06 March,2017 08:34 AM IST | | Shraddha Uchil
A Lower Parel eatery's new bar menu is a hat tip to the city's iconic Art Deco architecture
The pop-up menu
If you're the kind who yearns for the Bombay of yore, head over to The Bombay Canteen, which is launching a new cocktail menu that pays homage to the city's iconic Art Deco buildings.
The Canteen Cocktails menu names its nine new drinks after Art Deco structures in South Mumbai, among them Empress Court and Liberty Cinema. "Each drink reflects the design of the building, either in shape or colour," says partner Yash Bhanage.
Bar manager Rahul Raghav. Pics/Bipin Kokate
The cocktails have been created by bar manager Rahul Raghav. You can pick your drink from a pop-up menu that comes with recipes and a map for a self-guided tour of the Art Deco architecture of Mumbai. We pick four of our faves.
FROM March 9
AT The Bombay Canteen, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel.
CALL - 49666666
Flavours of the Caribbean
The Rajjab Mahal comes in a canary yellow, pineapple-shaped tiki glass. Raghav says, "When I saw the building and its colourful Persian tiles, I wanted to create something fun, inspired by classic tiki cocktails." The drink has a base of dark, white and spiced rum, and builds upon it using spiced falernum (a sweet syrup used in tropical drinks), maraschino liqueur, lime juice, sugar syrup, grape juice and orange bitters. We are told that the falernum used in the cocktail is made in-house by infusing limes, oranges, sweet limes, ginger, cloves and sugar in white rum for a week.
Pining for pineapple
The perfect drink for a hot summer's day, Soona Mahal is inspired by the distinctly-shaped Churchgate building of the same name. "The circular top reminded me of a pineapple, and that's the flavour I've gone with," says Raghav.
This refreshing drink has a big splash of pineapple juice, Triple Sec, lime juice, and sugar syrup, but it's most interesting aspect is the delightful pandan-infused tequila.
Espresso for the soul
The Sea Green Hotel, Bhanage tells us, is served to go, like coffee. Immediately, our interest is piqued. When we try it, we understand why. The complex, whisky-based drink features an espresso and caramel syrup, which is a far cry from the espresso martinis we've been plied with at every other city bar.
A dash of apricot brandy and an orange peel garnish help give it a fruity touch that is not at all overpowering.
Time for some tea
When you sip on Green Fields, you'll be left with a lingering aftertaste of something familiar - jasmines. This gin-based, green-hued drink makes use of a house-made jasmine and green tea syrup, and finishes it off with starfruit juice, lime juice and egg white, for that perfectly foamy head.
