A fine chef once told us that cooking with alcohol is the best thing as it leaves you with enhanced flavour without any hangover. The folks at Le Cafe seem to feel the same as they dish out a tribute menu in memory of the man who popularised Old Monk, Kapil Mohan. executive chef Nikhil Ganacharya infuses the alcohol using the flambe method while making the sauce and by mixing it in the marinade for the meat.

“Rum enhances the overall flavour as it increases the penetration rate of flavours in the meat, thus improving the overall taste. Flambe captures the deliciously browned proteins stuck to the bottom of the pan, and helps them dissolve in the alcohol, which then carries additional flavour to the sauce,” Ganacharya explains, adding that when used as a soaking medium, with herbs, fruits and spices for a few days, both the rum and the infusion take on finer flavours.