Cognac, fresh peach, raw coriander seed & Himalayan cold brew tea
The White Ruby Punch references the British colonial practice of serving punch at the Ambassadors Club — large-format drinks that blended spirits, citrus, sugar, water, and spice into something more palatable for a hot Indian evening. Cognac was historically India's spirit of choice before Scotch whisky dominated (many of India's first distilleries made brandy-style spirits in the colonial era). The coriander seeds are raw — the whole seed added to the glass, where it slowly opens and infuses the drink as you sip it, changing the flavour from the first sip to the last.
Whole raw coriander seeds (not ground, not roasted) have a citrus-floral quality that is very different from the cooked/ground spice. Placed in the glass at the beginning, they slowly infuse as body heat and the drink's acidity gently warm them, evolving the flavour. Darjeeling first flush cold brew has a muscatel (muscat grape) quality that no other tea replicates — if you can source first flush, use it here.
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.
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