Are you looking for a chilled celebration this Holi? What could be better than having a special Holi cocktail? Use these DIY cocktail recipes this year!
Holi, the festival of colors is around the corner, so get your colors and dresses out! Or are you planning on staying at home and having a house party? Well, whatever the situation is, tasty cocktails must be on board! Having a chilled Holi party without special cocktails is a sin that no one must commit.
Sipping cocktails would be far from a traditional Holi celebration with colors, pichkaris, and unlimited glasses of thandai. But, it would make one enjoyable celebration that would be remembered till the end! Take these recipes for some amazingly tasty cocktails and make the party even more lively!
“Paan Martini”
A well-made paan is a staple as a refreshment, so imagine how great the taste would be if you could convert it into a martini! Take your love for paan and add a little bit of vodka to it, it will take your saada paan to the next level. The Bar Operations Manager at the St. Regis Mumbai, Kailash Kamble shares this amazing paan flavored cocktail recipe that will make you a hit at the party. One of the reasons why this will be a guaranteed hit is that the chopped betel nut leaves and gulkand will balance the spicy and sweet combination, which is a classic among cocktail lovers! To make this recipe, you would need 60 ml Vodka, 20 ml rose water, 5-10 ml lime juice, 1 tsp Gulkand or Paan masala, 1 finely chopped betel nut leaf, and 10-12 cubes of ice. You need to muddle the betel leaf, Gulkand, and lime juice in a martini shaker with a pestle and shake that until every ingredient is crushed together. Now after that, drop the ice cubes, and along with it goes vodka and rose water. You need to shake well for at least 30-40 seconds, strain, and pour into a martini glass and your drink is ready!
“Thandai Cocktail”
Make sure to never skip on Thandai on Holi, and make this drink to level up the party! The fan following of Thandai, especially on Holi is justified. The milk-based beverage is filled with flavors from peppers, saffron, almonds, rose, and cardamom. The co-founder of Ishaara, Prashant Issar recommends this drink for your house cocktail party this year. He says, “We make our drink in a margarita glass, with a medley of flavors, cutting the sweet with a bit of tart by adding orange juice.” So the ingredients that you will need for this drink include 2 cubes of crushed ice
20 ml Thandai syrup ( it will be available at your local grocery store), 45 ml orange juice, 15 ml almond syrup, 45 ml Vodka, 30 ml milk, 1 gm grated nutmeg, and 1 chopped almond for garnishing. To make this put crushed ice in the blender first, and add Thandai syrup, almond syrup, orange juice, milk, and then vodka together. Now blend every ingredient until it reaches a smooth consistency. It might take you around 90 seconds. Now pour it into a glass and garnish your drink with chopped almond and grated nutmeg.
“The Kaala Chasma Black Out”
If you call yourself an Indian street food fan, you might as well be a fan of one very familiar taste of kaala khatta. Now Raman Mondal has ideated a drink that will bring you this exact flavor, but you can make it your home! This tangy cocktail does not only contain the flavor but it will be the perfect reminiscent of the gulaal’s color. You will get everything in it, the sweet, salty, and sour flavors along with the kick of vodka. To make this, you would need 45ml vodka, 90ml fresh pineapple juice, 20ml Kala Khatta syrup, a Pinch of black salt, 15ml lemon juice, and 45 ml of cranberry juice. First, you need to shake the vodka, the kaala khatta syrup, lemon juice, and a splash of cranberry juice and then blend. Now add ice to the mixer and for decoration, add maraschino cherry, one dehydrated pineapple slice, and pineapple leaf!
“Ginger Orange Fizz”
If there is a safe flavor that will be loved by all at a party, it definitely is the flavor of ginger and orange. Now put these two together and you might have one of your favorite cocktails. For this, you can take the fizzy Ginger Ale, and combine it with the heavy smoothness of whisky, and you have the ideal one for yourself. Now, for an extra summer kick, you can add orange to it, and trust us, it changes the game! The ingredients to make this cocktail include 45 ml whisky, 1 tbsp orange marmalade, 10 ml lime juice, and Ginger Ale. take a highball glass, pour the whiskey, and stir it. Now add orange marmalade and lime juice to the whiskey before filling it with ice. Now top that up with frizzy Ginger Ale.
“Super cocktail– Turmeric”
If you think you want a splash of color at your party, you can never go wrong with this super cocktail. Beautiful golden yellow in color, this boozy vodka-based drink with Turmeric is definitely a great way to end this weekend. To make this cocktail, you would need 45 ml Vodka or Ginger Zest, 30 ml fresh lime juice, 20 ml honey syrup, 60 ml Moroccan mint tea, 60 ml ginger beer, and 1 dash of turmeric. To make this, place all the ingredients together into a shaker except for the soda water and shake well. Now strain the mixture into a highball glass and top it up with ice and ginger beer. To make it extra fancy, you can also garnish it with mint sprig.
“Holi Kesar Kasturi”
Jayesh at Epitome, the bar mixologist ideates this amazing and exciting cocktail that is perfect for any festive season, especially for this pious occasion of Holi. Kesar is one of the most expensive and precious spices so having this in a cocktail will give you an extra bougie feeling too! The ingredients to make this cocktail include 1 bar spoon orange marmalade, 2 cloves, 10ml saffron syrup/strands of fresh saffron, a Sprig of fresh thyme, and 60ml Bourbon whisky. Now muddle thyme, cloves, and orange marmalade together before adding saffron syrup, and Bourbon whisky. Now add ice cubes to the mixture and stir. Garnish the drink with cloves and a sprig of thyme and voila, you have yourself a perfect drink to sip!
Try out these cocktails at home this Holi and you will end up making this a ritual every year!
