Saffron & turmeric gin with tonic water — Tiya SF
The Gin & Tonic was invented in India by the British East India Company — tonic water (with its quinine, a malaria preventative) was made more palatable by mixing it with gin. The British brought gin to India; India gave gin its botanical logic (cardamom, pepper, coriander seeds appear in many gins precisely because they are Indian spices). Tiya's Indian G&T uses a gin infused with saffron and turmeric — returning those Indian spices to the drink that India originally inspired. Saffron gives it a golden colour. Turmeric adds an earthy, slightly peppery depth. Indian tonic (with its quinine bitterness) completes the circle.
Turmeric can stain — use fine straining (coffee filter is best) to remove all the turmeric powder. The colour should be a clear golden, not murky yellow. Saffron strands can be left in the gin without straining for visual effect, but fine-strain before serving a guest. Indian tonic works better than elderflower or cucumber tonic here — its quinine bitterness is the traditional pairing.
Add 5ml rose water to the gin before topping with tonic for a floral Indian rose G&T.
Tiya takes the intersecting immigrant histories of San Francisco's Japanese and Indian communities and distils them into a cocktail menu. Each drink is named after a San Francisco neighborhood, building a portrait of the city through layered flavour — yuzu meets curry leaf, matcha meets chai, Calpico meets tamarind. A genuinely original vision in American craft bartending.
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