Madira 

By Parag A. Shastry

Price: Rs 695/-
Rupa Publications

In India, as opposed to the West, drinking is a shared experience, one defined by rituals and traditions, not an individualised journey. In Madira – the Sanskrit term for liquor, wine or any spirit – the author aims to highlight India’s cocktail heritage, with 101 recipes and a story behind each one. Madira is heavy in weight and content, with a few images of cocktails thrown in for decent measure, though not significant. 

Flip through the tales that Madira tells, of the drinks and their recipes, and just how to read through the book. The Mango & Mint Summer Cooler begins in Meerut and continues at a Delhi café. The Kanyakumari Old Fashioned is a story the lighthouse can tell well. There has to be Gondhoraj in crafted cocktails today, and with the state elections we saw, the Bengali Gondhoraj Gimlet brings relief, green and elegant. Delhi’s loudest cocktail is also the most ordered brunch drink where a classic Bloody Mary is given a chaat masala kick that shut the critics up – the Chaat Masala Bloody Mary. It’s another tequila sunrise which serves as an ode to belated toasts and new beginnings. The Tender Coconut and Tequila Sunrise is a beautiful concoction, a memory to cherish.

About the author: Parag Shastry is General Manager – Innovation and Marketing at Diageo India. He is a spirits strategist and innovation leader who tells stories around India’s drinking culture smoothly, as is evident from this book on not just drinks but sustainable practices and contemporary ideas, too.