Tequila, jasmine verde liqueur, fresh lime & a pinch of ground sandalwood
Channapatna (also called Toy Town) in Karnataka has been producing brightly painted wooden toys since the reign of Tipu Sultan in the 18th century, who invited craftsmen from Persia to establish the tradition. The toys are distinctive for their vivid lacquered colours — red, yellow, green, blue — applied using a traditional technique of applying lac (a natural resin) while the lathe spins. Musaafer's cocktail uses jasmine verde (the green jasmine liqueur from Patrón, with its distinct floral-green herbal character) as the colour reference — the drink has a faint green-gold hue that suggests the painted wood.
Food-grade sandalwood powder is available at Indian grocery stores and Ayurvedic product shops. Use a tiny pinch — less than ⅛ tsp — as sandalwood has an intense woody-creamy flavour that overpowers at larger quantities. In this amount, it acts as a whispered background note that supports the jasmine. Jasmine verde liqueur from Patrón is the specific product Musaafer uses; elderflower liqueur is the closest widely-available substitute.
Musaafer ('traveller' in Urdu) is the flagship of Houston's Indian fine dining scene, with SAAQI — its dedicated cocktail bar — as one of the most ambitious Indian bar programmes in the United States. Head bartender Bhavna Bhatt has built a menu that treats Indian spirits (Old Monk, Amrut, Paul John), syrups, and infusions as equal partners with global classics. The cocktail menu here is as serious as the kitchen.
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