BYOB: Be your own bartender

Ginger wineBorivlibased Lynn Tate is making a batch of the nonalcoholic ginger wine an Anglo Indian favourite with the warmth of ginger and cardamom She says its a good digestive soothes nausea sore throat and coldBest served chilled it goes well with cheesecake If youd like to add a kick drizzle in some whiskey or brandy It is made through a simple but regular process of stirring and straining over a twoweek period Using ginger root the spicy wine is ready in two weeks says TateOrder 9930540939Cost Rs 700 for 1 litre Rs 350 for 500 mlPeru distilled cocktailReady steady drinkA MUSTadd to your bar is the Perry Road Peru a Mumbaistyle distilled cocktail This guest bottle is a collaboration between Lower Parel resto bar The Bombay Canteen and gin brand Strangers and Sons and contains peru from Bandras Perry Road and gin The fruits were handpicked and ferried over to the Third Eye Distillery in Goa we are told Peeled at their peak they are slowly macerated into the gin making this a potent but palatable mix To add the Bambaiya touch it comes with a generous pinch of chillisalt mix reminiscent of the masala peru hand cartwallahs smear on slices and can be served on ice chilled straight up or as a highball topped with soda This one is our top pickOrder httpswwwhungerincinperryroadperuCost Rs 2999Kit pickingFor classic cocktailsmocktailsPub chain Social makes sure you get your signature cocktails at home They say You get the booze we get the mixers From the fiery Bloody Mary to the refreshing Dope martini the mixers require ice and a shake to make the perfect mocktail Drizzle in some daru and you have a cocktailOrder Swiggy ZomatosocialdotpeinCost Rs 150 per mixerEffingut 2 GoThis walkin store for beer will sort you out for NYE with three sizes of growlers from 500 ml pet bottles to one litre glass bottles Go for the classic Hefenweizen and Dunkelweizen or our favourite saizon and dark stout a stein Robust porter The one litre plastic growler can be exchanged for a new one on your next visitOrder effingutinOrderSpike your teaThe Botanicals Cocktail Kit by Tea Trunk comes with a shaker peg measurer bar snack and three lovely herbsflowers Apple spice black tea blue pea and hibiscus The recipe card inside gives you detailed instructions on how to brew and blend the flavours Enjoy them as mocktails or add one of the alcohol options listedOrder teatrunkinCost Rs 999Warm redColaba restaurant The Table is offering a mulled wine made with orange star anise cinnamon clove and rosemary with a dash of brandy Sommelier and beverage head at the restaurant Pratik Angre says We pick a fruit forward wine and warm it up to 55 to 60 degrees we dont want it fuming just hot enough to open out the flavours A sangria is preferably steeped over night because it is cold and needs time to absorb the flavours a mulled wine can be ready in an hour or two If you are trying it at home heres a tip If the oranges are not flavourful enough add CointreauOrder 9326003854 preOrder one day priorCost Rs 3000Flavoured ice cubesThey come packed with herbs and mixers All you do is add soda paani and alcohol And if you are a teetotaller with this and soda you have a fancy drink to nurse all evening When it comes to making cocktails there is the tedious process of prepping fruits and vegetables chopping mixing and muddling With the flavoured ice cubes you skip all this Their latest flavour is called Berry Christmas and we found that it gets along with gin and vodkaOrder iceburstinCost Rs 199 for eight cubesCraftersA musttry on their menu is the apple cider Other favourites include Hefeweizen Belgian wit Pilsner Dark lager and Marzen If you want a recommendation Cucumber lager it isAt Shop No 16 New Link Palace CHS P Tandon Marg Highland Park AndheriwCost 1 litre growler at R600 and 25 litre for Rs 1400 excluding taxesCordially invitedAsian restaurant and bar Yauatcha is offering cocktail kits and cordials Tingly guava is packed with zesty ginger and recommended with vodka Lalu a homemade cordial with lemongrass aromatic oolong tea and lychee juice goes well with vodkaCost Rs 300 eachOrder 9820192068All rice for beerThe city saw one of its first growlers by owners of Foo and KOKO who collaborated with Great State Aleworks to launch their first rice beer A crisp and light ale they say it complements Chinese and Japanese cuisines The Foo Brew is available in a onelitre growler at 45 per cent alcohol content that makes it a sessionable beerCost Rs 750Order 9920133488The Gateway Brewery CompanyMumbais first craft beer takes it a notch higher with party kegs of a gingerinfused The Christmas Special Bombay Porter this Party season Pour out a round of roasty caramel and toffee notes Maker promise heaven with plum cake traditional Christmas roasts and meats The kegs which also offer the regulars including white zen doppelganger mosaic IPA zini lager monks potion hold five litres and pour around 15 glasses of beerOrder gatewaybreweryINSTAGRAM and wwwgatewaybrewerycomCost Rs 2825 onwardsDrifters BreweriesTheir team is rooting for their Special Christmas Beer a Raspberry Vanilla Milkshake Sour Ale The temperature has dropped and the nip in the air is reason enough to gather close friends and family and toast to the New Year Made with vanilla and lactose this milkshakey drink is fruity and creamyOrder wwwdriftersbrewcomCost Rs 625Natural mixersFree of added preservatives Swa Artisanal Syrups are made with whole fruits herbs and spices Choose from 60 flavours of readytomix blends like jamun kalakhatta lemon ginger naariyal pani summer berries passion fruit tea tamarind shikanji We can already taste the whiskey with jamun and gin with ginger nariyal paani Owned and run by Bangalorebased Vaishali Mehta the syrups are handcrafted in small batches by women trained under a skill upliftment programmeOrder Amazon drinkswacomCost Rs 300 for 250 mlMulling over wineSay prostEvery year at this time of the year consultant chef Aditi Keni makes a batch of Gluehwein to keep warm and spread some yearend cheer Traditionally consumed in Germany and Austria after skiing sessions its perfect to sip on given that we have all manoeuvred some challenging tracksCost Rs 1200 for 750 mlOrder 9820444561On the growlBrew WhaleIf you are in a festive mood go for the endangered searies American IPA which has a smooth bitterness with hints of grapefruit and passionfruit or go for their bestsellers Moby Wit Belgian Witbier and Harbour the Lager American Dark Lager Available in onelitre growlersOrder 8928543276Tricks of the trade from the expertBar tips from veteran mixologist Shatbi Basu who is out with her latest book The Cant Go Wrong Book of Mocktailsgtgt Make your favourite drinks in a big jug Just multiply the quantities pour over a large block of ice Add garnish in If it uses any aerated drinks pour them in just before servicegtgt Freeze assorted juices in ice trays and store cubes in bagsgtgt Stock plenty of clear clean aged ice in the freezer This cold hard ice doesnt melt easilygtgt When cutting lime lemon or orange peel for twists remove the bitter white inner membrane of the rind Use a potato peeler to get just the zest or use a very sharp knifegtgt Where a twist of orange lime or lemon peel is used squeeze the peel to release its aromatic oils before adding into the drinkgtgt While muddling lime or orange wedges be gentle Bruise only the skin to release oilsgtgt Aromatic bitters are used only to enhance flavours in a drink so use them last Alternately a tiny splash of Campari works too so does a sparked stick of cinnamon star anise fresh herbs gently bruisedgtgt Treat mocktails like you would a cocktail as they need the same flavour nuance and balance of a cocktail Use elegant glassware and finish them with fresh fruit and herbs