🌿 West Bengal Buck

Vodka, fresh coconut purée, holy basil, lime & spiced ginger beer — Sona NYC

Vodka (Tito's)
5 min
Built
Copper Mug or Highball
~11%
Sona
Ingredients
  • 60ml Tito's vodka (or any clean vodka)
  • 45ml fresh coconut purée (blend and strain fresh coconut, or use coconut cream diluted 1:1 with water)
  • 4 holy basil (tulsi) leaves — or substitute Thai basil if unavailable
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 15ml simple syrup
  • 120ml premium ginger beer (Fever-Tree or Bundaberg)
  • Ice
  • Tulsi sprig, lime wheel & coconut chips to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    MuddleIn a copper mug or highball, muddle tulsi leaves with simple syrup and lime juice.
  2. 2
    AddAdd vodka and coconut purée. Stir.
  3. 3
    IceFill with ice.
  4. 4
    TopTop with ginger beer. Stir once. Garnish with tulsi, lime wheel, and toasted coconut chips.

About This Cocktail

Holy basil (tulsi) is among the most sacred plants in Hinduism — kept in courtyards of homes across India, used in Ayurvedic medicine, and also a culinary herb used in West Bengali and South Indian cooking. Its flavour is distinct from Italian sweet basil — more medicinal, with a clove-like spiciness. Sona NYC's bartenders built this drink as a coconut milk punch-style riff on the mule format, using tulsi as the herb note that replaces mint.

Variations

Rum Bengal BuckReplace vodka with Old Monk dark rum — the vanilla rum + coconut is a Caribbean-meets-Bengal fusion that makes total sense
Gin Tulsi BuckUse a floral gin (Hendrick's or Bombay Sapphire) with tulsi — the rose/cucumber notes of the gin echo the basil
Coconut-FreeOmit coconut purée, double the lime — becomes a Tulsi Mule, cleaner and more lime-forward
Bartender Tips

Holy basil (tulsi/Thai holy basil) has a clove-like, slightly medicinal quality that Italian basil lacks — it is a key note in this drink. Thai basil (which has a similar anise-clove character) is a good substitute. Fresh coconut purée is far superior to canned coconut cream for this application — purer flavour, less fat. The ginger beer should be spiced and assertive — Fever-Tree ginger beer has genuine heat that works here.

Source Restaurant
Restaurant
Sona, Flatiron District, New York City (restaurant closed June 2026; recipe preserved)
Spirit
Vodka (Tito's)
Method
Built
ABV
~11%
Gin Guide All Indian Cocktails Indian Mocktails Cocktails A–Z
Where to drink this
Restaurant
Sona Permanently Closed
Address
Flatiron District, New York City (permanently closed June 2026)
Style
Modern Indian fine dining
Accolades
Michelin Bib Gourmand · celebrated cocktail programme before closure

Sona was one of New York City's most acclaimed modern Indian restaurants, co-owned by model and restaurateur Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Known for its nuanced interpretation of Indian cuisine and a cocktail programme that treated Indian ingredients with genuine respect, Sona closed in June 2026. These recipes preserve the drinks that made it special.