New Delhi, May 8
We can thank the Belgian monks of the 16th century, who invented the beers that we still swear by, for initiating the tradition of beginning the day with a pint (or dram) of alcohol.
The tradition continued in English households when beer was the wake-up drink before tea became the rage, and it has been nurtured lovingly by US Presidents, from John Adams to Richard Nixon. Winston Churchill's favourite eye-opener was a German white wine that the English call hock. And for beach bums, from Ibiza to Bali, it's just a way to keep partying till without a break.
We owe it to Salvatore Calabrese, a bartender at the iconic Library Bar in the Lanesborough Hotel, London, for reinvigorating the idea of starting the day with an alcohol rush when he invented the Breakfast Martini (gin, orange marmalade, the orange liqueur Cointreau and lemon juice in place of vermouth) in 1996.
Since then, the idea of creating cocktails as breakfast accompaniments has been firing the imagination of bartenders -- and Amrit Mehdiratta has done so at The Lalit New Delhi with add-ons, from 'kadak chai' to oat milk, that we never imagined would sit well with alcohol.
Priced at Rs 850 plus taxes, the hotel has a signature breakfast drink for each of its outlets, starting with its all-day restaurant, 24x7, where the standout cocktail is Nonchalance, made with Scotch whisky, oat milk, red apple, citrus and cinnamon. The cocktail, according to Mehndiratta, is for those people who do not stop partying till it's well into the morning.
What is the best part of the drink? The cinnamon-flavoured Parle-G biscuit, which adds that extra flavour with each sip you take. For those who don't like it when their drinks are bitter, this is a must-try.
On the second floor of the hotel, the Indian restaurant, Baluchi, is stirring up a storm with a vodka-based drink blended with masala chai, grapefruit, orange, citrus, bitters and a hint of sweetness. The magical part of the drink is its masala chai froth, which adds an addictive extra creaminess to the texture. It was made, said the bartender, for those tea lovers who believe that "chai is an emotion".
On the third floor is the Asian restaurant named OKO, which has a gin, matcha and yogurt drink called Elemental. It feels and tastes light, but it isn't.
It is more like a 'dhokebaaz' drink because it tastes really good and feels like it is not strong, but it is, and you feel it when you get up. The cocktail takes its warmth from gin and its earthiness from matcha.
You don't stop the party just because the day is breaking out. And these breakfast highs are just what you need to keep it going.