Stir it up

There's no denying that monsoon brings a chill in the air and all you want to do is snuggle up in your bed. This season, spend the rainy evenings indoor curating some refreshing cocktail and martinis that are quick and easy to make using exotic ingredients. Here are four cocktail and martini recipes by Avinash Kumar, Executive Chef at Novotel Imagica Khopoli, to turn on the monsoon blues.

Curated Cocktail: Nitro ABC

Ingredients

• Bourbon whisky- 30 ml
• Cinnamon stick - 1
• Honey - 2 bar-spoon
• Fresh lime squeeze - 1 ½
• Boiling hot water - 1 cup

Method:-

1. Pour warm water into a mug.
2. Add honey while stirring to dissolve.
3. Add the cinnamon stick and pour in the bourbon whiskey.
4. Add a squeeze of lemon, stir and serve.

Boozy Julius

Ingredients

• Smirnoff vodka - 60 ml
• Orange juice - 30 ml
• Vanilla extract - 30 ml

Method:-

1. At first, blend vanilla extract and frozen orange juice together.
2. Add concentrated sugar and top up with vodka.

Masala Tea Martini/ Monsoon Drizzle

Ingredients

• Bourbon - 45 ml
• Masala tea - 45 ml
• Sweet vermouth - 15 ml
• Orange peel or tea leaves for garnishing

Method:-

1. Put some ice into a cocktail shaker and pour in all the ingredients. Shake well and strain it.
2. Serve it chilled over ice in a rock glass with an orange peel topped up as garnishing.

Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita

Ingredients

• Tequilla - 60 ml
• Cucumber juice - 150 ml
• Chilli flakes
• Jalapeno-1
• Orange Liquer-1/4 cup

Method:-

1. Make a punch of all the ingredients – tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup, cucumber and jalapenos – in a large pitcher.
2. Garnish the amalgamated punch with chilli flakes as per your taste.