With festive season kicking in, there is no better way to celebrate the extravaganza than blend cocktails. Many of us enjoy the concoctions at social gatherings which leave us with ever-lasting aroma, texture and taste on the palate.
One such social gathering happened when Ajay Nayyar, Brand Ambassador – North India, Diageo USL conducted a Cocktail Mixing Masterclass with Johnnie Walker Red Label, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan as part of Spiritz 2016 at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon Hotel & Residences.
At any session that he conducts under Diageo-USL’s consumer engagement programmes, his focus is on enabling the audience understand the journey of the brands they are about to taste. At this Cocktail Mixing Masterclass, the cocktail experience of the audience, falling in the age group of 30- 35, began with the iconic Johnnie Walker and continued with Smirnoff and Captain Morgan.
Ajay shared a few stories from cocktail books and newspapers with quotes of experts from around the globe to enable the audience have a deeper understanding of cocktails.
As the audience began to understand the rich heritage and legacy of Diageo-USL brands, the opportunity arose to demonstrate how these iconic spirits – Johnnie Walker Red Label, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan – can be a perfect base for cocktails on any occasion. So, Ajay introduced them to great cocktails, made using these iconic spirits.
The first cocktail was a Johnnie Walker Red Label Mule. This homogeneous mix of Scotch and Bitter topped up with Ginger Ale suits all occasions.
The next cocktail was Old Fashioned with Red Label made with Johnnie Walker Red Label, Star Anise and Bitters, flavours that play with the senses. Originally, classic Old Fashioned is made using bourbon. However, Scotch too mixes well with bitters and spice to come up with a twisted Old Fashioned.
Ajay reminisced that his personal favourite and a hit across all age groups is Whisky Sour. It is prepared using Johnnie Walker Red Label mixed with egg white, lime juice and cinnamon syrup
replaced with sugar syrup to give an extra element of flavour.
After serving Scotch-based cocktails, he moved on to vodka, giving the audience a chance to experience the Espresso Martini. This was prepared using Smirnoff, espresso coffee, sugar syrup finished with cappuccino foam on top and sprinkled with some cinnamon
powder.
Rounding off the night was the Spicy Mojito. Giving a twist to the original Mojito, the spiciness of Captain Morgan rum mingled with lime and mint topped with ginger ale. At the masterclass the audience apart from savouring the perfectly curated cocktails also participated in mixing the concoctions. They were happy to acquire a good understanding of the subtle intricacies of the spirit world and a taste of crafty cocktails on their palate.