these in India, we usually adopt a few. Anyway, I always seem to miss this one. But why lament today, what you…
The Gin Diaries
I love gin. I think it is one of the most under rated spirits out there, and especially so in India. Local variants didn’t ever help matters; vile potent stuff where, any resemblance to the original was purely coincidental. Perhaps…
Barrel-Aged Cocktails: hit or miss?
My introduction to barrel-aged cocktails came early last year. The process, I was told, involved pre-mixing a cocktail in large quantities and ageing it in an oak barrel (like the ones used for whiskies and wine). Once out, the cocktails would…
Shanghai: The City of Tomorrow
Boomtown, they call it. In Shanghai skyscrapers seem to erect themselves at a ‘blink-and-you’ll- miss-it’ speed. Yet, there’s a charm to China’s economic hub that isn’t easy to come by in a buzzing metropolis. It may be the city of the future, but it really is…
New Year Bubbly – Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or ’96
New Year’s Eve – the end of one year and the optimism that the next will outdo all that has come before. My 2013 began by popping open a very special bottle of Champagne that was gifted to me on…
Metaxa: The Spirit of Greece
Published in Liquid magazine September – October 2012. Written by Karina Aggarwal From its beginnings in the tiny Greek isle of Piraeus in 1888, Metaxa – ‘The Original Greek Spirit’, has found its way to over a hundred…
The Grand Cognac Culture
Published in Liquid magazine July – August 2012. Written by Karina Aggarwal Think cognac and immediately your mind drifts to an image of a wood panelled room with a distinguished gentleman sitting in a red leather high-backed chair beside a…
La Batalla del Vino
June 29, 2012. In India and in most other parts of the world today is just another Friday that began when you rolled over in your bed, cursed the alarm and hoped you could skip ahead to the weekend. Let…
Single Malt and Cigar Evenings
In my last post I told you about the #BombayCocktailClub. This week it was the turn of another club of sorts, where aficionados gather to celebrate Single Malt and Cigars. With Chef Clinton Cooper, Executive Chef of the Four Seasons…
Talking Tequila at #BombayCocktailClub
Earlier this week I made my way to round two of the #BombayCocktailClub. Started by Tim Etherington -Judge, Brand Ambassador of Diageo Reserve Brands, #BCC brings together people who love their alcohol and enjoy learning about it as well. Tim…
The One with the Grass
I find myself strangely fascinated by spirits that have objects floating in them – the tequila worm, snake wine or even the more staid gold flecked liqueurs. Regardless of whether they add flavour or are dropped in just for the…
New in the market – Teacher’s RTD
Have you tried the new Teacher’s Scotch ready to drink mixes yet? Premixed with Cola and Soda, these cans are currently sold at most retail stores in Mumbai and will soon be made available across the country. Teacher’s RTD with…
X’mas special: Baking with Cointreau
Since Cointreau is filled with so many Christmas memories for me, this year I asked my master baker sister, Alysha to whip up some chocolaty Cointreau x’mas goodness. Here is her recipe for a Cointreau Chocolate Fudge Cake with Cointreau poached oranges….
Cointreau Classics
Cointreau will always remind me of Christmas. My first memories of the orange liqueur were watching the adults at home sip on it after midnight mass while we kids occupied ourselves with the presents under the brilliantly lit tree. The…