Kaal Boishakhi (Bengali: কাল বৈশাখী, Hindi: कल बाशाखी)

I first tasted this cocktail in 1993 in Kolkata, and instantly fell in love. Over the years, this cocktail has become available in many restaurants and bars, and somehow acquired the name Kaal Boishakhi.

A spicy variation of this is also popular:

Ingredients

• (Burnt) Green Mango Syrup (Bengali: আম পান্না, Hindi: आम पन्ना)
• Vodka
  • Can substitute Vodka with White Rum.
  • Can substitute Vodka with Gin, but the gin flavors fight with the aam panna flavor.
• Indian / Thai green chili for the spicy version

Proportion is hard to prescribe, because it depends on what type of mango syrup you get, just try and adjust!

Preparation

Shake the ingredients in ice shaker with some ice. Add a dash of soda.

On the serving glass, you may want to add a half rim of lime juice with

• salt + red chili powder
• or chaat masala
• or Mexican Tajin

Garnish for visual pleasure, use lime slice, or sprig of mint, or a slice of green mango.

Like any other cocktail, the fresher the ingredient, the better the taste. Even in India, fresh green mango syrup is hard to get except in summer. In Kolkata, I recommend the store named “Tasty” in Dokshinapan Shopping Mall.

Druk’s makes a more industrial version, which is available year around, both in India and abroad.

If you don’t have access to ready made green mango syrup, you can make it yourself. E.g. try this recipe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clUtD6tLzF8