Have your say and vote for your favorite in our global Facebook poll.
Pitcher perfect: 3 new Mumbai bars battle for sangria superiority
CNNGo conducts a chalice check at three Mumbai bars in search of the best sangria concoctions. We even stole their recipes for your own DIY summer partying pleasure
We evaluated three new Mumbai bars in our Sangria competition: Villa 39, Valhalla and Escobar.As always we're never the types to recommend something without trying it first, so at great personal sacrifice we dragged ourselves round three top, newly opened bars in town, to see how their sangrias squared off against each other in anticipation of summer. You're welcome. Second Runner up: Villa 39's Sangria RomanoBrand new on Mumbai’s drinking and dining landscape, this swishy restaurant may not have gotten everything on its ambitious menu right, but they mix one of the most superlative sangrias in the city. Head bartender Ajay Pardesi uses tequila to blunt the tang of red wine in his Sangria Romano, creating a cocktail that is all curves; mellow, fruity and brightly hued, pretty as a picture against the restaurant’s white and silver décor. Recipe for Villa 39's Sangria Romano. Mix 120 ml of red wine, 60 ml of tequila, 10 ml of Galiano, 10 ml of Vermouth, 5 to10 ml of peach syrup, 60 ml of grape and apple juice each. Top with cubed apples, pomegranate and grapes. Villa 39, Amarchand Mansion, 60 Madam Cama Road, Colaba; tel. +91 (0) 22 6657 3939; www.villa39.com; Rs 375 for a glass. First Runner up: Valhalla's Classic SangriaAt Valhalla, which bills itself as Mumbai’s first tapas bar, a splash of vanilla vodka replaces the cognac usually used in sangria, adding a burst of flavor to compliment the luscious cubes of fruit. Navigate your wine glass (body will follow) towards Valhalla's unforgettably incongruous, but popular red velvet throne -- placed bang in the middle of the bar. Valhalla also follows the good-sangria-starts-with-good-wine rule: "While many use table wine, ours is made from a full bodied fruity Spanish red," says general manager Vijay Kondapalli. Recipe for Valhalla's Classic Sangria. Mix together one bottle of medium to full bodied fruity red wine, the same quantity of lemonade (in Spain they use Gaseosa), a shot of vanilla vodka and a shot of either Grand Marnier or Cointreau. Add sugar to taste, sliced lemon, orange segments, chopped apples and pears. Let it stand for 24 to 48 hours before serving chilled or over ice. Valhalla, 1st floor, East wing, Eros Theatre Building, Churchgate; tel. +91 (0) 22 6735 3535; www.valhalla.co.in; Rs 400 for a glass, Rs 2,000 for a pitcher. ...and the Winner is: Escobar's Columbian Breeze 6,000 square feet of rooftop floor space, a 77 foot long bar, a balmy Bandra breeze and what feels like a never-ending flow of sparkling, seriously delish sangria. All this adds up to the number one spot to drink fruit out of a glass in Mumbai. Escobar, Bandra’s hippest terrace bar, is the winner of our sangria search, because its bar menu has an entire section devoted to sangria. With some interesting innovations. There's a sexy version spiced up with cinnamon and made voluptuous by a splash of peach nectar. There's the refreshing blonde and blush Sangrias with citrus vodka, fruit and herbs. The bar, which doles out 15 litres of sangria on a weekend night, also does sparkling wine versions. Escobar’s mixology consultant Shatbi Basu says making sure that the alcohol does not drown out the fruit flavors is the most important element to a good wine punch. Recipe for Escobar's Columbian Breeze Sangria. Soak some cut pineapple, green apple and lemon grass leaf in 75 ml Limon rum overnight. Add with ice cubes to 375 ml of white wine, 250 ml sprite and 250 ml mango juice. Escobar, 4th Floor, VN Sphere, Linking Road, opposite Shoppers’ Stop, Bandra (W); tel. +91 (0) 22 4276 0000; Facebook fan page; Rs 400 for a Happy glass, Rs 1,200 for a Thirsty pitcher. |
