Luxebook December 2021

A sip before you sleep (or party) Exploring the culture of after-dinner drinks, and the spirits that add to its lure BY RUHI GILDER T he custom of a course-wise meal, followed by a special after-dinner drink is a popular ritual in the Western countries, especially in Europe. Also known as a digestif, this alcoholic beverage is used to aid digestion and is generally high in alcohol content, with a deep, rich flavour profile. It is also usually taken neat. Spirits like brandy, including Cognac and Armagnac, grappa, sherry, port, single malt, whisky and liqueurs like Amaretto, Limoncello, Cointreau, Sambuca and Kahlúa are commonly served as a nightcap post-dinner. However, culturally, we are not a country that drinks alongside our meal, or even after. Most of our drinking is done before we progress to dinner. A party at home usually boasts of a lavish spread of dishes, but the meal is short, followed by quick goodbyes. In a candid conversation with Nikhil Agarwal, Founder and CEO, All Things Nice, and Karina Aggarwal, Director, Gigglewater Beverage Concepts Ltd. and Vice President - TERAI Gin, LuxeBook tries to comprehend the lure of an after- dinner drink. Whisky Popular in India A small percent of the population indulges in these special drinks, if you ask Karina from Gigglewater. She describes an after-dinner drink as a consciously cultivated choice. “As far as liqueurs or dessert- drinks are concerned, people may have one if it’s something they see as an occasion at home, or if they are going to a fine-dine for an exclusive experience,” she says. On the sweeter side, port wine or dessert wine are popular amongst people who enjoy honeyed liquors. All Things Nice, a wine and spirits consulting and marketing agency, while hosting course-by-course meals with Michelin star chefs prefers to close events with cognacs like Hennessy XO, an extensively aged type of liquor, or even rums. When it comes to the latter, Nikhil has noticed an excitement among diners, as rum is an unexpected way to end a meal. “Popular choices in India have always been spirits like cognac, whisky; even rum is catching on in a very big way right now,” says Nikhil. Another addition to the after-dinner beverage menu is tequila, Edinburgh Gin, Rhubarb & Ginger under the Añejo (aged for 1-3 years) category. He recently hosted a dinner that ended with glasses of Codigo 1530, a high- end sipping tequila being passed around. Likely pairings ‘How you pair an after- dinner drink depends on the level of sweetness and acidity of a single drink’, explains Karina. For example, a dessert wine works well with everything from a blue cheese to a dark chocolate ganache, to even mithai. She describes two ways to pair spirits, contrasting or complementing. Contrasting involves pairing a sweet liqueur with a salty cheese, while complementing requires identifying the notes of the beverage, and pairing the nutty notes of a wine with a praline-based dessert. Since these are served after one’s main meal, the food with after-drink drinks must be something to nibble on. Nikhil advises hosts to stay away from spice, and embrace light and clean dishes. His go- to choice is cheese, in particular, a Parmigiano Reggiano drenched in honey. The salt and crust of the cheese counteracts wonderfully with the soft sweetness of the honey; it is also a great way to end a meal. One can balance out those flavours with a well-rounded rum or mezcal. Something new “I don’t see us moving towards the global trend of drinking after dinner anytime soon, but I think there is a growing curiosity about it,” says Karina. For it to become a regular practice, she stresses the need for greater availability of these types of liqueurs, at a price point that is not completely prohibitive. While there is a precedence set for whisky drinkers, who are conditioned to drinking a snifter of their favourite peaty malt post-dinner with a cigar, there is a larger market waiting to be explored. Nikhil mentions an example of how friends who went for a nice dinner at a popular eatery in Mumbai wanted a glass of sake post their meal and asked him for suggestions for the same. A drastic change Nikhil has seen in the past two or three years is consumers drinking better but less. “People don’t want mass brands anymore, they want brands that they can align themselves with, which are normally craft brands,” says the NIGHT C AP 34| L U X E B O O K | D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 1 D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 1 | L U X E B O O K | 35