Jim Morrison might have gotten up this morning to get himself a beer, but Lhendup G Bhutia woke up one morning to get himself a few strange cocktails that are better mixed outside the home bar. Why? For one, some ingredients may start a fire at home!
Jim Morrison might have gotten up this morning to get himself a beer, but Lhendup G Bhutia woke up one morning to get himself a few strange cocktails that are better mixed outside the home bar. Why? For one, some ingredients may start a fire at home!
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While the earliest known definition of the cocktail (May 13, 1806) which appeared in The Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in New York, was, "Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters," some of the cocktails available in the city range from green chillies and red chilli powder to beetle leaves mixed with vodka.
Mr Mistry at Harbour Bar, a nice Parsi gentleman, is every inch the
barman one sees in a Western film. He made me a fruity, fresh drink
christened From The Harbour Since 1933 by an American sailor.
Pic/ Bipin Kokate
The first thing I did was to head to Harbour Bar at Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Colaba, a place that I have been told stocks some of the best drinks. As I tried entering the five-star through its swanky revolving doors, I saw power couple Tina and Anil Ambani leaving. I gave way, and if I am not mistaken, both smiled. Not a bad start, eh? Mr Mistry a nice Parsi gentleman at Harbour Bar, is every inch the barman one sees in the Westerns. He could also be the village barber. He tells you a bit of the grapevine, asks many questions and talks a lot about himself.
Within 15 minutes, I knew he was single and lived with his parents, loves spending holidays buying and cooking fish, is 52 years old and started working when he was 17. He is also a teetotaler and the cocktail he recommended was called From The Harbour Since 1933. When I inquired how a barman could be a teetotaler, he said, "Baba, am I paagal? I would never drink something worth Rs 750." And then, measuring the length of his left hand, he said, "Who will spend a chhutti (holiday) buying a khamba (alcohol bottle)? I'd rather get myself fish."
In one large glass, he mixed ice, gin, peach liqueur, fruit punch and mixed fruit juice; and in another he heated a glassful of the French liqueur Chartreuse, in which floated chopped fresh fruits. While he prepared the drink, he recounted the story behind the name. Two American sailors sailed into what was then Bombay in 1933, only to learn that prohibition in the US had been lifted. Sailors that they were, this news brought them immense joy. They went to Harbour Bar and asked the barman to prepare a drink of his choice. The barman prepared the drink that I was soon going to try. The sailors loved it, but the barman did not have a name for it, so one of the sailors stood atop a stool and called it out: From The Harbour Since 1933.
By this moment in the story, Mistry had flamb ufffded the heated drink, which he swirled and added to the other and in a few shakes, echoed the sailor as he handed me the drink. "Women prefer this drink," he said, "since it is very palatable and fruity." At Rs 750, given its large quantity, the drink is value for money. While it's extremely smooth (think of gulping down orange juice), it's when you get up from your bar stool that you realise Mistry wasn't all that honest. It leaves you quiet high. A few handshakes and hugs later, I was off to try my next drink.
Jalapeno Margarita
Canvas, Palladium, Lower Parel
The Jalapeno Margarita is a slushy, dirty-looking, greenish drink prepared
with two olives, Tequila, Cointreau and lemon juice. Pic/ Bipin Kokate
u00a0
This place's ambience is quite the opposite of the Harbour Bar's. While there was Ella Fitzgerald crooning Love Me Or Leave Me at Harbour, here a DJ played Electronica. The barman, unlike Mistry, was a young chap, who, you could tell, wasn't the sort to like either tales or hugs. Up on offer was the Jalapeno Margarita (Rs 556). Yes you heard it right, Jalapeno Margarita. Here, in a blender, a slushy, dirty, greenish drink was prepared, with two olives, Tequila, Cointreau and lemon juice. Two jalapenos were then popped in for effect. Unlike the smooth, fruity flavour of the previous drink, this was spicy. According to the barman, women love it (again!) I asked him why, and he wondered why I looked surprised, when he said, "Because women like spicy and tangy things."
Banana Cucumber Martini
Bonobo, Bandra
By this time, I was craving something fruity and smooth, so I headed to Bonobo in Bandra to find a martini that is made of bananas and cucumber. The bar itself looked like a fruit stall. Jostling for space with the alcohol bottles on the shelf were apples, watermelons, bananas, oranges, other fruits and herbs like cinnamon, cardamom, thyme and basil. Just looking at the shelf made me happy.
For the Martini (Rs 410), bananas and cucumbers were sliced, and blended along with vodka, banana puree, cucumber syrup and a bit of liquid Macadamia. While a gentleman at the bar table found it revoltingu00a0-- he almost threw up, and I wonder if that was because he was doing a bar trail toou00a0-- I quite liked it. While one got a distinct banana smell, the flavours of the cucumber and banana were so well- meshed that you didn't quite realise that there was vodka in there as well.
Chatka Mary
One Above On Toes, Bandra
Next up was Chatka Mary (Rs 400) in One Above On Toes in Bandra. The place was nicely done up, with a dimly-lit ambience and bluish pictures of women in pagnes on the walls. The barman looked like he had just come out of a temple, covered as his arms were in amulets and charms, and I had to ask him to button up his rolled-up sleeves for the photo shoot. Here, Chatka Mary was prepared using vodka, guava and lime juice, lime wedges and then, hold on, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and red chilli powder. It was poured into an ordinary-looking glass that was rimmed with salt and pepper, and garnished with a slit green chilli. It tasted strange, to say the least, much like putting salt and pepper into a slice of cucumber, except that the cucumber had been replaced with alcohol. If you don't get that the first time, down a Jalapeno Margarita and try again.
Ek Jamh Ghalib ke Naam
MirzaGhalib, Khar
After four cocktails, I don't quite recall the journey to MirzaGhalib, the new eatery near Khar station, but I do remember drinking a paan cocktail that went by the name of Ek Jamh Ghalib Ke Naam (Rs 350). Here, where Jagjit Singh look-alikes sing ghazals, the drink is prepared using beetle leaves, vodka and two cloves. They are blended together and pieces of beetle leaves are strained using a sieve. How does it taste? Exactly like paan mixed with vodka.
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