🍊 Orange Dream

Orange, Kashmiri chili & kewra water — Indian Accent NYC

5 min
Citrus & Spiced
Tall glass over ice
Indian Accent, New York City
0% ABV
Ingredients
  • 150ml freshly squeezed orange juice (2 large oranges)
  • ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder (deggi mirch)
  • 15ml kewra water (available at Indian grocery stores)
  • 10ml honey
  • 10ml lime juice
  • 60ml sparkling water
  • Ice
  • Orange wheel & pinch of Kashmiri chili to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    Mix spiceIn a small bowl, whisk Kashmiri chili into orange juice until the powder dissolves (about 20 seconds). Strain through a fine sieve if you prefer no sediment.
  2. 2
    CombineIn a shaker with ice, combine chili-orange juice, kewra water, honey, and lime juice. Shake for 8 seconds.
  3. 3
    BuildStrain into a tall glass over fresh ice.
  4. 4
    TopAdd sparkling water. Stir gently.
  5. 5
    GarnishFloat an orange wheel. Dust with a tiny pinch of Kashmiri chili powder for colour.

About This Drink

Kashmiri chili (deggi mirch) is the mild red chili that gives Indian restaurant curries their vibrant red-orange colour — it has warmth without aggressive heat, and a slightly sweet, paprika-like depth. Kewra water (distilled from screwpine flowers) is the Indian equivalent of rose water but more herbal, pandan-like, and distinctive — widely used in Mughlai biryanis and desserts. Indian Accent's Orange Dream is built on this unlikely pairing: fresh orange juice as the chassis, Kashmiri chili as the warming spice element, kewra as the floral counterpoint. The result is a drink that smells floral, tastes citrusy, and finishes with a gentle South Asian warmth.

Bartender Tips

Kashmiri chili is mild — ½ tsp gives colour and warmth, not heat. Deggi mirch (a blend of Kashmiri chili and regular red chili) is slightly hotter — use ¼ tsp if using deggi. Kewra water has a very strong, distinctive floral flavour — 15ml is plenty. Find it alongside rose water at Indian grocery stores.

Origin
Restaurant
Indian Accent, New York City
Origin
Modern Indian fine dining, NYC
Flavour
Citrus & Spiced · Easy
Related
🍹All 108 MocktailsBrowse all recipes 🇮🇳Indian CocktailsWith alcohol
Where to drink this
Restaurant
Indian Accent
Address
123 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Style
Modern Indian fine dining
Accolades
Michelin Star · James Beard nominated · No. 1 on India's 50 Best Restaurants list (for Delhi location)

Manish Mehrotra's Indian Accent is one of the most important Indian restaurants in the world — a place where classical Indian cooking traditions are reinterpreted through modern technique, international ingredients, and impeccable plating. The NYC location brings the same philosophy to Manhattan, with a cocktail programme that matches the kitchen's ambition: Indian botanicals in conversation with global spirits, presented with precision.

Visit indianaccent.com