Sip on savoury cocktails that are fatty, spicy and divisive

Why are the world’s best bartenders putting lobster, duck fat and chillies into your drink? 

Let’s be honest: some people hate it.  

When Manoj Padmanabhan, co-founder of Chennai’s Pandan Club, created his first savoury cocktail, inspired by instant noodles, he knew it would be divisive. To make the cocktail, gin is steeped overnight with a pack of noodles and nori, then distilled. It is served chilled, with a umami-rich noodle broth. 

“Yes, there are people who do not like it, but we also get a lot of young customers who order more than one,” he says.

As cocktails get more imaginative, bartenders are experimenting with savoury notes to create strong, lingering flavours. While this may seem like a brave new trend, Arijit Bose, who spearheads the popular bar Spirit Forward in Bengaluru, and has worked with some of India’s best bars, says that versions of savoury drinks have always been on menus.

“We have umami drinks, think of a Bloody Mary, or a Pickleback, which is bourbon with pickle juice. Back in the day, there was also something called a Bullshot, which comprised vodka, a little Worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of lemon and Tabasco. And PG Wodehouse mentions the Prairie Oyster, used as a pick-me-up for a hangover. It’s basically a Bloody Mary without the tomato juice, using gin and egg yolk,” says Arijit, adding “As bartenders, we have always had these drinks in the savoury realm... Now new age bartenders have figured out how to refine them further.”

In India, these drinks rely on some traditional ingredients, like Black salt, which has a rich umami flavour, pickle powder, kokum and fermented vegetables. At Shad Skye in Shillong, for instance, there’s a cocktail called Something Fishy inspired by Assam’s river island Majuli, where shrimps and tomato are cooked into a rich gravy, then pureed and strained. And at popular Soka in Bengaluru, the Mofo Don is a morish, spicy concoction of pickled pineapples, cilantro, jalapeno and, unexpectedly, red cabbage.

“There are a whole range of people who like chatpata cocktails,” says Arijit. Once in a while, you will have a drink and it will surprise you. I had an aha moment in Singapore, when I was served a salted egg yolk snowball, which was super tasty. At the moment, Asia is figuring out the nuances of savoury drinks.”

Hit or miss

Leading the way in Asia is The Savoury Project in Hong Kong, which just opened last year and has already made it to the Asia’s top 50 list, at 19. The bar, as the name suggests, focusses on culinary cocktails, inspired by popular food and unexpected ingredients.

Ajit Gurung, co-founder of The Savoury Project, says “Commercially it’s not the wisest choice — you cater to a very niche market. But this is because of our love for savoury drinks — I have always liked drinks that are a bit unique, and don’t have a lot of sugar.”

To create their drinks, Ajit and his team scour the local markets and have also started visiting old factories for ideas. “We recently went to a soy factory, and learnt how to make the sauce from scratch. We then made a drink based on that,” he says, adding, “We like highlighting local producers.” 

The menu includes a Michelada cocktail with clamato, habanero, pickle, Cantonese Worcestershire sauce and lager, as well as a Thai beef salad that you can drink, with beef, peanuts, coconut, chilli, kaffir lime and rum. Their best seller with Indian clients, however, is the Biryani cocktail, a thoughtfully-curated blend of ghee, biryani masala, tequila, plums, tonka beans, pineapple and peppers.

“Its all about execution and overall balance,” says Ajit, explaining how to get a savoury cocktail right. “Bartenders need to learn how to balance flavours.”

As for his favourite savoury cocktail? “I like it simple,” says Ajit, “I order a nice dirty martini with a touch of dashi and olive. Cocktails should be clean and simple.” 

Published - October 14, 2024 08:00 pm IST