Spirit of the month: Crazy Gin fuses cultures of India and Britain

The UK loves a good curry, but what about India's drinks? Bruce Nagra's gin mixes the traditional Punjabi lassi with quintessential British gin to fuse the two cultures together

India and Britain have been interwoven since the colonial days of the Raj. And in those days, gin was the cooling drink of the time, sipped in the afternoon on verandas to take refuge from the ever increasing heat of the summer months. But for those not able to afford the luxury of alcohol, the way to cool off was by drinking a lassi; a traditional Punjabi yoghurt based drink, served cold.

In the UK, Indian food is well and truly loved, but the drinks that represent the sub-continent have barely left the confines of its boarders and remain largely untouched. Until Bruce Nagra thought to mix the two in the middle of a gin-revolution, where you need something more than a handcrafted label slapped on a recycled bottle to stand out from the crowd.

And so, he created the first clear lassi gin which is rather aptly named, Crazy Gin (obviously attributed to his idea being, which he decided to retain). It’s a fusion of liquids and identities, essentially bottling the hybridity of Ngara’s Punjabi heritage and first generation British Indian upbringing, where for him, “tarka baked beans for breakfast or spam sabji for dinner were never far off the menu.”

Crazy Gin has been vacuum distilled, to enhance the fruit flavours of the lassi, which is mixed with the “Punjabi ingredients” – think fragrant spices including turmeric, black cumin, coriander and one of India’s best exports - black pepper. As well as gin's best friend juniper, there's a sweetness from pomegranate and of course, yoghurt which gives it a slightly tangy taste.

Recommended serve

• 50mls of Crazy Gin topped up with your favourite tonic water and ice. If you are a fan of coriander, it works well with a sprig of coriander to garnish the G&T; if not, a slice of grapefruit or lime complement the gin

Other serves

• The gin works very well with ginger ale or soda water if you don’t like tonic water – because the gin uses lassi, soda water brings out the creaminess of the gin – garnish with fresh or dried pomegranate to complement the dried pomegranate in the gin

Cocktails

Cocktail created by Tom Byrne from Charlotte’s Bistro in Chiswick (@tbyrne4)

1.  Fill a high ball glass with cubes of ice
2.  Add in one spoonful of dry vermouth (use Noilly Prat if possible) and 70mls of Crazy Gin
3.  Stir down with a mixing spoon for 12-15 secs until the outside of the glass is frosted and cold to the touch
4. Strain the liquid into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a piece of orange zest, making sure to express the orange oils all over the drink
5. Drink before it gets warm

Cocktail created by Maham Anjum (@mahamx)

1. Dry roast and then grind some cumin
2. Pour 50mls of Crazy Gin and top with tonic water and ice
3. Garnish with a dusting of the dry roasted cumin and add a dusting of Anardana powder (dried pomegranate powder - available to purchase from most Asian supermarkets), and watch the cumin and pomegranate fizzle and dissolve in the liquid. Adds zingy notes to your G&T

Crazy Gin is available from Harvey Nichols, £45 for 70cl; harveynichols.com