Mixing Scotch whisky with Darjeeling tea

Although willing to experiment with exotic flavours Indians still prefer drinks with an Indian touch, even if it means having an unorthodox cocktail of Scotch whisky and Darjeeling tea, says an international whisky connoisseur.

"A cocktail made by mixing whisky with tea is catching up fast in India. I was quite surprised when I noticed this as Indians already consume lot of tea here, so I thought they will not like such type of a cocktail. But I think they prefer an Indian touch in their drinks," says whisky expert Stephen Marshall.

Boozing around 120 million cases annually, India is one of the world's largest consumers of whisky.

Having tasted the best of the spirits across countries, the Scottish connoisseur, who is also the global brand ambassador for Dewar's whisky, says the combination remains one of his favourites.

To make the cocktail, one peg of whisky is poured into two pegs of first flush chilled Darjeeling tea. Before topping it with lots of ice and a sprig of mint, sugar syrup or honey is added to suit taste.

"The combo gives an amazing taste. It makes for a fresh, daytime drink," Marshall said during a recent visit to the city.

"The trick to combining different things with whisky is to get good flavours together. Tea has a strong flavour of its own that works with the whisky."

Having a much defined taste which can vary from being quite gentle to very strong, smoky and very heavy, Scotch whisky has, however, traditionally not been used for cocktails.

"But there's a whole plethora of ways of drinking whisky. Cocktails can also be made with soft drinks, ginger, beer, etc," says Marshall.

After conducting tasting and blending sessions with whisky aficionados in cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi, the specialist says the choices of Indian drinkers have matured over the years.

"I came here first in 2006 and since then the tastes have changed a lot. Now people are more interested in finding out different kinds of flavours. I have been to some of the best bars in the country and met the best of bartenders, all are experimenting," he points out.

Favouring blended malt whisky over the in-vogue single malt ones, Marshall says that the blended ones take the best of the single malt to improve their taste.

"When you get many of them, then why get satisfied with single? Blended ones take the best of the single malt and sell it after making it better," the connoisseur opines.

Blended whisky is made from a blend of multiple malts and grains, but single malts are singularly produced from one distillery.

"It takes immense skill to blend whisky as the aim is to have the same final flavour," he says while rejecting the perception of whisky as stuffy and an old man's drink.

"Whisky is all about enjoying yourself and enjoying life. It is a perfect social lubricant as it encourages you to talk while drinking," he said.

Whisky, often viewed as a serious drink for older men due to the subtlety and depth associated with it, forms the bulk of the Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) market in the country.

Nevertheless vodka is quickly becoming the tipple of choice in pubs and lounges as the Gen-X sees the alcoholic beverage as trendy and fashionable.