Exotic Asia

Created by Joel Scholtens Lindsay for the Blue Bar, Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi

Exotic Asia is a Cocktail created for the Indian Palate, It is a wonderful mix of Ron Zacapa 23 year old Solera Rum, Am Panna, Lychee Juice, Kaffir Lime Leaf and Lime.

I love trying new flavours everywhere new I work and a former General Manager Rohit Singh gave me some Am Panna and told me how much people from Northern India love it. Am Panna is Raw Mango with lots of spices such as cumin; it has a very strong flavour and is very sweet.

The funny thing about using Am Panna in cocktails in India is it is seen as cheap, so nobody uses it, the first mocktail I used it in the management renamed it raw mango reduction, and in my latest menu it's named Mango Nectar.

Am Panna has so much Flavour, in most Bar's around the world it would be seen as a exotic premium product.

As we had a fashion party coming up where we were only serving mocktails, I create a sexy mocktail named Green Desire.

I then add Vodka and called it Green Envy, the truth was I always wanted to try this cocktail with Ron Zacapa 23 year old Solera, currently my favourite spirit. Unfortunately Ron Zacapa was at the time not sold in India, by the time I joined Blue Bar a year later it was.

Once I mixed it up I knew I was right, I needed to tinker the mix a bit as Ron Zacapa is sweeter than vodka so I reduced the Am Panna and Lychee Juice.

I feel this cocktail is going to be one of the guns of my new Blue Bar Cocktail Menu, It has a lovely rummy taste, when using a Rum that tastes as good as Ron Zacapa you want to let the Rum flavour free, with spiciness sweetness from the Am Panna, a tropical feel from the Lychee juice, balanced with a touch lime favour from the Kaffir Lime Leaf.

I named it Exotic Asia because I feel so many of the flavours in this Cocktail I associate with different parts of Asia.