Blackberry purée, yogurt, Manuka honey & goat milk kefir foam — Rania D.C.
Rania's most architecturally complex Spirit-Free drink takes the idea of lassi — the classic South Asian yogurt drink — and reconstructs it through fine-dining technique. Fresh blackberry purée provides colour and tartness. Full-fat yogurt grounds the drink in tradition. Manuka honey (prized in South Asian and Ayurvedic cooking for its intensity) adds sweetness and depth. The finish is the defining element: a goat milk kefir foam scented with citrus confit, which floats on the surface and delivers a slightly fermented, tangy counterpoint to the sweet berry base. A drink that lives at the intersection of Punjab and pastry.
Use full-fat yogurt (not Greek yogurt) for the right viscosity — Greek yogurt makes the drink too thick. Manuka honey is strongly flavoured; if you find it overpowering, use half Manuka and half regular honey. Goat milk kefir is available at Whole Foods and most natural food stores; regular kefir works as a substitute but has less tang.
Rania in Washington D.C. serves modern South Asian cuisine with a political capital's eye for precision and prestige. The mocktail programme is particularly celebrated — alcohol-free drinks built with the same depth and complexity as the cocktail list, using ingredients like rose, vetiver, cardamom, and mango to create drinks that hold their own at a high-end dinner table.
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