Molecular drinks – Cheers to the tasting session at Barcelos

Molecular drinks at Barcelos

Honestly, I knew very little about  Molecular mixology before getting an invitation to ‘Molecular Drinks tasting session at Barcelos’.   While I acknowledged the invite mail in my inbox, the word ‘molecular’ stayed with me till I had googled and read about it to my utmost satisfaction.

Barcelos has come up with Molecular drinks  and I got a chance to be among the first to taste them!

Here are few pointers that I picked up about Molecular drinks

• Everyone has the same to say-  A drink that is changed through equipment and techniques of molecular gastronomy
• Drinks, especially cocktails are prepared altering its intensities, flavor, texture or the look of the drink
•  Gels, powders, foams, atomized sprays, dry ice are used to play with the look and the presentation of the drink
• Mixology is getting rave reviews because it is believed to enhance the overall drinking experience
• Experimentation is on the peak and variety is being created from multi-layered drinks to color changing to frozen ‘nitro’ cocktails to edible jelly shaped drinks
• Without getting into much details, one can simply say that it is the science of playing with the density and viscosity of fluids

Thus, I was quite prepared for the next day!  I opted for a Metro ride and landed at Khan Market in the afternoon. A few minutes walk to BARCELOS drenched me in sweat.  The heat of the city absolutely prepared me to indulge in the drinks.  Making my way to the second floor, I found a table that was yet to be taken. There were other bloggers who were already busy in tasting the drinks.

This was not my first visit to Barcelos and I have already blogged about my food experience here. Last time, I had given a thumps up to their peri peri chicken dishes and Kaala khatta drink. This time it was more about the drinks than food. Going with the demand of the season, summers mean lot of water intake and who doesn’t love interesting mixtures that are thirst-quenching in every gulp.

The First Drinks that Arrived…

These three drinks were served on my ajdacent bloggers-table.                                   The fresh fruit pieces looked beautiful as they peeped out of the transparent glasses. Standing tall:    Tangy Mango and Kiwi Kooler

The kiwi chunks looked enticing!

While we were busy clicking pictures and savoring the tastes, food made it way to our tables.  The food platters (veg and non-veg) were served to go with our drinks. Soon the bartender came and used some technique (I guess it was a vacuum flask) to add the zing to the drinks. Yes, he made them look absolutely tantalizing. He poured in dry ice. It bubbled and released gases.  And to add to the effect, there was a small glass placed close to the tall glasses. This was totally a new concept for me. I had never these mixology treatments happen except the chemistry labs where we mixed chemicals. Here, it was consumable and carefully done.

The effect of dry ice Veg Platter The Non-Veg Platter

Well, If the above pictures of the drinks left you wondering where is the molecular effect, check these clicks…

The addition of dry ice added a great effect and enhanced its look. This mixology technique turned them into molecular drinks. Overall, they looked very appealing to the eyes.

Berry Cucumber Peach Nutty- One of the blogger’s ordered for a cocktail

It kept bubbling for next five minutes…nothing less! This one showed some real molecular effects inside the glass.  I am sure it had to do with the alcoholic presence too.

My Favorite – Honey Rosey

So now that you are already thirsty,  lets talk about it more.  I tasted the Tangy Mango first. and no doubt it was very refreshing. In the initial bit, I felt it was a little high on the salt but gradually it lived up to its name, tangy to the core.  My sister who had accompanied me for this tasting session loved her drink more than mine- kiwi koolers.  When I tasted them, I felt they were truly delighting.

The veg platter was lavish and here I must tell you that Barcelos is one place that has great choices for vegetarians. Though, its known for its chicken but it uses the peri peri marination style for veggies too and serves them interestingly.  In fact, I am more of a chicken loving person but I could not ignore the veg platter. The Tofu was nice, the brocolli was a really too hard, the boiled potato with the peanut filling were yummy while the kebabs were just fine. Overall, it looked more appetizing than the non-veg platter.

But then I am an ardent fan of chicken dishes and I quite liked these peri-peri grilled chicken so I must talk about them too. The chicken wings, boneless chicken as well as the drumsticks tasted nice. Just that I felt that the chicken was less juicy this time.  I really hope it tastes better next time.

While we were enjoying the starters and our first drinks were near to completion , we decided to order other drinks too. This time I ordered an Rosey Honey and my sis-in-law went for Berry Cucumber.  

Berry Cucumber

She was quite happy with her drink and mine simply made my day. I tasted Berry Cucumber but since I am not fond of Cucumber, I seriously should be the last person to comment on the taste. However, Rosey Honey was the winner for me. I loved chewing on the rose petals and the molecular effect made my drink looked gorgeous. In crystal clear water, the pink petals looked damn lovely. The sweetness was absolutely up to the mark and this was the most thirst quenching. This one is highly recommended from my side.

Rosey Honey— This one looked liked a beautiful lady draped in white and pink!!!

Rosey Honey

Last Friday, we did this drinks tasting session and now Barcelos has opened these drinks to their customers . I am sure they will be have a great time like we did in the thirsty afternoon. Have a chilled time!

My sis-in-law had a suggestion too that there must be a stick given along with the straws so that one can eat the fruit chunks too. Why should they be left behind in the glasses? I think that’s quite thoughtful and especially because she loves eating fruits.

Happy Eating and Exploring!!