Cool quotient

Julien Lloyd,assistant food and beverage manager at the JW Marriott,sums it up. “Cold coffee is very outdated and we are reluctant to feature it on our menu,but we have to. It is what a Bloody Mary would be to a cocktail menu,” he says.

This needn’t be so,if demand for more innovative cold coffee and tea based drinks increases. Mumbai does have some interesting options based on fresh coffee or tea,but thus far it is limited primarily to five-star hotels. Lloyd attributes this to the temptation of short-cuts in using coffee liqeurs such as Kahlua. Manoj Jangid,assistant bar manager at China House at the Grand Hyatt,adds to this,saying “You have to play around with fresh tea or coffee in a very smart manner while marrying flavours so as to not dilute the drink.”

Most drinks,however,were created incidentally rather than specifically to tackle the summer heat. Kebab Korner at the Intercontinental Marine Drive serves a green tea Mojito,but this was introduced to complement their lunch-time bento box concept. “We introduced lighter Indian food with a special focus on wellness. Instead of complementing our bento box with green tea as is tradition,we decided to create a Mojito instead,” explains Sidhesh Shetty,assistant food and beverage manager.

Similarly,the JW Marriott serves three coffee-based mocktails and a Coffeetini,but these were introduced subsequent to their tie up with the Italian coffee brand,Illy. Lloyd tells us that a barista from Illy designed these drinks. “These have been appreciated by our clients,especially as they tend to be well-travelled and welcome innovations,” he says.

There are,of course,bars that constantly try to innovate. Wink at the Taj President has impressive martinis that are its forte. This list includes a Chaitini that incorporates chai made without milk. Jangid introduced a whiskey-based cocktail that uses Assam tea-infused apple juice a few months ago. This was created for a cocktail competition which was then added to the special drinks menu at the China House lounge. The restaurant doesn’t offer a plain iced tea,instead featuring a couple of fresh tea and honey drinks,plus an Oolong Milk Tea.

Other establishments,such as the Renaissance Hotel,take a cautious route. It serves simple variations of coffee and chocolate or caramel combinations. Sherman Almedia,restaurant and bar manager,believes that “variations from the originals are appreciated by consumers because it keeps things interesting,but with time people like to get back to the simple basics”.

Ultimately,innovation requires adequate demand and a lower price point to gain mass popularity. However,as Jangid’s recipe below demonstrates,some coffee and tea cocktails can be simple. When it comes to caffeine,most people are still stuck drinking regular chai or coffee; this needn’t be so.

GOD’S H-Eye

Malibu — 60 ml

Grand Mariner — 15ml

Expresso — 30 ml

Shake all the ingredients with ice. Take a tall glass. Pour the mix with the ice,top up with coke. Squeeze a big zest of orange on top,just before serving and throw it in the drink.