Hello and Happy Holi to you!

‘Tis the time of year when you have no option but to reveal your true colours. So either you’re hiding at home ready to shoot anyone who dares to put colour on you OR you’re that person who’s playing with strangers, stealing water from the neighbors and walking around with a Pokemon Pichkari  (Water gun).

We made our own colour this Holi with these gorgeous yellow Tesu flowers!

No matter which way you sway, the spirit of Holi is ridiculously infectious. My favourite part, of course is the food. Usually every self-respecting Holi gathering will have a mountain of Gujias, Samosas, Shakarparas and Kheer. Chased down by Beer and Thandai. While Indians don’t need any more reasons to dessert, stuffing down a few dozen Gujias with coloured hands is a special treat.

And since this is the one day everything goes, am taking it a step further with a special drink I call Falooda Martini.

For those of you unfamiliar with Falooda, it’s essentially an ice cream based dessert which has flavoured milk, vermicelli, sweet basil seeds and plenty of rose syrup. I love how creamy and rosy this dessert is, which inspired me to Gin it up.

The Falooda Martini is a happy mix of Gin, homemade white chocolate liqueur, and rose syrup. You could substitute it with Chocolate Liqueur but I prefer having control over the sweetness of my ingredients. Am obsessive-compulsive like that. I love the gentle floral flavour that stays true(ish) to a martini. How pretty is this drink!

Falooda Martini

Notes: Spirit Forward, Floral and Vanilla-ey

Ingredients:

White Chocolate Liqueur

• White Chocolate, chopped – 100gms
• Single Cream – 50ml
• Vodka – 60ml
• Vanilla Pod – 1

Falooda Martini

• Gin – 60ml (I used Bombay Sapph)
• White Chocolate Liquer – 20ml
• Rose Syrup – 5ml

Method:

• Start by making the White Chocolate Liqueur the night before. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler and set aside to cool. Slowly mix in the cream till it’s well combined. Split the vanilla pod and tip in the seeds. Now stir in the vodka one spoon at a time till it’s all mixed in.Store this in a jar or an airtight bottle and refrigerate.
• You could choose to strain this the next day or use it as is.
• Place ice into a mixing and a martini glass. Into the mixing glass, pour in the Gin and White Chocolate Liqueur and stir for about 30 seconds. Drop the ice from the Martini glass and strain the cocktail into it
• Pour rose syrup into the drink. It will float to the bottom of the glass. Use a vanilla pod to mix up the colours.