🍚 Hyderabad Biryani

Tequila, stone fruit, Tonka bean, biryani spice blend & a raita sphere

Tequila (Blanco or Reposado)
20 min
Shaken + spherification garnish
Coupe
~16%
Farzi Café
Ingredients
  • 50ml blanco tequila
  • 20ml biryani spice tincture (see tips)
  • 15ml plum or stone fruit shrub (15ml plum juice + 15ml apple cider vinegar + 15ml sugar, warmed and cooled)
  • 10ml fresh lime juice
  • 10ml Tonka bean syrup (steep 1 cracked Tonka bean in 50ml simple syrup for 1 hr, strain)
  • Ice
  • Raita sphere (advanced garnish — optional; see tips) or Greek yogurt quenelle as simpler substitute
Method
  1. 1
    Make tinctureBiryani tincture: steep ¼ tsp saffron + ⅛ tsp ground mace + 1 tsp rose water + ¼ tsp fried shallot powder + 1 cardamom pod (crushed) in 100ml neutral spirit (vodka) for 2 hours. Strain through muslin.
  2. 2
    ShakeCombine tequila, biryani tincture, plum shrub, lime juice, and Tonka syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds.
  3. 3
    StrainFine-strain into a chilled coupe.
  4. 4
    GarnishPlace the raita sphere or a small quenelle of Greek yogurt on a small spoon resting across the coupe rim. Instruct the guest to drop it into the drink before sipping.

About This Cocktail

Farzi Café is one of India's most innovative restaurant concepts, known for applying molecular gastronomy techniques to classical Indian dishes. Their Cocktail Safari menu features 8 cocktails named after Indian cities, each interpreting that city's signature food as a drink. Hyderabad Biryani translates the world's most debated rice dish — layers of basmati, slow-cooked meat, saffron, rose water, fried onion, and spices — into a cocktail using a custom biryani spice tincture and tequila, which carries aromatic spices better than most spirits. The raita sphere (spherified yogurt-and-cucumber, using basic reverse spherification) is the theatrical finishing touch.

Variations

Kolkata BiryaniReplace saffron-mace with keora water + potato (yes, potato-infused vodka exists, and Kolkata biryani traditionally contains potato)
Lucknowi VersionReplace plum shrub with ittar of vetiver (khus) — a few drops of khus syrup transforms it into the Awadh tradition
Non-AlcoholicReplace tequila with mango shrub + sparkling water — surprisingly effective
Bartender Tips

Tonka bean (available at specialty food stores or online) has a flavour combining vanilla, almond, cherry, and cinnamon — it is the bridge between the tequila and the biryani spices. Use in very small amounts; it is potent. The raita sphere (advanced): dissolve 1g sodium alginate in 200ml of strained cucumber-yogurt (Greek yogurt + cucumber + cumin + salt, blended and strained). Drop spoonfuls into a bath of 500ml water + 5g calcium chloride. Spheres form in 60 seconds. Rinse in clean water. This is Farzi Café's level of technique — the simple yogurt quenelle alternative works perfectly for home use.

Source Restaurant
Restaurant
Farzi Café, Gurugram & New Delhi, India; Farzi Café London, Trafalgar Square
Spirit
Tequila (Blanco or Reposado)
Method
Shaken + spherification garnish
ABV
~16%
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Where to drink this
Restaurant
Farzi Café
Address
Gurugram & New Delhi, India; Trafalgar Square, London, UK
Style
Progressive Indian bistro
Accolades
International chain · founder Zorawar Kalra's flagship concept

Farzi Café is India's most internationally recognised progressive Indian concept — a restaurant that applies molecular gastronomy and modern technique to Indian street food and regional classics. The cocktail programme is equally theatrical: drinks served in unusual vessels, dramatic presentations, and flavour combinations that make Indian spices the star. Found at multiple locations across India and the UK.

Visit farzicafe.com