Fancy made Simple

On the ground floor of Inorbit Mall,two tables were placed with a blender,mixer,mocktail glasses and boxes of ingredients. A group of young teenagers approached the makeshift drinks counter and inquired what was going on. The host of the workshop,Vaishali Shinde,told them that it was a set up for a mocktail-making workshop and asked if they wanted to learn something new today. After looking through a pamphlet that contained a list of fancy cocktails,the teenagers excitedly replied that they want to learn how to make a Black beauty.

Despite their fancy names,mocktails are actually quite simple to make,explained Shinde. Another group of home makers gathered around the table and bombarded her with questions on how to choose mocktail glasses. Another participant quizzed her about the innovative beverages that can be made using crushes and squashes,which take up space in the refrigerators. Shinde patiently answered the questions as she pulled out a box of almost molten vanilla ice cream from one of the boxes on the table and emptied it into a mixer jar. She then added a little less than half of an aerated lemon beverage and a quarter bottle of black currant crush. She blended the mixture for fifteen seconds and emptied it into goblets.

She prefers to use goblets for the black currant flavoured mocktail and other thick mocktails,she said. For less dense mocktails which are richer in flavour,one must use martini glasses,she pointed out. The audience was introduced to the three basic types of mocktails,the first of which was blended – thicker mocktails that contain ice cream or milk,blended in a mixer,as the name suggests. Muddled mocktails are made by muddling the ingredients,while built-up mocktails are made by filling the tumbler with ice and then adding flavourful ingredients to it.

The audience was given a chance to make their own mocktails,guided by Shinde They tried various combinations of flavoured crushes and ice creams and aerated drinks to make innovative mocktails. All the participants were served portions of their mocktails which they tasted and then innovated further.