Monk-ey business

In sickness health heartbreaks and celebrations the sweet comforting concoction of Old Monk and Coke has seen us through it all Easy on the pocket and soft on the palate the dark Indian rum has lived up to its name and legend mdash of a kindhearted British monk whose good advice improved the flavour of the rum mdash of being a quiet confidante To celebrate this Indian favourite and its founder Kapil Mohan who passed away in January 2018 Chemburrsquos Le Cafe kickstarted the Old Monk Festival This year the festival is in its fifth edition and honours the legacy of the distillery Mohan MeakinDrunken chicken slidersLike many desi beginnings the idea sparked off over a few pegs when founderdirector Ashesh L Sajnani and a former chef at the cafe found a boozy fix in gulab jamun dunked in Old Monk ldquoIt is a liquor which most tipplers will have had while growing up Itrsquos the most common answer to lsquoWhat was your first drinkrsquo Itrsquos synonymous with the Indian liquor industry For years the chef and I would do all sorts of experimentation with the rum including a MaggiOld Monk combination which led us to think lsquoWhy not celebrate the liquorrsquordquo shares SajnaniOld Monk coffeeAfter starting off with a small menu of one pizza coffee and dessert the spread now features a variety of treats There are drunken chicken sliders wings of fire with a Chettinad spice mix pappardelle in Old Monk ragout Monkrsquos paneer pizza rummy lamb burger a chocolatey Jamaican smoke bombrsquoe and more To wash it all down there are inspired cocktails such as silent Monk Monkgria and a heady Old Monk coffee ldquoWersquove tried to play with the nostalgia associated with the drink A lot of people might be apprehensive of adding the rum to food but in my Sindhi home my mother would cook chicken with dark liquorrdquo Sajnani revealsTill February 20 10 am to 10 pmAt Opposite BMC Office 1st Road ChemburCall 67099977Ginger MonkIngredientsgtgt 45 ml Old Monk gtgt 10 ml ginger juice gtgt 15 ml lime juice gtgt 10 ml honey gtgt Dash of bitters gtgt SodaMethodTake a high ball glass pour the rum into it and add the ginger juice lime juice honey and the bitters Add ice to the glass and top up with soda Garnish the drink with a lime slice and a burnt rosemary sprigArborio arancini rumbolaIngredientsgtgt 20 gm risotto ricegtgt 5 gm blue cheesegtgt 10 gm mozzarellagtgt 10 gm cheddar cheesegtgt 1 tsp saltgtgt 1 tsp black peppergtgt 1 tsp finely chopped parsleygtgt 10 gm finely chopped bell peppersgtgt 30 ml Old Monk gtgt 15 gm panko crumbs for bindinggtgt 5 gm corn flourgtgt 5 gm refined flourgtgt 20 ml watergtgt 3 tomatoes gtgt 1 tbsp olive oil gtgt 1 tsp chopped garlicgtgt 1 tsp chilli flakesMethodMix the ingredients and make four balls dust them in refined flour Make a slurry out of the corn flour refined flour water rum salt and black pepper to taste Whisk the batter Dip the arancini balls in the batter and coat with panko crumbs Keep the balls in the freezer for 30 minutes Heat oil and deep fry For the concuss Arrabiata sauce blanch the tomatoes and remove the skin Blend them Add olive oil in the pan toss in garlic chilli flakes salt and pepper to taste Now add four basil leaves and 10 ml Old Monk For plating spoon the tomato concuss on the plate and place the four arancini balls on top Garnish with fine julienned spinach and pomegranates Drizzle some balsamic vinegarBy chefs Mahesh More and Rupesh Petkar