Asian cuisine continues to gain popularity all over the globe; the food menu provides healthy and delicious, full flavoured dishes, that excite the taste buds of many first-time triers and regular eaters. It’s not only the incredible food on offer that has been making an impact in people’s diets; it’s the choices behind the bar that are enticing people to try something different too. With the ingredients being used ranging from spicy to salty and sweet, the choice of tipple is being revolutionised with oriental flavours.

Cocktail menus all over the world are trying to keep up with this exciting fusion of drinks, which are set to become just as popular as the food and the countries. These drinks are a true representation of the ingredients and where they come from, exotic flavours including fresh fruit and vegetables, fragrant herbs and flowers, creating the most refreshing and attractive of drinks.

Some of the drinks being created may be like beverages you have had before, just with a slight alteration or addition of an oriental spice, others will be fresh to your taste buds, with innovative combinations making an invigorating drink. The flavour all comes from the ingredients used, some of which you will be surprised to find in a drink and appearing behind bars all over the world. These include chilli, ginger, lychee, lemongrass, vanilla pods, vibrant citrus flavours and much more. Adding spices to a drink cuts through the bitterness of alcohol, creating a delicious balance of flavours. With ginger bringing a fiery flavour that has the warming sensation of a strong whisky, yet with a fresh and cleansing taste. Chilli adds a savoury element, which when combined with a sweet mixture, makes a surprisingly perfect blend.

Korean alcohol is also regularly being used in cocktails and other beverages. With soju, baijiu and shochu becoming staples in the fridges behind bars and in restaurants, the drinking options have more than doubled with the oriental fusions. There really is something for everyone, catering all tastes, whether you are after a sweeter tipple, or something spicy, the selection of oriental flavours, combined with alcoholic beverages creates an exciting, refreshing and new way to drink.

Here are a few oriental inspired cocktail recipes, perfect for impressing your friends and sipping on a warm day or for after an oriental dinner drinks with your partner:

Ingredients

30ml of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

15ml of Domaine de Canton ginger liquor

80ml of sparkling wine

1cm of finely chopped ginger

1 wedge of grapefruit

Method

Squeeze the grapefruit, removing all the pips and saving a slice for garnish. Chop or grate the ginger. Mix the grapefruit juice with the liquor, pour into the glass and present with the wedge of fruit placed on the glass.

Ingredients

4 fresh or canned lychees

100ml of high quality vodka

1 dash of vermouth (to your taste)

Ice

Method

Crush the lychees to release some of the juices, place them in a cocktail shaker with the vodka, vermouth and some ice. Shake well and serve.

Ingredients

25ml of high quality tequila

25ml of Grand Marnier

1 fresh lime

1 teaspoon of syrup

Salt for the glasses

Sliced jalapeno, a spicy as you prefer

Method

Add the sliced jalapeno to the tequila and leave to infuse for a few hours, preferabley a minimum of four. Squeeze the juice from the lime, removing all the pips. Remove the jalapeno slices and pour the tequila into a short glass, add the Grand Marnier, lime juice and syrup, then mix well and serve.

Let us know if you try any of these delicious fusion cocktails. We would love to hear how they went!