Sip your way through an exclusive collection of 10 handcrafted mocktails created to celebrate the centuries-old Spice Route and complement Asha’s culinary repertoire
This season, and just in time for summer, Asha’s launches a delectable new collection of mocktails across all our GCC locations from Abu Dhabi to Qatar. A key focal point of our overall culinary offering, the Ashas’ team partnered with leading international beverage consultant Brandon Grusd, group operations manager for Fling Bar Services, to conceptualise and develop a menu of 10 exclusive mocktails.
Mocktail menu inspiration
The new collection is heavily influenced by the historic Spice Route, which united historical civilisations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe through the trading of a wealth of highly prized spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, pepper and turmeric. Brandon, whose goal is to “change the way consumers around the world experience beverages”, has taken flavours and spices from Japan, the Middle East and sub-continent – among other locations – and worked his liquid magic using out of the box methodologies and practices to deliver a unique repertoire of beverages designed to complement the food menu and engage customers at an experiential level.
Signature summer concoctions
The King Alphonso, featuring mangoes from the western reaches of the country, is blended with black and green cardamom, saffron and orange blossom with a riff on childhood memories of long Indian summers spent trying to pluck an enticing fresh mango from the garden tree. The My Chai uses Darjeeling tea as a base for a unique twist on a beverage that is an integral part of everyday life in India, and is enlivened with accents of roasted fennel, green apple, cucumber, honey and cinnamon. As you journey through our signature food menu, take a trip from Maharashtra to Kerala, two of the country’s most important almond-growing regions, for a refreshing concoction that also includes blackberries, tandoor lemon, green apple and strawberry.
Indian tradition in a glass
The intriguingly named Dr Majeed’s Tonic pays homage to renowned herbal medicine doctor, Hakim Abdul Majeed who, in 1907, created the bestselling cordial known as rooh afza. This features mace, clove, vanilla and milk together with roohafza for a singularly delicious mocktail. The Gift celebrates the oh-so- sweet Indian combination of jaggery and sugar in a nod to the country’s sugar cane cultivation heritage (and the fact that it is the world’s largest sugar producer) with kokum, homemade chai, jaggery syrup, hibiscus grenadine and sugar. Rounding out the mocktail menu, other must-try combinations include the Ancient Remedy (homemade hibiscus grenadine, saffron, citrus, apricot and soda), Manipur Lemonade (passion fruit, homemade rosemary-honey syrup, tandoor lemon and soda) and Kerala Coconut masala, coconut milk and soda).
