Taj Palace, New Delhi, Loya, has a jewel of attraction inside it. The restaurant is a culinary excellence that takes you through the journey of taste in North India. While expertly prepared dishes take centre stage, a perfectly composed drink can elevate the entire experience. To quench your thirst and tempt your taste buds, Loya offers a unique drink menu that deserves a look. Let’s dive into the world of drinks at Loya and find out what hidden gems await.
Taj Palace, New Delhi, Loya’s Drinks Story:
Before I even take you into the drinks section, let me share with you the part where the magical concoction takes place. The Loya bar! It is a magnificent part of the restaurant and without a doubt, it is the first thing you will lay your eyes on as you enter the restaurant.
Loya’s Bar:
You can see the mixologist working up on their magic in front of your eyes. The Bar is a magnificent and lit area with a backdrop on numerous magical vials of drinks. and when you sit at the bar, the aesthetic will blow your mind. The bar counter has its own waterfall. The entire bar theme revolves around music and water. I was even amazed to see a whisky glass shaped like a flowing water stream.
Cocktail Menu Concept:
The drinks at Taj Palace, New Delhi, Loya, have a wonderful concept well illustrated for the drinks that you can try according to your mood, feelings and even personality. The concept is called S.P.I.C.E. (scale, pitch, instrumental, chords and expression).
Scale: In music, scale is the foundation of every song. The 8 prominent key notes make up every single symphony and keeping that in mind, the mixologists have created 2 major cocktails with 8 key elements.
Pitch: The High and low notes of music has inspired the combination of these cocktails. High-pitched notes represent vibrant and invigorating drinks and low-pitched notes represent the depth and richness of the drinks.
Instrumentation: Just like in a symphony, many instruments are used in the same manner for making the cocktail: shakers are the drumbeat, spoons are the batons, glasses are the stage, and strainers are the harmonious tunes. All of these are collectively making a symphony.
Chords: There are 3 distinct notes in a musical chord, and 2 inspirational cocktails are made using this as inspiration.
Expression: When music and emotions meet, you get melodies and lyrics. That is why the specialists have taken inspiration from this and created 2 signature cocktails.
Time for the drinks:
Welcome Drinks: The first drink of the evening was the welcome drink that was given to us, the Jaljeera drink! It was very refreshing and it was in miniature Campa bottles. Super cute!
Ara: From the S.P.I.C.E. concept menu, we ordered Ara (Scale)! The drink is an amalgamation of tequila, Marsa fermented rice beer, guava liqueur, and pickled guava. The glass was lined with Pahadi salt around the rim and a block of ice. The taste? It was lip-smacking and perfect until the last drop.
Haldi: Another drink from the S.P.I.C.E. concept Gin with Haldi (turmeric) along with a sweet-spicy concoction of ginger jaggery syrup and a tang of lemon juice! The drink hits all the right chords of your senses!
Woody Manhattan: If you are looking for a deep baritone of flavour with a hint of spunk in the S.P.I.C.E. concept (instrumentation), then Woody Manhattan is your drink! Strong base of Scotch whisky vermouth grapefruit’s bitterness and smoke of apple wood. You can almost smell it through the box that it comes in. A strong drink in a vintage locked box—it was really something!
Patria’s Martini: S.P.I.C.E. concept-based drinks were really some special ones and yes, I went on to get another one from me in the menu (Instrumentation). Patrias Martini is the drink that you can have and feel the royalty slurping down your throat. It was brought to us in a chalice! It is a must-have on your drinks list as it is a gin-based drink infused with gin, aged vermouth and pickled capers.
Loya Zero Proof:
Sunrise to Sunset: I indulged myself into tasting the mocktails as well. And one of them was Sunrise to Sunset, a perfect mix of pomegranate juice and mango puree. It had the tang of lemon with the zing of the soda and the freshness of basil syrup.
Tamarind Fennel Soda: Sourness of tamarind, balanced with the subtle fennel syrup, was the hero of this drink. The drink also had orange essence and bubling lemon soda. What a sip to take!
Taj Palace, New Delhi, Loya, gave me a grand memory to remember for a very long time. The food was definitely fabulous and so were the drinks. Every drink has its own story, mix, flavour and presentation too! My bags will be packed all over again just to have these drinks all over again! In a nutshell, I would say that this place is definitely the one that you must visit and yes, drink responsibly!
Disclaimer: This review is based on the personal taste and choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks by Ms. Shrishti Jaiswal, Editor in Chief.
