I took part in cocktail making competition at Mogamoto
(Fort) and was surprised when my team bagged the first prize.
We were the team of food bloggers grouped into 3 persons
for each team and the idea was to create an innovative cocktail. Since I like
spicy stuff, I decided to add black pepper.
It was a relaxing afternoon at the Mogamoto at Fort, restaurant done
up beautifully with drapes on the ceiling and art on the walls. A flight of 10
wooden steps separates the restaurant into two levels giving it a cozy touch.
Each team went behind the bar at the cocktail station to
play around with the ingredients. There were drinks, juices, syrups, garnish and exotic
ingredients. The temptation to make an innovative cocktail was strong. Initially, I wanted to be just an audience, watching all the teams perform, but at the last
moment, I was inspired too and decided to make something different by playing around with the ingredients.
It was fun watching team prepare the cocktail. There was
lotsa discussion on what to add, with little prompts from the bar tender, who
were always willing to help. The crew of ‘Food Food Channel’ were all set with their
cameras, shooting the session for their program, while the judges asked
questions after every drink, discussing the ingredients used, and then passing
around to everybody to taste and pass the verdicts.
Team A
Team B
Team C
Team D
I am not much of
cocktail or mocktail person. If left on my own, I will just sip plain water.
But in a company of friends,( so as to not stand apart), I will have a small
glass of fresh juice. Lately cocktails and mocktail have made remarkable
appearances at the parties. You feast on finger food and sip your drink. To go
with a flow, I drink whatever is available. I normally take just one small
glass and it stays with me as an ornament after few small sips.
So, what is cocktail?
A cocktail is kind of a salad, mixing of hard drinks,
fruit juices, herbs, water and whatever you fancy. It normally consists of
three different classes of ingredients.
The first:
the base.
Base is normally some sort of spirit like gin, whisky,
vodka, wine, brandy, etc.
The second:
The modifier.
This is used to bring out the aroma of the base and to
modify the taste. The main flavoring is normally different fruit juices.
The third:
The flavor
Flavor is added to enhance the taste of the base and also
adds color to the drink. Common special flavoring are basil leaves, kafir
leaves, lime, lemon, ginger and other garnishes.
Most cocktails are also decorated with fruit slices like
orange peels, cocktail sticks, mint twigs etc.
Off the track, a friend asks
‘Why did cocktail bleed?’ –
because it was bloody Mary,
another Q- ‘Why did cocktail not marry? –
because
it preferred to be virgin Mary……
