Drinks with a halo of health!

Manika Ahuja

Garam Dharam — every time you are within earshot of a conversation between a group of Punjabis, and happen to hear the rather quirky nickname of Bollywood’s angry young man, Dharmendra, ears prick up, and so do the expectations of something intriguing coming your way. Only this time, the rich in natural ingredients Garam Dharam, will be ‘poured’ in your glass with goodness of beetroot in tow! Confused? Well, with the concept of drinks with a halo (read fruit cocktails) catching up on foreign shores, how could Chandigarhians be far behind? If the soaring popularity of fruity sprits is anything to go by, pretty soon, you will raise a fruity toast with equally juicy names to your friends.

And mind you, not only will the natural fruits infused in your drink make it a healthier bet, it will also “taste much better,” avers mixologist Nitin Tewari, as he concocts a fresh fruit cocktail from behind the counter, at Hotel Hyatt Regency’s new lifestyle bar- The Stage.   

Shaken tales

Nitin lists out some glaring trends being witnessed in the arena, “People are now bored with placing the same monotonous orders. They want a drink which is healthy and unique, has a story behind it and needless to say, interesting names to make it catchy.” 

Long story short, innovative drinks which are enhanced by making use of new flavours, are taking the bar counter by storm. “Garam Dharam is a classic example of the same, wherein we collect the fumes of chicken tikka and infuse them in the drink,” he elaborates, and continues, “I also replace sugar with honey, and at times add mango, peach and pineapple for natural sweetness instead of creating it artificially.”

Best fruit forward

A variety of liqueurs get an interesting makeover at the hands of Nitin, for the mixologist opts for healthy picks such as basil, rose, pineapple and oranges as base for his shaken delights.

The cocktails also assume an all-new avatar when he tosses sleek attractive props. A magnifier atop a glass? “Well, that is my Sherlock Holmes inspired drink, which I call- The Detective,” clarifies Nitin. Then there is ‘Snowhite and the seven dwarfs’ inspired drink, which comprises of seven tiny glasses symbolising dwarfs. King of Pop drink with a beetroot base can also be seen glinting behind, thanks to the Michael Jackson inspired cocktail, which comes wrapped in a red carpet. What’s more, the drinker would also be given a white glove to gulp it down a la King of Pop!  

Nitin signs off by underlining the essence of fresh fruit cocktails, “Not only do seasonal fruits create a natural flavour, they also make mixologists more creative, for we are not churning out tried and tested drinks anymore.”