*HIC* story

Our history assures that we, more often than not, head towards a better future. Of course, it is no different with food and beverages. Most of the popular drinks that are hits today among those who love alcoholic beverages, are a result of the drinking preferences of our ancestors. In alcohol, especially, international events of historic importance have often given birth to several kinds of drinks.

Ankit Tayal, a prominent restaurateur, describes the three eras that have introduced varied kind of drinks to people across the globe.

Prohibition-era cocktails
The period from 1920 to 1932 in the United States saw alcohol banned in the country. Thus, people had to illegally buy and sell liquor. Bars were built behind normal shops, where people had to knock the door and say a pass-code to gain access.

During the 1900s, people from the States, especially from New York, would go to Cuba  as the country was haven for those who craved a drink (or four).

Visitors from across the country were pouring in to have a sip of their favourite alcoholic beverages. However, back then drinks were all about whiskies and rums that gave birth to cocktails that were bitter and hard on the taste buds.

Disco-Age cocktails
In post-war times, people started taking drinks to the next level, where sugar syrups, juices, egg whites, coffee and berries came into the picture. Drinkers slowly started to acquire the taste of mix-ups rather than consuming bare alcohols. Though, this era can be titled as the birth-time of cocktails, these were basic experimentations rather than passionate trend-setter drinks.

Millennial Cocktails

Millennials are the stars when it comes to the drinking experience. Mridul Mishra, a 27-year-old, enthusiastically shares that his all-time favourite drink is gin-and-tonic margarita. “I remember this one time when our group of friends sat down to have a couple of drinks over a round of poker to celebrate one of our friend's birthday. After finishing a couple of rounds of both poker and drinks, we decide to go out and party. The clock strikes perfect 12, we wish him and continue the celebration. The party lasted till the morning and most of us didn't remember when we went to bed. The morning after, we start looking for the birthday boy to present him with the cake that no one remembered to offer him the previous night, only to be informed that the birthday was on the following day. We basically got the dates wrong and the guy played along with us,” recalls Mishra.

As for Malvika Sharma, two of her favourite drinks would be  Cosmopolitan and Mimosa. New-age drinks or millennial cocktails cannot be restricted within limitations as experimentation is an integral part of these drinks. The ingredients that have become quite famous nowadays would be elderflower and artificial aromas.

Club Cuba’s El Presidente

Ingredients:

Brandy - 30ml
Dry vermouth - 15ml
Orange liqueur - 15ml
Dark rum - 60ml

Method:

Flame the brandy in a margarita glass
Shake the dry vermouth, orange liqueur and dry rum  
Inject the shaken liquid into an ice ball and place it in the flamed margarita glass, ready to be served

Fruta Loca

Ingredients:
Bubblegum-infused
vodka - 90ml
Lime juice - 15ml
Pineapple juice - 30ml
Orange juice - 30ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients and shake them well, then pour into a margarita glass
Serve the cocktail with an oven-roasted pineapple on the side.

Charcoal Margarita

Ingredients:
Tequila - 60ml
Lime juice - 20ml
Pineapple juice - 30ml
Activated charcoal (liquid) - 60ml
Pineapple juice for bubbles

Method:
 Shake all the ingredients (tequila, lime juice, pineapple juice, activated charcoal) and pour into a margarita glass
Top up with pineapple bubbles

Note: Pineapple bubble is made by taking the required amount of pineapple juice and then shaking it

— Signature recipes from Club Cuba, The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel