This episode of The Cocktail Chronicles is a little different, and rather special. Since the Pujo season is upon us, I’ve decided to give the normal narrative a little break and focus on some original recipes, all centered around Bengali ingredients and flavours. The drinks are arranged from the simple to complex, and encompass a…
Author: manasijp
Ths Cocktail Chronicles (Part 8)
Tropical Tipsy Last time, we explored two sour-type cocktails in Embury’s list of six basic drinks, with a detailed look at brandies, before concluding with a brief mention of the third sour cocktail in that list, the daiquiri. In the present article, we will spend some more time on the daiquiri, delving into the wonderful…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 7)
Brandy Blends In the previous article, we talked about fruit juices as modifiers, talking in detail about the basic ratios of base spirit, modifiers and balancers used in sour-type cocktails. Two of the most well-known examples of classic cocktails of this type include the sidecar and the daiquiri, both stalwarts of the cocktail collection, and…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 6)
Fresh Fruit to the Fore So far, we went through two classic cocktails- the martini and the old-fashioned, and used them as a base to discuss the broader category of cocktails of ‘aromatic types’. These can be described as cocktails where an aromatic wine, or a bitter, or less commonly, a liqueur, is used as…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 5)
Variations on an Old-Fashioned Last time, we talked about the multiple variations spawned by the basic martini formula. Similar to the martini, the old-fashioned has also given rise to number of variation and eponymous drinks. The drink most similar to the old-fashioned is the Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans; it is an important…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 4)
The Extended Martini Family Last time, we began our discussion of the classic Martini by talking about gin, aromatic wines and the basic martini formula. That formula however, is a mere starting point for a dizzying array of martinis and martini variations. The proportions of a martini are hotly debated- it started with a 2:1…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 3)
Anatomy of a Martini The Martini is probably the most famous of all cocktails, not least due to a certain secret service agent (although his way of drinking a martini is undoubtedly unconventional, and to me, is not a martini at all- but more on that later!). However, martini has been well-known long before the…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 2)
Whiskey, Sugar, Bitters Last time, we started our exploration of cocktails with a brief historical overview and a quick look at some base spirits and liqueurs. It’s finally time to start mixing. In this part, we will start with the components of a cocktail, and dissect an all-time classic. The primary ingredient of a cocktail…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 1)
Beginnings The history of human civilization is intricately linked with the history of alcohol. Yes, that is a bold statement to make- but perhaps not surprising when we realise that alcohol permeates the entire natural world around us. From insects laying their eggs in places where there is an intense odour of ethanol and acetaldehyde,…
The Gourmet Glutton 