🍵 Upsy Desi

Rooibos syrup, lemon & kala chaat masala — Indian Accent NYC

8 min
Earthy & Tangy
Rocks glass over ice
Indian Accent, New York City
0% ABV
Ingredients
  • Rooibos syrup: steep 4 rooibos tea bags in 200ml boiling water for 5 minutes, remove bags, dissolve 100g sugar while warm. Cool.
  • 40ml rooibos syrup
  • 30ml fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp kala chaat masala (available at Indian grocery stores)
  • 60ml sparkling water
  • Ice
  • Kala chaat masala + flaky salt mixed — for rim
  • Lemon slice to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    RimMix ½ tsp kala chaat masala with ½ tsp flaky salt. Wet the rim of a rocks glass with lemon. Dip into the spice-salt mix.
  2. 2
    StirIn a mixing glass with ice, combine rooibos syrup, lemon juice, and ¼ tsp kala chaat masala. Stir for 20 seconds.
  3. 3
    StrainStrain into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
  4. 4
    TopAdd sparkling water.
  5. 5
    GarnishSlide a lemon slice onto the rim.

About This Drink

The name Upsy Desi is a wordplay on 'Upsy Daisy' — with 'desi' meaning Indian or 'of the homeland'. It captures the spirit of Indian Accent's entire menu: familiar in concept, completely surprising in execution. Rooibos (the South African red bush tea, beloved for its caffeine-free earthiness) is steeped into a syrup, giving the drink an amber colour and warm, mildly sweet base. Lemon provides bright acidity. The kala chaat masala — a complex Indian spice blend of amchur (raw mango), kala namak (black salt), cumin, coriander, and dried ginger — is used as a rim salt and added by the pinch to the drink itself, pushing it firmly into savory-cocktail territory. It's the non-alcoholic equivalent of a mezcal sour.

Bartender Tips

Kala chaat masala is different from regular chaat masala — it has a more intense black salt character. MDH, Everest, and Shan are reliable brands. The rooibos syrup can be made in a large batch and refrigerated for 2 weeks. Adjust sweetness by varying the syrup quantity — start with 35ml and taste.

Origin
Restaurant
Indian Accent, New York City
Origin
Modern Indian fine dining, NYC
Flavour
Earthy & Tangy · 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