Spice Trail

Wasabi cocktails have recently started appearing on the city’s bar menus. While several restaurants offering Southeast Asian cuisine serve these,such as Mamagoto and Singkong in Bandra and Umame in Churchgate,the list isn’t limited to such establishments. Take for instance,Wasabi Martini at Chez Moi,a cafe in Bandra and Oshiwara; Myagi Mule Liquid Sushi at The Dome,InterContinental Marine Drive; Heaven & Hell at Beluga Bar,The Lalit,Andheri East; and the Wasabi + Red Berry and Green Wasabi at Bonobo,Bandra.

“People are always looking for something beyond the regular martinis,LITs and Cosmopolitan. Experiments with Indian spices have already been done,so the idea is to try spices from other cuisines. Since pan-Asian food is being received well in the city,wasabi goes with the current palate,” says Jaideep Dagar,Assistant Food & Beverage Manager,InterContinental Marine Drive.

Although it appears rather simple to rustle up a cocktail using wasabi,bar experts claim that the ingredient is a rather tricky one. “It only works with neutral-tasting white spirits such as gin,white rum and vodka,because pungent wasabi doesn’t blend with other spirits,” says Clive D’Sa,the head bartender at Bonobo.

Dagar adds that the strong taste as well as the aftertaste of wasabi,in addition,threatens to overpower most ingredients that one may want to use in the cocktail. “The ingredient should be able to cut down the spice and balance its acidic taste. Citrus-y and tangy elements work very well for wasabi cocktails,such as tomato,pineapple,cucumber,Worcestershire sauce and so on,” he says. So the wasabi cocktail at The Dome is prepared using a hint of lime,ginger and ginger beer; Umame,Mamagoto and Three Wise Men in Khar use Tabasco and tomato juice for a Bloody Mary variant; Chez Moi plays safe with lime juice and sugar syrup; and Beluga Bar uses apple juice as another key ingredient. However,Dagar warns that there is no formula when working with wasabi,and trials are important.

Also,this variety of cocktails doesn’t gel with all kinds of cuisine. Sameer Uttamsingh,brand head,Dish Hospitality that owns Singkong,suggests to his customers that they avoid having it alongside sushi,which is anyway served with wasabi sauce. He says that these drinks go best with meats like chicken,prepared with mild flavours.

In spite of finding takers,no restaurant is offering a wide range of wasabi cocktails yet because pungent flavours don’t work with a number of people. InterContinental did have a few varieties a year ago but brought it down to one when the response didn’t match up to their expectation. Adds D’Sa,“It is great for experimentation,but many people have their favourite poison that they don’t swap anything with. It has just begun to catch on. Hopefully,people will warm up to it.”