One of the defining characteristics of Oaksmith Gold is its versatility. Its aroma and flavour profile shines through in the ‘Takumi’ serve ritual, which allows the ice and the water to open up all the locked flavours in the whisky. A whiff of Oaksmith Gold reveals rich, fruity and sweet top notes, followed by a hint of smoke. On the palate, it is full-bodied but mild, with a woodiness originating from ageing in oak casks. It has a clean and smooth finish.
Most whisky cocktails tend to pair well with spicy dishes. An innovative take on the Moscow mule, the Oaksmith Mule uses all the ingredients required for the classic cocktail except for vodka, which is replaced with whisky. The Moscow mule was invented in 1941, but who the bartender behind it is is disputed.
Recipe for Oaksmith Mule
Ingredients:
- 50ml Oaksmith Gold
- 12.5ml ginger ale to top up
- Pomegranate shrub
- Garnish cucumber peel
Glass: Collins
Method:
- Pour the whisky into a Collins glass.
- Fill ¾ of the glass with crushed ice and top up with ginger ale. Stir to mix.
- Garnish with cucumber peel and pomegranate shrub.
Food pairing: Desi-Asian appetisers like chilli chicken or lamb, or fiery Andhra-style dishes like chicken 65 and chicken chettinad.
Chilli chicken
Chilli chicken is an Indian-Chinese dish of Hakka Chinese heritage. Indian spices and Chinese ingredients come together to create this spicy appetiser.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe for chilli chicken
Ingredients:
- 6-8 green chillies, sliced
- 400 grams boneless chicken, cut into fingers
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornflour/ corn starch
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 8-10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 medium onions, thickly sliced
- 2 medium green capsicums, cut into thick strips
- ¼ tsp MSG
- ½ tsp crushed black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp vinegar
Method:
- Add the eggs, two tablespoons cornflour, salt, one tablespoon each of soy sauce and chilli sauce to the chicken pieces and mix well. Leave aside for half an hour. Mix the remaining cornflour in three tablespoons of water.
- Heat sufficient oil in a wok and deep-fry the marinated chicken pieces till crisp. Drain on an absorbent kitchen towel. Heat one tablespoon of oil in another wok or a pan, add garlic and sauté for one minute.
- Add onions and green chillies and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the capsicum strips and sauté. Add the remaining soy sauce and chilli sauce, MSG, salt, crushed peppercorns and cornflour mixture.
- Add the fried chicken pieces and sauté till the sauce coats the chicken pieces. Add vinegar and mix. Serve hot with Sichuan sauce.
Chicken 65
It is believed that chicken 65 was created by a man named A.M. Buhari in Tamil Nadu, in the year 1965. The Buhari Hotel first introduced it to people. The dish remains a popular bar snack to this day.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe for chicken 65
Ingredients:
- 450 grams boneless chicken cut into 1½ inch cubes
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- Salt to taste
- 6 tbsp oil
- 4 dried red chillies
- Ginger, 2 inch pieces
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 12-15 black peppercorns
Method:
- Grind the chillies, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds and black peppercorns to a fine paste. Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, rice flour, salt and two tablespoons oil into the ground masala paste.
- Coat the chicken with the masala paste and marinate for an hour in a refrigerator.
- Heat the remaining oil in a thick-bottomed kadai; add the chicken pieces in small batches of six to eight pieces and stir-fry over high heat for one minute, tossing continuously.
- Add another batch of the chicken and repeat. Lower heat once all the chicken has been added.
- Turn the pieces frequently, basting with the remaining masala. Cook till the oil separates and the chicken turns crispy on the outside, but moist and soft on the inside.
- Adjust salt, toss well and remove. Drain and serve hot.
