🍃 Skinny Paan

Vodka, betel leaf, fresh lime, cucumber & soda — Ambassadors Clubhouse NYC

Vodka
5 min
Shaken
Collins Glass
~12%
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Ingredients
  • 3 fresh betel leaves (paan leaves), torn
  • 50ml vodka
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 4 thin cucumber slices
  • 10ml simple syrup
  • Soda water to top
  • Ice
  • Betel leaf & cucumber ribbon to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    MuddleMuddle betel leaves, cucumber slices, and simple syrup in a shaker base.
  2. 2
    AddAdd vodka and lime juice.
  3. 3
    ShakeAdd ice and shake 12 seconds.
  4. 4
    StrainFine-strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.
  5. 5
    TopTop with soda water. Garnish with a betel leaf and cucumber ribbon.

About This Cocktail

The Skinny Paan is Ambassadors Clubhouse's deliberately accessible cocktail — the drink for someone who wants something with Indian flavours but not the complexity of a Paan Sour or Bhang Southside. Betel leaf (paan) muddles easily into a vodka-lime framework, and the cucumber adds the cooling quality that plain soda water doesn't have. The name plays on both the 'skinny' cocktail trend (low-calorie, spirit-forward) and the slim green betel leaf itself.

Variations

Gin PaanReplace vodka with Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire — the botanical gin amplifies the betel leaf's peppery-herbal notes dramatically
Spicy PaanAdd 1 thin slice of green chili to the muddle — the chili-betel-lime combination captures the spicy paan filling experience
Paan SpritzReplace half the soda with prosecco for a Paan Spritz — use only 30ml vodka to keep ABV manageable
Bartender Tips

Fresh betel leaves (paan leaves) are available at Indian grocery stores — they are the large, shiny, dark green leaves used in paan. They have a slightly peppery, grassy flavour. Do not confuse with shiso or grape leaves. The cucumber acts as a cooling agent; for maximum cucumber flavour, peel and muddle an entire 5cm section rather than just 4 slices.

Source Restaurant
Restaurant
Ambassadors Clubhouse, Midtown Manhattan, New York City
Spirit
Vodka
Method
Shaken
ABV
~12%
Vodka Guide All 69 Indian Cocktails Indian Mocktails (87) Cocktails A–Z
Where to drink this
Restaurant
Ambassadors Clubhouse
Address
Midtown Manhattan, New York City
Style
Indian cocktail bar & lounge
Accolades
Midtown's standout Indian cocktail destination

Ambassadors Clubhouse brings an aristocratic sensibility to Indian cocktail culture — drinks that draw from the era of Indian diplomatic gatherings, colonial-era clubs, and Mughal court traditions. The menu is sophisticated without being austere, featuring regional Indian ingredients in cocktails designed to be talked about as much as drunk.

Visit ambassadorsclubhousenyc.com