Consuming vegetables and roots is a good habit because they are packed with vitamins and nutrients. But of course there are days when you don’t feel like having your carrots or spinach. So then do you give the healthy veggies a snub? No. You can sip on a drink and fill your body with good nutrients.
With the ‘farm to table’ concept being appreciated and welcomed by diners across, it’s now time to try ‘farm to glass’. The team at Hyatt Regency Pune and Residences believes that if it can taste good on the plate, it can taste heavenly in the glass too!
Tapan Kumar, bartender at the property, has created a range of root and vegetable inspired cocktails. Beverages such as Beet Negroni, Carrot Margarita, Lavender Beets, and much more are a part of this range. The drinks have been curated in a manner which pair very well with the food. The freshness and crunchiness of roots and vegetables add a different dimension to the alcoholic creations. Beets, carrots, spinach, celery, radish, cucumber star great in autumn dishes, but their natural sweetness, savoury flavours, and vibrant colours work great in beverages, too.
Talking about some of the root and spirit combinations, Kumar points out that there are a few vegetables and roots that simply create a good cocktail. “Cucumber goes well with gin, carrot is a perfect pair for vodka, and whiskey tastes the best with beetroot. These are only a few, but you can always experiment and try for yourself, just keep it light and fresh,” says Kumar.
So how do you select vegetables or roots for beverages? Kumar points out that people need to understand the flavour profile of any ingredient that they want to use to make the cocktail. “There are certain roots which cannot be collaborated with liquor due to their nature and taste, and may even lead to allergies, so be on the lookout for the taste, colour and odour of the ingredient, and read them up before you decide to make anything on your own,” he adds.
However, sometimes the root or the vegetable can work as a bittering agent in the drink. Kumar says that since all natural substances have their own character and mostly green veggies and roots have bitter taste notes, to balance it one needs to understand the taste notes of the liquor that is being used to create the cocktail. While a few are sweet, a few others are extremely strong to taste, and a few others have different levels of acidity to them. “While focusing on the liquor that is being used to build this drink, I think people also need to consider using other ingredients that will lift the spirit of the drink and make it a good experience,” Kumar adds.
He points out that his personal favourite is the Beet (beetroot) and Peat (smokey).”Beetroot has always been my health dish and I enjoy Single Malt whiskey (Smokey), so I thought of putting them together and coming up with a smokey healthy cocktail — Beet and Peat!,” Kumar says excitedly.
And when we talk about incorporating vegetables and roots in drinks, we should also include some actual dishes in the conversation. Kumar says that food pairing is an important factor when it comes to enjoying any meal. He explains that Zea Mays goes well with Spicy Nachos; Beet and Peat tastes best when served with smokey dishes; grilled seafood pairs well with Apium Opium; spicy curries taste delicious with Juni-Pea; and chicken and cheese bring out the best in Corrotini.
Beet and Peat
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Apium Opium
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