New-Age Healthy Cocktails

 

(This article first appeared online on 14th February 2024 on Live Mint and in print on 15th February in Mint newspaper India on page 14 https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/drink/low-calorie-skinny-cocktails-conscious-drink-trends-2024-111707877699595.html)

Water Bars, Menus and Sommeliers

 

(This article first appeared in print on 16th September 2023 in Mint Lounge newspaper, India on page 6 and online here https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/drink/water-sommeliers-menu-drinks-india-111694919669185.html)

7 Of Sydney's Hottest Restaurants and Bars

 

This article was first published in print in the September-October issue of India Outbound magazine

10 Negroni's Across India

 

(This article first appeared both in print and online on 7th June 2023 in Mint Lounge, India https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/drink/negroni-cocktails-bars-restaurants-india-111686106997613.html)

Some Like it Hot!

Move over icy cocktails, for it is time to make way for a plethora of boozy drinks—from hot mulled wines and warm spicy toddies this festive winter season.

By Raul Dias

Quick question: what are the first few things that come to your mind when you hear the word ‘cocktail’? Tall, icy glasses and tumblers filled with colourful, alcohol-laced libations and topped off with imaginative garnishes would be some of the first to describe the drinks that both refresh and give you a slight buzz in equal measure. 

Well, not quite in this case! We are here to shake things up (pun intended!) a wee bit with a few cocktail iterations that trod the off beaten path. A path that is ultra-seasonal and one that takes you on an alcoholic ride no less potent. We are waxing eloquent about the hot or at the very least warm cocktails that make their annual presence felt the moment the mercury takes a little a southward dive. 

Here is looking at everything from hot mulled wines to warm spicy toddies and boozy buttered rums. All perfect drinks to warm the cockles of your heart this festive winter season. And what is even better is that you can make each of them at home yourselves!

Spiced Cinnamon Hot Toddy

At Silver Beach Café, Mumbai

Bourbon and maple with hints of spice makes this hot alcoholic beverage conceptualised by Iven Henry Raghwan, Senior Bar Manager at Silver Beach Cafe, Bandra, Mumbai the perfect choice for a nippy evening. The flavourful sweetness of maple does not overpower the notes of the Bourbon, yet it allows the spices to take over subtly and hit the right notes, just like the perfect melody! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup maple syrup or cane sugar 

3/4 cup warm water 

Red chilly to taste 

2 whole cinnamon sticks

2 squeezed fresh lemon

2 ounces Bourbon

Hot water (as required)

Star anise (for garnish)

Method:

* Add maple syrup/sweetener, water, cinnamon sticks, chilly to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and let it cool for 20 minutes or longer. Strain and store for use. 

* For one glass add half of the lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of the prepared spicy syrup, Bourbon and hot water to top.

* Throw in a stick of cinnamon and allow the drink to pull in the flavour of the spice.

* Garnish with star anise, a lemon slice and serve warm. 

Café Pluck Nutella Hot Coffee

At Café Pluck, Pullman New Delhi Aerocity

There is nothing quite like a cup of coffee, is there? Now, imagine few sips of the aromatic magic with an amazing combination of Nutella, and Baileys Irish Cream and you are suddenly awake and motivated to tackle your day head on. This hot cocktail, perfect for a chilly Sunday mid-day brunch is an explosion of flavours and textures and is the concoction of Café Pluck’s Assistant Manager, Mayank Pander all deceptively served up in a tall sundae glass.

Ingredients:

1 shot espresso coffee  

1 shot milk

1 tbsp Nutella

2 tbsp whipped cream

1 shot Baileys Irish Cream

Coffee, chocolate powder and chocolate cookies (for garnish)

Method:

* Take one shot  hot espresso in a sundae glass and slowly mix Nutella into the coffee.

* Add one shot of Baileys.

* Make a nice froth from hot, full cream milk and top it up over the coffee.

* Take whipped cream and nicely whip it over the coffee.

* Garnish it with crushed coffee, chocolate powder and chocolate cookies.

 

Hot Buttered Rum

At Artisan, Sofitel Mumbai BKC

This hot cocktail is especially popular in the fall and winter and is traditionally associated with the holiday season. “What makes it special is that it suits the Indian plate really well, with the use of spice and rum,” says Rajesh Singh, bar executive at Artisan, Sofitel Mumbai BKC who recently came up with this drink.

Ingredients:

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp butter (soft)

1 dash ground cinnamon

1 dash ground nutmeg

1 dash ground allspice

1 splash vanilla extract

2 ounces Bacardi Gold Rum

5 ounces hot water 

Cinnamon stick (for garnish)

Method:

* In mixing bowl, combine butter, vanilla extract, sugar and spices. Beat until well combined.   

* In heat-proof glass or mug, combine aged rum with 1 ounce (2 tbsp) spiced butter mixture. Remaining mixture can be stored in airtight container in refrigerator for future use.

* Top with hot water and stir until ingredients are well incorporated. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

 

Mulled Wine

At Plum by Bentchair, New Delhi 

Dubbed the '#Plumazing Mulled Wine', this easy-to-prepare riff on a traditional mulled wine by Plum by Bentchair's Corporate Mixologist, Raj Negi is a beautiful meld of red wine, honey, orange zest, and spices to make you feel the pleasure of warmth in this chilly weather.

Ingredients:

150 ml red wine

15 ml honey

A pinch of orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

2 cloves

Orange slice and cinnamon stick (for garnish)

Method:

* Add all the ingredients in a saucepan simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes.

*  Serve warm and garnish with orange slice and cinnamon sticks.

(An edited version of this piece was first published in the November 2020 issue of LuxeBook magazine https://www.luxebook.in/)

Budapest’s ‘dawn’ at dusk!

A magnificent city that is brimming with everything from some jaw-dropping architectural gems to its spa culture and chic ruin bars, Budapest is best enjoyed at night. Raul Dias shows you the top ways to spend your evenings in the twinkling Hungarian capital. 

By Raul Dias

Never mind the stunning visuals put out there of Budapest by night that you may encounter when planning your trip to the Hungarian capital (whose name is a portmanteau of the city’s two neighbourhoods of the hilly Buda to the west and flatter Pest on the east). Or even in a travel article such as this, for that matter. Trust me. They do absolutely no justice to the nocturnal charms of the city, however well-composed they may be. You simply have got to see it with your own eyes, as I recently did on a trip to Central Europe.
Very little actually prepares you for that exact shade of cobalt blue of the night sky that you’ll see reflected onto the mighty Danube as the crimson sun melts into the river’s waters. No amount of reference is enough to catch a real-time glimpse of the Gothic Parliament Building all lit up, sitting mightily perched on the river’s banks. And you need to actually cross the river forded by the iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge to realise how imposing it really is—with its twin arches illuminated by thousands of flickering lightbulbs.
Perhaps, no other city—save for Paris, France—has ever had such an impact on my senses as Budapest did, all under the cover of dusk. Here’s my list of the best take-aways from Budapest at night:

Enjoy sunset at Buda Castle
Overseeing the city that lies beneath it, the imposing Buda Castle sits atop a hill on the Buda side of the Danube. You can head here in the early morning hours, or better still at sunset for breathtaking photo ops, or come during open hours for a guided historical tour that’s free. Part of the palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, the massive Baroque castle was built between 1749 and 1769 and sits on the south tip of Castle Hill, bounded on the north by what is known as the Castle District of Várnegyed. The castle now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and The Budapest History Museum along with other 19th-century houses, churches and public buildings.

Join the Heroes!
A famous landmark in Budapest, the Hősök Tere Heroes Square with its colonnade remains a local and tourist favourite at night when it’s all lit up. If you love history, monuments and statues this is a great area to explore and take some pictures, specially of the iconic statue complex featuring the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders. The Memorial Stone of Heroes often (wrongly!) referred to as the tomb of the unknown soldier can also be found here, as well as one of Hungary’s biggest museums for art and culture lovers—the Museum of Fine Arts!

An evening dip, perhaps?
Legendary for its many therapeutic thermal baths that can be found across the city, Budapest is a spa-junkie’s dream come true. And one of the best places for a post-sundown soak or splash about is the Szechenyi Spa Bath in the Pest side of the city. Here is where you can take part in the traditional Hungarian past time of going to a spa bath. Think huge tubs to choose from, lots of people resting and relaxing in the thermal pools, and snack bars to hang out at, all while making some new Hungarian friends! Interestingly, this spa offers occasional (and very popular) pool parties here as well, if you are willing to pay the hefty (almost Rs 4,000) price ticket, that is.

Cruising along
What better way to get to know Budapest by night than to see all of it while sailing the Danube on a leisurely dinner cruise? Sail past the superbly lit up Parliament Building, the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the Liberty Bridge and Matthias Church. All this, as you sip Hungarian wine and tuck into traditional Hungarian dishes like the paprika-rich goulash stew and the exotic horsemeat sausage called lo-keilbasa.

Get ‘ruined’!
As the birthplace of the ruin bar, Budapest has a very impressive cache of them indeed—places that are perfect to wind up your evening about town at. It all goes back to the early 2000’s when people who were looking for cheap places to drink started frequenting these lively and stylish bars that were often housed in derelict buildings and unused outdoor spaces in the Jewish Quarter of the city’s Bohemian 7th District. Here, check out places like Szimpla Kert that was the city’s first ruin bar and one that remains iconic or perhaps Anker’t that is one of the most popular party venues in Budapest, with its large courtyard that’s surrounded by bars and dance rooms.

(An edited version of this column first appeard in the 13th January 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/travel/budapest-is-best-enjoyed-at-night-and-heres-how/1435487)