For two years now, Sorano has been serving Kolkata lip-smacking Italian dishes paired with some of their signature cocktails. To celebrate its second anniversary, the restaurant on Ho Chi Minh Sarani launched a new cocktail menu titled Mixology Masterpieces: Edition One on April 5. This menu is where Italian tastes meet Indian twists using only natural ingredients. So your pesto-based drink might not look green, but sure is packed with an abundance of flavour.
The fresh idea
Saket Agarwal, the co-founder of Sorano, and the man behind the inspiration of Mixology Masterpieces: Edition One
The journey of this menu started a while ago when Saket Agarwal, the co-founder of Sorano, was on a trip to Italy. During his travels, he noticed many similarities between Italy and India in terms of tastes, lifestyle, living and more. “The menu is about a traveller who is trying to connect Italy to India. So, all of the cocktails include Indian and Italian ingredients and it is the tale of that,” said Saket. Each of the cocktails merges these ingredients, emphasising the duality that comes in their cocktails.
The new cocktail menu is not only a new set of drinks, but is also the showcase of their mixologist’s expertise and a new chapter in Sorano’s journey. “My journey across Italy has shown me the similarities between our home city, Kolkata, and Rome — from the architecture and people to the way of life. With this in mind, we crafted this story and are using flavours, techniques and emotions to tell it,” he added.
The curation
It was Manoj Singh Rawat’s expertise that blended the flavours of Italy and India together in one menu
After understanding the idea behind the menu, Manoj Singh Rawat made Saket’s vision a reality. “We made our menu with fresh ingredients and each cocktail has one Italian ingredient and one fresh ingredient from any part of India. For example, we use plums from Uttarakhand or something else from Nagpur,” he said. The Italian ingredients may include capers, Balsamic vinegar and Italian lemon, among others. Manoj swears by making these cocktails with zero conservatives and he also keeps track of the sugar level in each cocktail using a Brix scale. “If we have a ripe mango, we will check the sugar level in the mango before we use it in our drink,” he adds.
To make the cocktails more authentic, Manoj is also using Sorano’s own bitters and syrups and has a zero-wastage policy when it comes to using their ingredients. “If we have a pineapple, we will ensure that everything from the leaf to the skin of the fruit is used,” he said. The new menu has also introduced ABV (alcohol by volume) to the cocktails to keep alcohol intake in check.
The sips
Some of the cocktails on the menu are (L-R) Pesto Smash, Secrets to Keep and Whispers of Kaffir
Out of the seven new cocktails, five were served to visitors at a taste test recently. The Pesto Smash is a Bombay Sapphire-based cocktail made with basil, orgeat and a splash of tonic water. Adding a little bit of sourness to it makes the drink a refreshing one — with flavours balanced. Secrets to Keep comes with a sweet yet spicy kick made with Silver Patron tequila, pomelo, jalapeno, pink guava, basil and citruses. Served in a tall glass, Whispers of Kaffir’s base is Bacardi Carta Blanca and is mixed with pineapple, peaches, lemongrass, kaffir lime and imported Italian lemons.
(L-R) Sage’s Advice and Truffle Agrodolce are also up for sips
The Sage’s Advice is a Bombay Sapphire-based drink with Campari giving it a bitter edge. The concoction is mixed with sage, rosemary, muskmelon and watermelon. The Truffe Agrodolce leaves a delicious truffle taste in your mouth after every sip. Made with Dewar’s 8, truffle and honey, it also comes with a cube of parmesan cheese.
The anniversary also marked the launch of the Sorano Delicatessen, a one-stop shop for all Italian readymade needs — including pesto, bread, sauces, as well as fresh and fermented produce.
