The Chola dynasty and its nearly 1,500 year rule over southern Indian and southeast Asia is legendary. There was an outpouring of nostalgia when the movie Ponniyin Selvan, depicting the early life of Chola prince Arunmozhi Varman, was screened to critical acclaim. The nostalgia could well continue. In Chennai, ITC’s mammoth hotel, the 522 room Grand Chola, stands as a tribute to the history, architecture and culture of the mighty Cholas. In an innovative initiative, the hotel unveiled recently a beverage book bristling with unique menus called ‘Cholatails: Beverage Recipes from the Tamarind Town’, cocktails which are served up at its Cheroot Malt & Cigar Lounge.
The emperors of the dynasty were connoisseurs of culture, art, food and all forms of beverages that evolved during the time, says this little book of menus which has vignettes of the iconic sights of old Madras. “This book is a modern day ‘rooted to the soil’ representation of little nuggets of flavours, interesting ingredients, techniques and anecdotes about the dynasty and the Madras we know today,” says Shaariq Akhtar, General Manager of ITC Grand Chola, who has spearheaded this unique initiative over the past six months.
Blend of cocktails and mocktails
So on a muggy Chennai evening one heads to the cool confines of the Cheroot lounge to sample the new offerings. There are 14 different Cholatails and mocktails on the menu, with names that piques one’s interest. There’s Pippali, with vodka, chenin blanc wine, guava, long pepper; Puli, with Tequila, tamarind (puli in Tamil), jaggery, green chilli, black salt; an intriguingly named Thalaivar Martini, with gin, aromatized wine, olives, vettiver (a medicinal root); an interesting variant of Chukku Kaapi, which is usually a hot tea with ginger, but this one is chill, served with cognac, filter coffee, dry ginger, green cardamom tincture. The menu describes it as reimagined household remedy of black kaapi with dry ginger! And, to give it a complete Madras flavour, it’s served in a dabra along with a ‘murukku’; can’t get more local than that!
Then there’s a mocktail called 1958 which uses Bovonto, a regional aerated soft drink which was launched that year. With a strong grape flavour and heady sweetness, Bovonto was the local alternative to the Thums Up, Coke and Pepsis of the world. It’s blended with chaat masala, black salt, lime and sparkling water. ‘Your Chennai visit isn’t complete without this cult grape cola..’ declares the beverage book. Some of the flavours in the cocktails that one tries are delicate on the palate while some are like the Chukku Kaapi where the flavours are strong and heady.
Cholatails has been curated in partnership with Ajit Balgi, a beverage expert, and founder of The Happy High bartending academy in Mumbai, who has also trained team members at various ITC Hotels. As Balgi explains, ideation with the Grand Chola team, threw up some fantastic thoughts. “From that we culled out a list of ingredients that could possibly give us some good flavour combinations. And, the emphasis was that all ingredients should be local and easily available,” he says.
Cognac and cigars
The Cheroot’s most expensive drink Xoxo is served up, which has Cognac XO, peated malt, nannari (a local herb with a cooling medicinal property) and saffron. This is served with a chocolate cigar and is had with a bite of chocolate washed down with Xoxo which enhances the smoky taste of the drink. Ask Balgi why this drink is so expensive and he explains, “Cognac XO and saffron exude luxury and are rare commodities in the world. They come together in the Xoxo, along with nannari and a peated malt to make for a smooth and luxurious experience. The drink has been loved by everyone who has tried it and we pair it with a dark chocolate cigar for the complete night cap.”
The Cheroot isn’t the only restaurant at the Grand Chola which is serving up a special cocktail menu. Each of its restaurants have developed their own cocktail menus. As GM Akhtar explains, “ ‘Seven Venues, Seven Menus’ at Grand Chola has been curated to elevate every guest’s experience with a fusion of in-house creativity and craftsmanship. The books together feature over 100 recipes, including intriguing concoctions and cult favourites.
Over the past few months, seven unique beverage books has been curated by a dedicated team of beverage enthusiasts at the hotel which has been ideating, researching, and experimenting with blending innovative recipes inspired by the hotel’s diverse food & beverage venues. The result is five conceptual beverage books, apart from Cholatails. The others are Asico - The Pan Asian Cocktail Affair, *Sip Happens! - Ottimo, Afterhours - Mercara Cocktails, and Tamba & Pital Cocktail Book.
As Akhtar explains, “We have launched seven cocktail books at the hotel covering over 110 recipes and have about 100 more that we didn’t launch in edition one of the books. So, we have a huge reservoir of recipes and flavours that we will use in years to come.” Cheers to that.