With a little help from the kitchen

Commonly available herbs and spices can give your cocktails an extra dimension

With the festive season right around the corner, it’s that time of the year again, when all you want to do is soak in the mirthful spirit of the festival, with great food and drinks! And there’s no better way to celebrate the season than by indulging yourself with a great drink.

Cocktails and mocktails that make for a formidable part of our celebrations have evolved over the years and even restaurateurs across the country are innovating, with various ingredients. This experimentation has ensurds that the perfect drink is refreshing and loved by every palate. It’s not just the technique here, but also the ingredients that matter.

The market, now, is home to an assortment of spices and herbs that can be used in cocktails. For example, there’s cardamom, which not just has a strong aroma, but also lends a warm flavour to the drink. The versatile ingredient can also be used in gin-based cocktails.

On the other hand, cinnamon is an ingredient that has a woody aroma, which is subtle, yet has a flavour fragrant enough to leave an aftertaste in your mouth. Cinnamon could be infused in the syrup, in order to be used in cocktails, and works well with both vodka and rum.

Another great herb is the kaffir lime. Its leaves have a fiery fragrance — citrusy, but not quite like lemon. The aroma and taste are persistent, and at the same time gentle. The herb goes well with vodka and rum, quite like cinnamon. Not just popular in the kitchens, but also in bars, is rosemary. The aromatic ingredient has a pungent flavour to it, and works well with vodka, gin and even bourbon.

Sage has an earthy taste to it, and has a rather distinguishing characteristic to it. Be warned, though—the taste can be overpowering for those who don’t like strong flavours in their drink. Sage can be muddled or infused in a syrup. The ingredient teams up well with martinis, champagnes, cocktails and even spritzer.

A commonly available ingredient is cilantro or coriander leaves. The roots and leaves, both, have a flavour that is gentle, yet intricate, working well with mojitos, margaritas and martinis.

Thyme is a popular herb that works well with both food and drinks. In drinks, it pairs up well with darker spirits like bourbon, since it possesses a slightly minty flavour. As far as floral flavouring goes, there’s lavender, having a slightly bitter aftertaste. It goes pretty well with Scotch whisky and even rum.

The next time you’re at home looking for herbs to add that twist to your cocktail and brighten it up, look no further than your own kitchen.

Amit Jambotkar is the vice president – F&B operations, Mirah Hospitality.