Blue Star

Created by Joel Scholtens Lindsay for the Blue Bar, Taj palace hotel, New Delhi

The Blue Star is a combination of Havana Club 7 Year Old Rum, Star Fruit, Lychee, Fenugreek Seeds and Oregeat syrup.

This is a cocktail based off a long Mocktail topped with 7UP that I created for the launch of Masala Klub at the Taj West End Hotel Bangalore, the drink was then forgotten for a few years.

I had loved the flavour of the long Mocktail, but decided I wanted to show off its flavour so I removed the 7UP that I had used to top the orgional Mocktail, added the warmth of Havana Club 7 years Rum and ajusted the quanties to balance the new flavour combination. It's a great addition for My new Menu at the Blue Bar Taj Palace New Delhi.

I am probably the first person in the world to use Fenugreek seeds in cocktails.

Although I have heard rumours of a cocktail bar in San Fransico using homemade Fenugreek Bitters, I hope they where not doing it 5 years ago so that my Ego is not ever deflated.

The Original name I gave the Cocktail was Stars Illusion, the Star for star fruit, the Illusion because I felt the drink would be something different to what people expected. However the name didn't prove to be a hit with management, so I changed it to Delhi Star, which they changed to Blue Star. So the Drink is now named after the Blue Bar.

I must be honest I prefer the name Stars Illusion, A Bartender who creates an origional peice of art,(my cocktails being my Art) should be allowed the arrogance of giving the cocktail a name even if its rubbish, however a man needs to eat,on this occassion I choose to eat.

Havana Club 7 years is strongly flavoured rum with complex lasting notes of cacao, coffee, tobacco and spices. It is well rounded and smooth.

The spiciness of the rum I match with fenugreek seeds which adds a lovely slightly bitter toffee like flavour to the cocktail.

Fresh Star fruit has a wonderful mild watery tropical sour taste.

Star Fruit is popular as a garnish, but its flavour is not often tasted in cocktails

Orgeat Syrup with its strong Almond flavour adds sweetness and goes beautifully cacao, coffee notes of the Rum.

The drink is finished with Lychee juice with its sweet tropical flavour bringing the star fruit into balance.

The Blue Star is a sweet slightly sour cocktail, with a nice tropical feel with a rum taste enhanced by notes from the Fenugreek and Almond.