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Wine वाइन 34
Cabernet Sauvignon
The world's most planted red grape: full-bodied, tannic, with blackcurrant, cedar and mint. The backbone of Left Bank Bordeaux.
Merlot
Softer and plummier than Cabernet, with chocolate notes. Pétrus, one of the world's most expensive wines, is almost all Merlot.
Pinot Noir
Light-bodied, silky red with cherry, raspberry and earthy notes. Difficult to grow, which is why great Burgundy is so prized.
Syrah / Shiraz
Dark, peppery red. Called Syrah in France (savoury, smoky) and Shiraz in Australia (riper, jammy).
Malbec
Inky, plush red with plum and violet. Argentina made it famous, grown at high altitude in the Andes.
Tempranillo
Spain's signature red: cherry, leather and tobacco, often aged in oak. Labels show ageing: Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva.
Sangiovese
Tuscany's red grape: sour cherry, tomato leaf and high acidity, which makes it perfect with tomato-based food.
Nebbiolo
Pale in colour but powerful in tannin, smelling of roses and tar. Barolo is called 'the king of wines'.
Grenache / Garnacha
Juicy, ripe red with strawberry and spice; also the base of many rosés.
Zinfandel / Primitivo
Bold, jammy and high in alcohol. DNA showed it is the same grape as Italy's Primitivo and Croatia's Tribidrag.
Carménère
A Bordeaux grape thought extinct after phylloxera, rediscovered growing in Chile in 1994, mistaken for Merlot.
Pinotage
South Africa's own grape, created in 1925; smoky, earthy and fruity.
Chardonnay
The chameleon white: lean and mineral in Chablis, rich and buttery when oaked in California.
Sauvignon Blanc
Zesty white with grapefruit, cut grass and passion fruit, especially in New Zealand.
Riesling
Aromatic, high-acid white that ranges from bone dry to very sweet. Ages for decades.
Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris
Light, crisp and neutral in Italy (Grigio); richer and spicier in Alsace (Gris).
Chenin Blanc
Versatile white with apple, honey and quince; made dry, sweet and sparkling. Chenin is a major grape in India's Nashik too.
Gewürztraminer
Intensely perfumed white smelling of lychee, rose and ginger.
Albariño
Fresh, salty-edged white from Spain's Atlantic coast.
Grüner Veltliner
Austria's signature grape: crisp with white pepper and green bean notes.
Champagne
Sparkling wine made in the Champagne region by the traditional method: a second fermentation in the bottle creates the bubbles. Only wine from Champagne may use the name.
Prosecco
Light, fruity Italian sparkling wine; its second fermentation happens in large tanks, keeping it fresh and affordable.
Cava
Spain's traditional-method sparkling wine.
Rosé (Provence)
Pale pink dry wine made by letting red grape skins touch the juice for only a few hours.
Port
Sweet fortified wine: brandy is added during fermentation, stopping it and keeping sugar. Styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage.
Sherry
Fortified wine from Jerez aged in a solera system. Ranges from bone-dry Fino and Manzanilla to sweet Pedro Ximénez.
Madeira
Fortified wine deliberately heated during ageing, making it nearly indestructible; an opened bottle lasts for months.
Marsala
Sicily's fortified wine, best known in cooking (chicken Marsala, tiramisu).
Tokaji Aszú
Legendary sweet wine from grapes shrivelled by noble rot (botrytis). Louis XIV called it 'the wine of kings, the king of wines'.
Sauternes
Golden sweet wine with honey and apricot, from grapes affected by noble rot.
Ice Wine
Grapes are picked and pressed frozen, so only concentrated sweet juice flows out.
Indian Wine (Nashik)
Nashik is India's wine capital, producing most of the country's wine. Indian winemakers prune grapes so they ripen in the dry winter season.
Qvevri Wine (Georgian)
Georgia has made wine for 8,000 years, fermenting it in clay jars (qvevri) buried underground. Its amber 'orange' wines are white grapes fermented with skins.
Retsina
White wine flavoured with Aleppo pine resin, a tradition from ancient Greek amphora sealing.
Beer & Cider बीयर 30
Lager
The world's most popular beer style: fermented cool and stored ('lagered') cold, giving a clean, crisp taste.
Pilsner
Golden, hoppy lager first brewed in Plzeň in 1842; ancestor of most of the world's lagers. Czechs drink the most beer per person on earth.
Helles
Munich's soft, bready pale lager.
Bock & Doppelbock
Strong, malty lagers; doppelbock was brewed by monks as 'liquid bread' during Lent fasting.
Kölsch
Delicate, crisp ale protected to Cologne, served in small 200 ml glasses.
Hefeweizen (Wheat Beer)
Cloudy, unfiltered wheat beer whose yeast gives banana and clove aromas.
Witbier
Hazy Belgian white beer spiced with coriander and curaçao orange peel.
Belgian Tripel & Dubbel
Strong abbey ales. Dubbel is dark and fruity; Tripel is golden, spicy and strong. Trappist beers are brewed inside monasteries.
Lambic & Gueuze
Spontaneously fermented by wild yeasts from the air; sour and complex. Kriek adds cherries, Framboise raspberries.
Saison
A dry, peppery farmhouse ale once brewed for seasonal farm workers.
Pale Ale
Amber-gold, top-fermented ale with balanced malt and hops; the classic English 'bitter' is its cousin.
India Pale Ale (IPA)
A strongly hopped pale ale brewed in 19th-century England for export to India. Modern American IPAs are bursting with citrus and pine; hazy New England IPAs are juicy and soft.
Stout
Black beer with coffee and chocolate notes from roasted barley. Irish dry stout (Guinness) is poured with nitrogen for its creamy head.
Porter
The dark beer of 18th-century London's porters; stout began as 'stout porter'.
Indian Strong Beer
India's best-selling beers are 'strong' lagers above 5% alcohol, a style shaped by tax rules and taste.
Craft Beer (Indian microbreweries)
Bengaluru has more microbreweries than any Indian city, brewing wheat beers, IPAs and stouts on site.
Cider
Fermented apple juice. English West Country cider is dry and tannic; French cidre is lighter and sweeter; Spanish sidra is poured from a height to aerate it.
Perry (Poiré)
Cider's pear cousin, made from special tannic perry pears.
Mead
Perhaps the oldest alcoholic drink of all. Poland grades its mead (miód pitny) by honey-to-water ratio; Ethiopia's version is tej.
Tej
Ethiopian honey wine flavoured with the bitter leaves of the gesho shrub, served in a round flask called a berele.
Sake
Japanese rice wine, brewed more like beer: koji mould turns rice starch to sugar while yeast ferments it. The more the rice is polished, the finer the grade (Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo).
Makgeolli
Milky, lightly fizzy, sweet-sour Korean rice wine; Korea's oldest alcoholic drink.
Huangjiu (Shaoxing Wine)
Amber Chinese 'yellow wine', aged for years; also a key cooking wine.
Palm Toddy (Kallu / Tadi)
Palm sap starts fermenting naturally within hours of tapping. Kerala's toddy shops (kallu shaap) serve it with fiery fish curry and tapioca. Known as tadi in Bihar.
Handia
Traditional Adivasi rice beer, central to festivals and hospitality.
Chhaang
Himalayan millet beer. Tongba is the version sipped through a bamboo straw from a wooden vessel filled with hot water.
Apong
Rice beer of the Mising and other communities of the Northeast.
Pulque
Milky, sour pre-Hispanic drink, sacred to the Aztecs; served in pulquerías, often flavoured with fruit (curados).
Chicha de Jora
An ancient Andean corn beer, once central to Inca ceremonies.
Kvass
Slightly sour, fizzy drink made by fermenting dark rye bread; sold from street tanks in summer.
Coffee कॉफ़ी 19
Espresso
A short, concentrated coffee made by forcing water at about 9 bar through compact coffee in 25–30 seconds. A common recipe: 18 g coffee in, about 36 g of drink out. The golden foam on top is crema.
Cappuccino
Espresso topped with steamed milk and a thick layer of foam, roughly equal thirds. Named after the brown robes of Capuchin friars. Italians drink it only in the morning.
Caffè Latte
Espresso with plenty of steamed milk and a thin layer of foam. In Italy, ordering a 'latte' gets you a glass of milk.
Flat White
A smaller, stronger milk coffee with velvety microfoam, created in the 1980s.
Macchiato
'Stained' espresso: just a dash of foamed milk.
Cortado
Espresso 'cut' with an equal amount of warm milk, little foam.
Americano
Espresso diluted with hot water, said to have been made for American soldiers in Italy during WWII.
Mocha
Espresso with chocolate and steamed milk. The name comes from Mocha, Yemen, once the world's main coffee port.
Affogato
'Drowned': a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a hot espresso poured over.
Turkish Coffee
Powder-fine coffee simmered in a small pot (cezve) and served unfiltered with the grounds settling in the cup. UNESCO lists it as intangible heritage.
Arabic Coffee (Qahwa)
Pale, aromatic coffee with cardamom poured from a dallah into small cups, served with dates as a sign of hospitality.
South Indian Filter Coffee
Strong coffee decoction dripped through a two-part metal filter, mixed with boiled milk and sugar, and frothed by pouring between a tumbler and a davara.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá)
Strong coffee dripped through a small metal phin filter onto sweetened condensed milk, then poured over ice. Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer.
Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng)
Invented in Hanoi in 1946 when milk was scarce: a custardy egg-yolk foam floats on strong coffee.
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (Buna)
Ethiopia is coffee's birthplace. In the ceremony, beans are roasted, ground and brewed in a clay jebena, served in three rounds (abol, tona, baraka) with incense.
Cold Brew
Smooth, low-acid coffee made without heat.
Dalgona Coffee
Equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water whipped into foam and spooned over milk. Indians had long made beaten coffee the same way.
Irish Coffee
Invented in the 1940s to warm up transatlantic passengers. Spec: 40 ml Irish whiskey, 80 ml hot coffee, 1 tsp brown sugar, lightly whipped cream floated on top.
Kopi Luwak (and why to avoid it)
Coffee beans eaten and excreted by civets. Most is now from caged animals kept in poor conditions; animal-welfare groups advise against buying it.
Tea चाय 25
Masala Chai
India's everyday tea: tea leaves boiled with milk, water, sugar and spices. Every home has its own mix; ginger (adrak) and cardamom (elaichi) are the most common.
Darjeeling Tea
The 'champagne of teas': light, floral and muscatel, grown on Himalayan slopes. First flush (spring) is delicate; second flush (summer) is fuller. GI protected.
Assam Tea
Strong, malty black tea from the world's largest tea-growing region; the base of most breakfast teas and Indian chai.
Nilgiri Tea
Bright, fragrant black tea from the blue mountains of the south; good iced.
Kashmiri Kahwa
Fragrant green tea brewed in a samovar with saffron and spices, topped with crushed almonds.
Noon Chai (Pink Tea)
Salty pink tea from Kashmir; baking soda and long boiling turn it rosy.
Sulaimani
Black lemon tea drunk after rich Malabar biryani to aid digestion.
Irani Chai
Slow-brewed tea with thick, creamy milk, served in Irani cafés with Osmania biscuits.
Green Tea (Sencha)
Japan's most-drunk tea; the leaves are steamed to stop oxidation, keeping a fresh, grassy taste.
Matcha
Powdered green tea whisked into hot water; the tea of the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu).
Longjing (Dragon Well)
China's most famous green tea, with flat jade leaves and a chestnut sweetness.
Oolong
Between green and black tea; Tieguanyin is floral, Da Hong Pao is roasted.
Pu-erh
Fermented tea pressed into cakes and aged like wine; earthy and deep.
White Tea
The least processed tea: delicate and sweet.
Earl Grey
Black tea scented with bergamot orange, named after a 19th-century British prime minister.
English Afternoon Tea
The British ritual of tea with sandwiches, scones and cakes, started by the Duchess of Bedford in the 1840s.
Moroccan Mint Tea
Sweet mint tea poured from a height to make foam; the symbol of Moroccan hospitality.
Yerba Mate
Caffeinated herbal infusion sipped through a metal straw (bombilla) from a gourd, shared in a circle.
Rooibos
Caffeine-free red herbal tea from a South African shrub.
Butter Tea (Po Cha)
Salty, buttery tea churned together; it gives calories and warmth at high altitude.
Bubble Tea (Boba)
Sweet milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls, invented in Taiwan in the 1980s.
Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)
Bright orange, sweet, creamy iced tea.
Teh Tarik
'Pulled tea' poured back and forth between two jugs from arm's length to create froth.
Russian Tea (Samovar)
Concentrated tea diluted with water from a samovar, drunk with jam or sugar.
Chamomile
Calming, caffeine-free herbal infusion.
Soft & Traditional Drinks शीतल पेय 30
Cola
The world's best-known soft drink, first sold as a tonic at a pharmacy in 1886.
Tonic Water
Fizzy water with bitter quinine, once taken against malaria by the British in India, which led to the gin & tonic.
Club Soda & Sparkling Water
Soda water is plain fizz; mineral water's bubbles may be natural. Unlike tonic, it has no bitterness or sugar.
Ginger Beer
Spicier and stronger than ginger ale; traditionally brewed with a 'ginger beer plant'.
Root Beer
A sweet, non-alcoholic American soda with vanilla and wintergreen notes.
Lemonade
Still lemonade (US) or fizzy lemonade (UK). Paris had licensed lemonade sellers in the 1600s.
Nimbu Pani / Shikanji
India's summer lemonade, sweet, salty and tangy, with kala namak and bhuna jeera. 'Banta' is the fizzy street version in a marble-stoppered bottle.
Jaljeera
A tangy, spicy digestive cooler made from roasted cumin and mint.
Aam Panna
Sweet-sour drink of boiled raw green mangoes, traditionally drunk to beat the heat (loo).
Lassi
Churned yoghurt drink: sweet (meethi), salted (namkeen) or mango. Punjabi lassi is thick and topped with malai.
Chaas (Buttermilk)
Light, salted spiced buttermilk drunk with or after meals. Called mattha in the north, majjige in Karnataka, moru in Kerala.
Sattu Sharbat
Bihar's protein-rich summer drink made from roasted chana flour, drunk salty with onion and chilli or sweet with jaggery.
Thandai
Rich, cooling spiced milk drink made especially for Holi.
Rose Sharbat
Sweet rose-and-herb syrup drink, especially popular during Ramadan iftar.
Bel Sharbat
Cooling drink made from the pulp of bael (wood apple), traditionally good for the stomach in summer.
Kokum Sharbat
Bright pink-purple cooler from the sour kokum fruit of the Konkan coast.
Sol Kadhi
Pink coconut-milk and kokum drink served after Malvani seafood meals.
Sugarcane Juice (Ganne ka Ras)
Fresh juice pressed at street carts with ginger and lime; called ganne ka ras or ookh ka ras.
Coconut Water
Naturally sweet, rich in potassium; drunk straight from the coconut.
Falooda
Layered dessert-drink with sabja seeds, vermicelli and kulfi or ice cream.
Kala Khatta
Sweet-sour-salty purple syrup, poured over shaved ice as gola or mixed with soda.
Horchata
Milky, sweet, cinnamon drink. In Valencia it is made from tiger nuts; in Mexico from rice.
Agua Fresca
Light fruit waters sold from big glass jars: jamaica (hibiscus), tamarindo, sandía (watermelon).
Ayran
Salted yoghurt drink, Turkey's national drink; doogh is Iran's fizzy minty version.
Kombucha
Lightly fizzy, tangy fermented tea. It contains tiny amounts of alcohol (usually under 0.5%).
Sorrel
Deep red Christmas drink of the Caribbean, often spiked with rum.
Chicha Morada
Non-alcoholic purple-corn drink from Peru.
Tejuino
Lightly fermented cold corn drink served with lime and salt and a scoop of lime sorbet.
Bandung
Pink rose-milk drink.
Sikhye
Sweet rice punch with floating grains, served as dessert.
Mocktails मॉकटेल 11
Virgin Mojito
All the freshness of a Mojito without the rum. Spec: muddle 6–8 mint leaves with 2 tsp sugar and half a lime in wedges; fill with ice; top with 120 ml soda.
Shirley Temple
Said to have been created in the 1930s for child star Shirley Temple. Spec: 150 ml ginger ale (or lemon-lime soda), 15 ml grenadine, cherry.
Virgin Piña Colada
Spec: 90 ml pineapple juice, 45 ml coconut cream, blended with ice.
Virgin Mary
A Bloody Mary without vodka: savoury, spicy and good for brunch.
Arnold Palmer
Half iced tea, half lemonade, named after the golfer who ordered it.
Roy Rogers
Cola with a splash of grenadine and a cherry.
Masala Soda / Goli Soda
Fizzing street drink: lemon and spices in soda, often in the old marble-stoppered goli bottle.
Cucumber Mint Cooler
Blended cucumber and mint, strained, with lime and soda.
Mango Mojito (Virgin)
Muddle mint and lime with 60 ml mango pulp, add ice and top with soda.
Seedlip-style Garden Spritz
Modern non-alcoholic 'spirits' distilled from herbs and peas let you make a zero-proof G&T: 50 ml NA spirit, 150 ml tonic.
Sparkling Fruit Punch
Party punch: equal juices with a splash of grenadine and soda, plus chopped fruit.
Cocktails कॉकटेल 53
Mojito
Cuba's refreshing highball. Spec: 45 ml white rum, 20 ml fresh lime juice, 6 mint leaves, 2 tsp sugar (or 20 ml syrup), soda to top.
Daiquiri
The pure rum sour. Spec: 60 ml white rum, 20 ml lime juice, 15 ml sugar syrup.
Cuba Libre
Spec: 50 ml rum, 120 ml cola, 10 ml lime juice. More than rum and coke: the lime makes it.
Piña Colada
Puerto Rico's national drink since 1978. Spec: 50 ml white rum, 30 ml coconut cream, 50 ml pineapple juice.
Mai Tai
The king of tiki drinks (1944). Spec: 40 ml aged Jamaican rum, 20 ml rhum agricole, 15 ml orange curaçao, 15 ml orgeat (almond syrup), 30 ml lime juice.
Dark 'n' Stormy
Bermuda's national drink. Spec: 60 ml dark rum, 100 ml ginger beer, lime wedge.
Zombie
A potent 1934 tiki drink, famously limited to two per customer.
Caipirinha
Brazil's national cocktail. Spec: 60 ml cachaça, half a lime in wedges, 2 tsp white sugar.
Caipiroska
A Caipirinha made with vodka instead of cachaça.
Margarita
The benchmark agave sour. Spec: 50 ml tequila blanco, 20 ml triple sec, 15 ml fresh lime juice.
Tommy's Margarita
Modern classic replacing orange liqueur with agave syrup. Spec: 60 ml tequila, 30 ml lime juice, 15 ml agave syrup.
Paloma
Mexico's most popular tequila drink at home. Spec: 50 ml tequila, 5 ml lime juice, pinch of salt, grapefruit soda to top.
Michelada
A spicy, savoury beer cocktail, a favourite hangover cure.
Negroni
Created in Florence around 1919 for Count Camillo Negroni. Spec: equal parts, 30 ml each gin, Campari, sweet vermouth.
Americano (cocktail)
The Negroni's lighter parent. Spec: 30 ml Campari, 30 ml sweet vermouth, soda to top.
Aperol Spritz
Venice's aperitivo hour drink. Spec: 90 ml prosecco, 60 ml Aperol, 30 ml soda (3-2-1).
Bellini
Spec: 100 ml prosecco, 50 ml white peach purée.
Espresso Martini
Spec: 50 ml vodka, 10 ml coffee liqueur, 30 ml fresh espresso, 10 ml sugar syrup.
Gin & Tonic
Spec: 50 ml gin, 100–150 ml tonic, lime or lemon. Lots of ice keeps it from diluting fast.
Dry Martini
The most famous cocktail. Spec: 60 ml gin, 10 ml dry vermouth (drier = less vermouth). A Vodka Martini swaps the gin.
Gimlet
Sailors mixed gin with lime cordial against scurvy. Spec: 60 ml gin, 15 ml lime juice, 15 ml sugar syrup.
Tom Collins
Spec: 45 ml gin, 30 ml lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup, soda to top.
French 75
Named after a WWI field gun. Spec: 30 ml gin, 15 ml lemon juice, 10 ml syrup, Champagne to top.
Aviation
Pale sky-blue pre-Prohibition drink. Spec: 45 ml gin, 15 ml maraschino, 5 ml crème de violette, 15 ml lemon juice.
Singapore Sling
Created at the Raffles Hotel's Long Bar around 1915.
Pimm's Cup
England's summer and Wimbledon drink. Spec: 50 ml Pimm's, 150 ml lemonade, cucumber, strawberries, orange, mint.
Old Fashioned
One of the oldest cocktails. Spec: 60 ml bourbon or rye, 1 sugar cube (or 5 ml syrup), 2–3 dashes Angostura, a dash of water.
Manhattan
Spec: 50 ml rye, 20 ml sweet vermouth, 1 dash Angostura.
Whiskey Sour
Spec: 45 ml bourbon, 25 ml lemon juice, 20 ml syrup, optional egg white for foam.
Sazerac
New Orleans' official cocktail. Spec: 50 ml rye (or Cognac), 1 sugar cube, 3 dashes Peychaud's, absinthe to rinse the glass.
Mint Julep
Spec: 60 ml bourbon, 8 mint leaves, 10 ml syrup.
Irish Coffee (cocktail)
Spec: 40 ml Irish whiskey, 80 ml hot coffee, 1 tsp brown sugar, lightly whipped cream.
Hot Toddy
A warming winter drink, a folk remedy for colds. Spec: 45 ml whisky, 15 ml honey, 15 ml lemon juice, 120 ml hot water, clove, cinnamon.
Rusty Nail
Spec: 45 ml Scotch, 25 ml Drambuie.
Sidecar
Spec: 50 ml Cognac, 20 ml triple sec, 20 ml lemon juice.
Pisco Sour
Spec: 60 ml pisco, 30 ml lime juice, 20 ml syrup, 1 egg white, drops of Angostura on the foam.
Moscow Mule
Invented in 1941 to sell vodka and ginger beer to Americans. Spec: 45 ml vodka, 120 ml ginger beer, 10 ml lime juice.
Cosmopolitan
Spec: 40 ml citron vodka, 15 ml triple sec, 30 ml cranberry juice, 15 ml lime juice.
Bloody Mary
The brunch classic. Spec: 45 ml vodka, 90 ml tomato juice, 15 ml lemon, 2 dashes Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
Caesar
Canada's national cocktail, like a Bloody Mary with clam-tomato juice.
White Russian
Spec: 50 ml vodka, 20 ml coffee liqueur, 30 ml cream. Without cream it's a Black Russian.
Long Island Iced Tea
No tea in it, just five spirits. Spec: 15 ml each vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, triple sec; 25 ml lemon; 30 ml syrup; cola to top. Very strong.
Mimosa
Equal parts chilled sparkling wine and fresh orange juice. The UK's Buck's Fizz uses more Champagne.
Kir Royale
Spec: 10 ml crème de cassis topped with 120 ml Champagne. With white wine it's a Kir.
Sangria
Spanish wine punch with chopped fruit, made in a pitcher for sharing.
Tinto de Verano
What Spaniards drink in summer more than sangria: half red wine, half lemon soda.
Sex on the Beach
Spec: 40 ml vodka, 20 ml peach schnapps, 40 ml orange juice, 40 ml cranberry juice.
Feni Tonic / Urrak Lime
Goa's local way to drink its heritage spirit: 60 ml feni or urrak with lime, salt, a slit green chilli and lemon soda.
Aam Panna Margarita
An Indian bar favourite: 45 ml tequila, 60 ml aam panna, 10 ml lime, chaat-masala salt rim.
Ti' Punch
French Caribbean ritual: 50 ml rhum agricole, a lime coin, a spoon of cane syrup, usually no ice.
Fernet con Coca
Argentina's party drink: about 30% Fernet, 70% cola over lots of ice.
Pisco Punch & Chilcano
Chilcano is Peru's easy highball: 50 ml pisco, 15 ml lime, ginger ale, bitters.
Hugo Spritz
Alpine spritz: 120 ml prosecco, 20 ml elderflower syrup, soda, mint, lime.