Mandarin, vetiver (khus), lime, basil seeds & soda — Ambassadors Clubhouse NYC
Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), known in India as khus, is a grass whose roots are ground into a paste used in traditional cooling drinks, especially in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh where summers are brutally hot. Khus sharbat has been drunk in India for centuries, prized for its cooling properties in Ayurveda. Ambassadors Clubhouse's version pairs it with mandarin for brightness and adds sabja (basil seeds) for texture — those bloomed seeds are pure Mughal-era drink aesthetics.
Khus syrup (not to be confused with the pink rose syrup Rooh Afza, though the same brand makes a khus/vetiver version) has an earthy, slightly woody, intensely cooling flavour that is difficult to describe but immediately recognisable to anyone who grew up drinking it in summer. Sabja seeds (also called falooda seeds or tukmaria) are available at Indian and Southeast Asian grocery stores. They have no flavour of their own but add a remarkable tapioca-like texture.
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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