Mixologist Pankaj Balachandran has added an interesting twist to the Prohibition Era cocktails at Rick’s. He spoke to Pallavi Gupta
The Prohibition Era was about ban on the sale, production and importation on alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933. This ban on alcohol led to an innovation of its own type in the form of ‘Prohibition cocktails.’ The ban on alcohol was supposedly imposed to get a halt on drinking in the 1920s. During that era bartenders experimented with sub-standard illegal spirits, household ingredients and homemade syrups and this further enhanced the love for drinking. This led to the invention of Prohibition cocktails.
To celebrate the classiness of Prohibition Era cocktails, Rick’s, the urban lounge bar at The Taj Mahal Hotel, has recreated a line of baroque cocktails that made their first appearance in the early 1920s in America. The cocktails on offer are a classic revival of the trends from that era. The credit goes to mixologist and restaurant manager, Pankaj Balachandran.
The recipes were fairly conventional, keeping with the spirit of the Prohibition Era, with a slight twist of innovation thrown into the mix, to make them memorable. The beauty of the drinks being that each had a story to be associated with.
We sampled the drinks on offer. The French 75 did feel like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun. French 75 was invented by the World War I French pilot. The key aspect of this cocktail is its potency, like the WW I artillery piece that it has been named after. It has a tangy flavour that is reminiscent of champagne, but the blend of spirits, lemon juice and a dash of rosemary adds a spark of innovation to a classic and conventional cocktail.
Next to follow was Mary Pickford. Fred Kaufman named it after the 18th century movie star. Mary Pickford is an elegant pink drink that mixes the flavours of white rum and fruits, making it the perfect evening drink. Served with a cherry, this drink has a fruity feel that just goes well with the inherent spice of its white rum base.
The next vintage on offer was probably the most interesting in terms of appearances and the ingredients used. The White lady is a drink that combines gin, cointreau, lemon juice, egg white and cinnamon powder, thereby leaving you mesmerised. What sets this drink apart from its Prohibition Era counterparts is its pure white colour and frothy consistency that is contributed by the egg white. The cinnamon powder adds an interesting twist to this classic drink that is easy on the taste buds and blends extremely well with other cocktails on offer.
The last drink we sampled was The Tuxedo which, like its name, is a powerful concoction prepared by mixing gin and vermouth. Without giving any false pretences, it is a powerful, potent and classy drink that does justice to its name. If you love experimenting with your drinks, you just can’t afford to miss anything from the list of Prohibition cocktails.