Dark rum, clarified salty lassi, roasted cumin & fresh lime — Saffron Milwaukee
Saffron Milwaukee built this cocktail around one of the great challenges of cocktail making: how to use yogurt without the drink being cloudy, heavy, or unpleasant. The answer is milk punch clarification applied to lassi: the salted yogurt drink is mixed with the rum and a small amount of citrus, then the acid-heat reaction causes the proteins to precipitate out. Strained slowly through muslin, the result is a crystal-clear golden liquid that tastes intensely of lassi — cumin, salt, yogurt — while looking like an elegant martini. The roasted cumin is the invisible ingredient that makes everything taste more Indian.
This drink requires patience for the clarification but the result is remarkable — a golden, crystal-clear liquid that tastes entirely like a cumin-salty lassi with rum. The clarification removes all cloudiness, astringency, and the yogurt's dairy heaviness while preserving all the flavour compounds. It is best made in large batches as the technique is time-intensive; the clarified base keeps refrigerated for 1 week.
Saffron Modern Indian Dining in downtown Milwaukee is a genuine anomaly — a restaurant that brings the sophistication of a major-city Indian cocktail programme to the American Midwest. The bar team works with the kitchen to create drinks that draw on the same ingredients and traditions, making Saffron one of the most complete Indian dining experiences in the country.
Visit saffronmilwaukee.com