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In India, September has a rather peculiar mood. Monsoon is beginning to loosen its grip, but the skies can still spend an entire evening looking as though they have recently undergone a breakup, and could burst out crying at any moment. The air is damp, daylight sighs and departs early, and there is something wonderfully suitable about mixing a drink that feels a little brighter and livelier than the weather. This is also a particularly interesting time for Indian fruits.
Depending on the region, September brings pears, pomegranate, guava, and custard apple into the seasonal mix, while fruits such as chikoo commonly overlap with the late-monsoon and early autumn harvest. However, Indian seasonal calendars vary considerably by climate and state, so availability can vary from one market to another. While incorporating seasonal fruits into desserts has been a long-standing culinary tradition, mixology has also been quite active in this arena in recent years.
There has been a big surge in exploring local and regional flavours in drink format by bartenders and cocktail lovers. And for the right reasons. Instead of drowning these fruits in sugar or turning them into generic juice cocktails, let their individual personalities do the work. These September sips have a distinctly desi fruit foundation, while providing unexpectedly good flavour combinations.
Seasonal Mixology: September Fruit-Based Cocktails For A Rainy Evening
Guava, Chilli & Tequila Highball
The cocktail is pale pinkish-orange in appearance, slightly cloudy and intensely fragrant. Guava arrives first with its floral, tangy sweetness, followed by lime and a gentle chilli warmth. This is a bright, uncomplicated cocktail that feels very welcome, especially when the evening is still warm and humid.
Image credit: Pexels
Ingredients:
- ½ ripe pink or white guava, chopped
- 45 ml blanco tequila
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 10ml honey syrup
- 1 small green chilli
- 60–75ml chilled soda
- Ice
Method: Blend or muddle your guava until pulpy, and then shake it with tequila, lime juice, honey syrup, and a small piece of green chilli. Double strain into an ice-filled highball glass and top up with soda. Stir gently and garnish with a thin guava slice and a tiny chilli before serving.
Sitaphal & Dark Rum Cream Cocktail
Custard apple is among India's most luxurious seasonal fruits, in terms of taste and texture. It has soft, creamy flesh and natural dessert-like sweetness. Instead of pairing it with another sweet ingredient, this cocktail incorporates dark rum, lime, and coconut milk for balance. Dark rum gives the custard apple's sweetness a deeper, molasses-like edge, while lime prevents the drink from becoming heavy. The finished drink is ivory-coloured, thick and velvety, with a texture somewhere between a creamy cocktail and a very grown-up dessert.
Image credit: Pexels
Ingredients:
- Pulp from 1 small ripe custard apple, seeds removed
- 45ml dark rum
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 10ml jaggery syrup
- 30ml chilled coconut milk
- Ice
Method: Remove your custard apple’s seeds carefully and blend the pulp until smooth. Add it to a shaker with dark rum, lime juice, jaggery syrup, coconut milk, and plenty of ice. Shake vigorously until chilled, then double-strain into a chilled coupe or a small rocks glass over fresh ice and serve.
Pomegranate Rosemary Gin Sour
Pomegranate is almost theatrical in a cocktail. This drink brings a pleasantly sharp fruitiness and tartness, while juniper and rosemary add a savoury, aromatic layer. The result is a deep, blush-hued sour cocktail with a pristine, polished appearance. However, if you want a slightly easier-to-sip drink, you can top off the cocktail with a moderate splash of sparkling water.
Image credit: Unsplash
Ingredients:
- 50ml London dry gin
- 45ml fresh pomegranate juice
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- 15ml sugar syrup
- Ice
- 1 small rosemary sprig
- Pomegranate arils, to garnish
Method: Add your gin, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and sugar syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for around 10–15 seconds and then strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and a few pomegranate arils before serving.
Pear, Ginger & Cardamom Mule
Indian pears are often overshadowed by other, more flamboyant fruits, but their gentle sweetness makes them wonderful mixology material. In this cocktail, the fruit keeps the drink mellow and juicy, while ginger provides a warming contrast and cardamom adds the fragrant finish without overpowering the fruit.
Ingredients:
- ½ ripe pear, thinly sliced
- 45ml vodka
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 10ml cardamom syrup
- 75ml chilled ginger beer
- Ice
- 1 cardamom pod, lightly crushed
Method: Muddle four or five pear slices with your lime juice and cardamom syrup in a shaker. Then add in the vodka and ice and shake thoroughly. Finally, strain into an ice-filled copper mug or tall glass and top it up with ginger beer. Garnish with a fan of thinly sliced pear and a crushed cardamom pod before serving.
Chikoo Espresso Rum Flip
Chikoo has a naturally caramel-like sweetness that makes an unexpectedly brilliant mixology partner for coffee and aged rum. This is the cocktail to make when September's gloomy weather has you craving something halfway between a nightcap and dessert.
Image credit: Pexels
Ingredients:
- 50g ripe chikoo flesh, peeled and deseeded
- 45ml aged rum
- 25ml chilled espresso
- 10ml demerara syrup
- 20ml single cream
- Ice
Method: First, blend your chikoo flesh into a smooth purée. Then add it to a cocktail shaker with aged rum, chilled espresso, demerara syrup, cream, and plenty of ice. Shake hard until the outside of the shaker feels thoroughly chilled and the mixture becomes lightly frothy. Then double strain into a small chilled coupe and take a sip.
