BENGALURU: While it may have originated out of practicality, brunch now usually trends on Sundays and weekends as a lazy social gathering where a late breakfast merges into lunch and goes on till around 4 or 5 pm. Naturally, the vast array of food is accompanied by a variety of beverages and cocktails since there is time on hand, and no one has to get back to work.
As a result, brunch is often used as a platform to experiment with beverages, and while classic and champagne-based cocktails were initially the mainstay, we now see a whole range of cocktails specially designed for brunch in a lot of places. I remember that in the first brunch place I worked at as a bartender, we used to cater to around 600 people every Sunday.
This was a great experience, and we had an extensive list of house-designed cocktails in addition to the popular Pina Coladas and Bloody Marys. Brunch was a great stage for an outlet to showcase their F&B skills to the guests, but unfortunately, the pandemic has put brakes on this.
Of course, necessity is the mother of invention, and many people are indulging in virtual brunches where they are connecting with their friends and family over an online platform, while enjoying food, drinks and music. While food is easily ordered from a favourite restaurant, this is an ideal opportunity to experiment with ‘house cocktails’. Some brunch suggestions for the in-house bartender:
1. Have adequate stocks of your preferred spirits.
2. Keep citrus and fresh fruits along with herbs.
3. Have good glassware, like highball, old fashioned, or wine glasses. Nothing like enjoying your cocktails in the correct glassware.
4. Make sure you set enough ice.
5. Have adequate mixers like soda, tonic, etc on hand.
6. Have basic bar tools like a jigger, shaker and strainer, etc at home.
(The author is the beverage programmer at Raahi Neo Kitchen & Bar)
COCKTAILS TO TRY
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3