Fresh pomegranate, rose syrup, mint & sparkling water
The Mughal gardens were planted with pomegranates — a symbol of abundance, fertility, and royal favour. Benares London, which specialises in elevated Mughal cooking, serves this as an alternative to red wine — a role it fills with considerable elegance.
Fresh pomegranate juice is dramatically superior to bottled. To juice a pomegranate, halve it and press firmly on a citrus juicer. The floating seeds are both visual and textural — they burst against the tongue as you drink.
Benares in Mayfair is chef Atul Kochhar's flagship — a Michelin-starred modern Indian restaurant named after India's holiest city. The drinks list reflects the restaurant's philosophy of classical Indian ingredients treated with the same rigour as the kitchen: Mughal-inspired syrups, regional flower waters, and spice blends from across the subcontinent, in drinks that are simultaneously ancient and contemporary.
Visit benaresrestaurant.com