At Nksha in Churchgate, they use ghee in the Desi Ghee cocktail along with rum, thums up and umeshu to give the cocktail a smooth and citrusy flavour. Photo Courtesy: Nksha
The 'fat-washing' technique means using ingredients that release fat that in turn influences the flavour of a cocktail. It is not to be confused with clarified cocktails that city mixologists say are made by the complete drink getting clarified, whereas fat-washing is purely applied to the spirit. At SAZ American Brasserie in BKC, senior bartender Prashant Patil uses truffle and parmesan in two cocktails called 'Truffle Sazrac' and 'Poker Face' respectively. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: Istock
In Truffle Sazrac, Patil has used the method in chilled filtration by mixing all the ingredients and keeping it in the refrigerator, so that the alcohol absorbs all the flavours of the oils; after 48 hours, he strains it and the batch is ready. With Poker Face, he has used chunks of parmesan, added tequila and then smoked it with cinnamon sticks and left it for 48 hours so that the parmesan chunks melt slowly and give it a nice creamy texture to it. Photo: SAZ American Brasserie
At Nksha, Varun Sudhakar, bar and beverage consultant for the restaurant, makes two cocktails with fat like desi ghee and butter called 'Desi Ghee' and '1966' respectively. The first one is an ode to Punjab with rum-washed ghee and thums up, along with a citrusy umeshu. On the other hand, the '1966' combines butter with bourbon whiskey to give a smooth flavour that is combined with fresh green tomato juice, which gives it a savoury flavour, and is served with sev puri as a tribute to Mumbai. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: Istock
Head mixologist Hemali Bendre has been experimenting at Native Bombay by using chorizo fat and coconut oil in 'Pork It Up' and 'Coco & Curry Negroni' respectively. In the first one, the chorizo is cooked and the fat is removed, cooled and mixed with whiskey and refrigerated overnight before being clarified to give a spicy taste to the whiskey. She mixes coconut oil with campari, freezes it and then strains the mixture to give a tropical flavour to the other cocktail with a smooth and creamy flavour. Photo Courtesy: Native Bombay
While the technique has existed for some time, Sudhakar says there are more effective tools today to make it better with the key being temperature and quality of filtration. The use of fat in cocktails changes the mouthfeel and helps cut off the rough edges of a drink. However, it needs to be studied well to see if it triggers any allergy from base ingredients like peanuts. While this is only the start, the restaurants are keen on adding more of such cocktails to the menu. Image for representational purposes only. Photo Courtesy: Istock
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