Cocktails
- Anya Pandit
- May 14, 2020
- 4 min read
Being an only child, my parents brought me everywhere with them. Dinner parties, art exhibits, the bank, their insurance appointments and even bars. I would be that one kid sipping a virgin margarita with my parents at 6 PM while guzzling down french fries, calamari rings and whatever else the bar’s snack menu had to offer. Some of my fondest memories growing up would be of my aunt, my mom and I sitting at our favorite Mexican restaurant and bar: Agave. The interior of Agave was meant to be bright and festive…with vibrant patterned tiles covering the walls…multi-colored chandeliers hanging from the ceiling…racks of tequila bottles shining proudly along the bar…However, the lights were almost always as dim as they could be, making it feel as if we were dining in a sunken, mysterious cave. The smell of tequila clung to the air, and at any given time there was always a rattling of ice cubes being tossed in an aluminum shaker. I loved every part of it. We would always be one of the few patrons there, probably because 6 PM was the only hour it would be appropriate to bring a young child. My aunt and mom would order classic margaritas, always on the rocks never frozen, and I was allowed to order any of the exotic margaritas presented to me. I dabbled in a few flavors, but strictly stuck with a frozen margarita. Mango became my favorite, because it reminded me of eating mango sorbet. We would all share an overflowing plate of nachos, and enjoy our happy hour special drinks. While I deemed myself to be a cocktail connoisseur at a young age, virgin cocktails of course, I almost never order a cocktail now that I am legally able to drink.
Whether it be whiskey, gin, vodka, my parents preferred one type of liquor as opposed to a mixed drink. While my mother had her margarita, cosmopolitan, Moscow mule and caipirinha fads, and my father developed a temporary penchant for an old fashioned…they much prefer a standard whiskey or gin on the rocks. Simple. Classic. When I started drinking with them, I began with white wine, and that still remains to be my standard drink. Boring, right? In college, we would drink the cheapest vodka chased down with the vending machine’s finest Gatorade flavor; my favorite would be lemon lime. Gatorade served as both a chaser, as well as a hangover remedy the next morning. Genius, I know. Alcohol to me, during the ages of 18-20, was whatever made me the happiest quickly. I didn’t care for the taste, and the cheaper the better. It wasn’t until I worked in Singapore, the summer before my senior year, when I began to appreciate the art of a cocktail. And it was thanks to the same aunt who introduced me to frozen mango margaritas.
My aunt and I would go for drinks every Friday while I was working. Singapore is home to 11 out of the 50 best bars in Asia*. We made it our mission to try as many on the list as we could. The first bar we went to was Manhattan. My aunt asked what I would drink, and I replied with the first chardonnay that was on the wine list. She rolled her eyes at me, and called over our server, Joshua. She said it was blasphemous to be ordering wine at an acclaimed, award-winning bar, and asked Joshua to recommend a fruity cocktail for me. I knew better than to argue with her, and so I waited patiently for whatever exotic concoction Joshua was about to bring. It was lavender in color with a delicate foam on top, and embellished with a few flowers. Joshua spoke with such fervor about the complexity of the flavors, the origins of the liquors that were used, and the story behind the cocktail and its creation. I had never understood the intricacy of crafting a cocktail until that moment, and as I had my first sip, I could taste all of the different flavor profiles Joshua had mentioned. My aunt and I decided to try as many cocktails as our tolerances would allow, and as I most certainly tested that limit, I grew an appreciation for artisanal cocktails.
After Manhattan, my aunt and I made it a point to speak with every bartender and mixologist at the bars we visited, and only drank what they recommended. Seeing them speak about their art, the process behind distilling various alcohols, the technique needed to match various flavors, made having a drink so much more enjoyable. You can see, and even taste, the passion, the love and the thought that went into making each cocktail. A handcrafted cocktail is a beautiful gift, and it took me many years to learn to appreciate the art and technique behind a mixed drink. I have had the pleasure of tasting some of the best cocktails in Asia at bars such as Native (Singapore), Operation Dagger (Singapore), Old Man (Hong Kong), and each experience has been incredibly unique. I have been able to learn how mixologists are able to curate a city’s culture into a drink by embedding local flavors in the most remarkable ways. There is so much more history, culture and love behind the drink in the glass, and I hope that that is enough to make you hesitate when ordering a glass of chardonnay when you are out on date night, ladies night, or just happy hour. Cheers.
* Information taken from: https://www.worlds50bestbars.com/asia/list/1-50
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