American Whiskey in all it’s glory is slowly but steadily gaining a popular fan following amongst the Indian whiskey drinkers. To further this penchant for a good whiskey, Distilled Spirits Council of United States organised an American Whiskey- Indian food pairing. Led by American Whiskey Ambassador Shatbhi Basu, Sheraton New Delhi’s Delhi Pavilion hosted an evening full of laughter, stories of legend, some scrumptious delights and a load of American whiskey.
The two things that differentiates American whiskey from the Single Malt whisky of Scotland is firstly the use of different grains like Corn and Wheat and Secondly the temperature difference in the two areas. The use of corn as an alcohol grain gives lot of American whiskey their characteristic sweet taste. The hotter summers in Kentucky and Tennessee means that the whiskey matures faster. Now proponents on both sides may try to defend their territory, but the average rate of maturation of American whiskey is nearly three times that of Scottish Whisky which means that a 4 year old American may have the flavour complexities akin to that of a 12 year Scotch.
Now let’s dig into a few of the stories of legend that make American whiskey what it is today. The first course led by Chef Vipul Gupta included the flavours typical of Delhi Chaat. A Dahi Bhalla and Aloo Ki Tikki served up with Maker’s Mark whisky. A six year old Bourbon which is rotated in the warehouse so that all bottles have a similar taste. The characteristic of Maker’s Mark Bourbon is it’s red wax seal which is different on each of the bottles due to being hand made. The combination of spice from the chaat, the sweetness from the whisky and the date along with the sour elements from the Tamarind is a pretty good one.
The second course combined the famous Jack Daniel’s in an interesting avtar along with an Amritsari Fish Tikka. The twist on the ever famous Jack Daniel’s brewed in Tennessee is that Shatbi combines it with a citrus foam. The drink, so made popular by drinking with Coca Cola, thanks to the higher levels of alcohol present in it, gives a beautiful complement to the citrus foam along with the Fish Tikka. For the next course, Shatbi and her team pull another rabbit out of the hat. They have created a cocktail which incorporates Jim Beam along with pomegranate juice. Combined with the Chettinad Mutton Chops and Idlis, the combination by far was the most daring of the lot. The slight tinge of whiskey 
at the back of your tongue hits you on the spot.
But it was the next combination that stood out for the evening. The Lucknawi Galauti Kebab paired with the luscious Woodford Reserve. One of the oldest whiskey that evening, the Woodford Reserve is aged 6 years and the beautiful spicy notes sync up with the fibres of Galauti Kebab along with the sweetness of the Sheermal. A tangy Mango salsa adds a little bit of dash on the side while a hint of Saffron and a sweet 
Aam Papad add a few more delicate notes to the pairing. The final pairing of the evening is the sweet Jim Beam Honey with a platter of sweet dishes including a Beetroot Halwa, Ghevar amongst other things. We finished off with a Jim Beam mixed in with some peanut butter and ice cream along with a crisp for a sweet ending to the evening.
Let us know which pairing is the one you like the most.
Drink Responsibly.
