🍵 Chai-Tini

House rum, fresh cutting chai & Kashmiri pink chai foam — GupShup NYC

Rum
15 min
Shake
Coupe
~16%
GupShup
Ingredients
  • 50ml dark rum (or white rum for a lighter drink)
  • 60ml strong cutting chai (brew 2 tea bags with ½ tsp chai masala, 1cm ginger, in 100ml water for 5 min)
  • 10ml simple syrup
  • 10ml fresh lemon juice
  • For Kashmiri pink chai foam: 100ml Kashmiri chai (see tips) + 1 egg white + 1 tsp rose water, dry-shaken hard
Method
  1. 1
    Make chaiBrew cutting chai strong — black tea with chai masala and ginger. Cool completely.
  2. 2
    Make pink foamKashmiri pink chai requires boiling green tea with baking soda to get the green-to-pink reaction, then whisking with milk. Or shortcut: combine 50ml strong green tea + 1 tsp baking soda (turns pink) + 50ml hot milk, whisk until frothy. Add rose water.
  3. 3
    Shake cocktailCombine rum, cooled cutting chai, simple syrup, and lemon juice with ice. Shake hard 15 seconds.
  4. 4
    StrainFine-strain into a chilled coupe.
  5. 5
    Float foamSpoon the warm Kashmiri pink foam gently over the cocktail surface.

About This Cocktail

Cutting chai is the style of tea sold at Mumbai's local chaiwallas — typically in a small glass, half full, shared between friends or taken as a quick standing break. The term 'cutting' refers to the cut measure (half a full cup). GupShup's Chai-Tini takes that intensity of spiced tea flavour and pairs it with rum (whose vanilla and caramel notes harmonise naturally with chai spices) and a showstopping Kashmiri pink chai foam — the non-Newtonian, naturally pink tea made by extended boiling and then whisking to create the iconic pink froth.

Variations

Bourbon Chai-TiniReplace rum with bourbon — the vanilla-caramel of bourbon makes the chai flavours even richer
Masala Espresso Chai-TiniAdd a shot of espresso to the base and reduce the chai — becomes a chai-espresso martini hybrid
Zero-ProofReplace rum with cold brew tea (Assam, extra strong) + 10ml vanilla extract — surprisingly convincing
Bartender Tips

Kashmiri chai (noon chai or pink chai) requires the right chemistry: green tea + baking soda + oxygen (from whisking or pouring between vessels). The baking soda creates an alkaline environment that reacts with the tannins to produce the distinctive pink-to-purple colour. It is then mixed with hot milk, which creates the pale pink. Rose water is the finishing fragrance. The foam should be dense enough to support a few rose petals as garnish.

Source Restaurant
Restaurant
GupShup, New York City
Spirit
Rum
Method
Shake, then foam
ABV
~16%
Gin Guide All Indian Cocktails Indian Mocktails Cocktails A–Z
Where to drink this
Restaurant
GupShup
Address
409 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10016
Style
Modern Indian cocktail bar & restaurant
Accolades
One of NYC's top Indian cocktail destinations

GupShup (meaning 'gossip' or 'chatter' in Hindi and Urdu) is a celebration of Indian social culture through food and drink. The cocktail menu draws from the full breadth of the subcontinent — paan-inspired drinks, lassi riffs, spiced old fashioneds — with an energy that matches the name. One of the most vibrant Indian drinking experiences in New York City.

Visit gupshup.nyc