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 You don’t have to be a wine snob to be a purist. But when you meet a winemaker you realise that his efforts and experience are focused on producing a balanced and homogeneous wine for good quality. When you add anything like ice, fruits or other ingredients, you change that equilibrium. Left-over or a low-ended cheap wine may be good to make a Sangria or a Spritzer but innovations have been made over the years to make cocktails with sparkling wines, with or without additional alcohol.
When Chandon invited me to attend a Chandon cocktail evening and told me there would be young bloggers and writers, I could not resist the invite to Perch Wine and Coffee Bar -if only because I used to co-own that building in Basant Lok in Vasant Vihar many moons ago. Due to a partnership split, I was obliged to part with the building but the nostalgic feelings were always there and so I agreed to check out the event.
And I am glad I did! The atmosphere was rather charged with the energised youngsters engaged in animated conversations over platefuls of snacks provided by Perch, opened only a couple of weeks back, I was told.
 Sophia Sinha, the Market Head of Chandon India was present with her team and mixing with the young guests whereas Rohan Jelkie, the Wine educator for Moet Hennessy India gave demos of various cocktails, encouraging guests to join him at the head of the table where he was making a few cocktails otherwise being doled out from the pitchers by the busy bartenders.
Ice is the key ingredient in any cocktail and no matter what the ingredients, unless it is mulled wine, one needs ice to chill the mixture. Monin, the leading brand for cocktail mixers was ready to help with various cocktails. It was also his brief to make all cocktails in 15 secs (perhaps a minute or two may be more appropriate in a no-competition situation!) What gladdened my heart was that no liquor was to be used.
There were 5 cocktails- all easy to make. Only one was with Rose Brut. The Berry Burst Spritz (strawberries & Cassis) was fruity, quite flavoursome and the strawberry flavours of the wine were enhanced by the fruit. Chandon Elderflower Spritz (using Elderflower Cordial, orange and cucumber slices and ice) was quite floral and refreshing but for the Delhi heat my personal  favourite was The Chandon Shikanji (made with sweet lime & mint). Jelkie recommends about 10 mL sugar syrup in each serving of 150 mL to counter the dilution of sweetness due to ice. Eight cocktails are given on their website (www.chandon.co.in). To get the recipes, you may have to buy a Chandon.
To boost sales during the summer months when the bubblies are most refreshing, the company has introduced a Chandon Party Starter Kit, to serve up the complete Chandon Spritzer experience. The bottle of Brut (Rs. 1200) or Rose Brut (Rs. 1400) comes with a pop-coloured Chandon flute with a choice of six different colours and a spritzer recipe book.
Many purists would balk at the idea of mixing anything with wine-including sparklers like Chandon Rose Brut which is best enjoyed chilled on its own, but the Spritzers do help add to the market. I am reminded of the Riedel glassware company which preached for decades the importance of stemware for wines but introduced ‘Zero’ series stemless (and I must admit I opposed the concept for wine though they were fine as water  tumblers) wine glasses ostensibly for the young drinkers, parties and restaurants, thus boosting their sales.
I was surprised when I heard a young man animatedly discussing various cocktails with a friend and saying he was glad Chandon had introduced the concept of informal interactive tasting. Most companies are tight-assed about wine education and he was always intimidated by their tastings, he said. Hardly a correct statement but he does represent a section of the youth and perhaps would connect with wine better after the tasting that evening. We need to find different ways to engage the youth with wine and give them the option of enjoying a party with a glass of one of the Spritzers that might have only 4-5% alcohol; a much better option than vodka or tequila shots with up to 40% alcohol.
Not that Chandon Spritzers will demolish the ‘shots’ concept completely but there is a huge population of the coke-drinking youth, many of whom would love to try these Spritzers in an informal situation like the Perch Wine Bar- and Chandon is a fine option. One doesn’t need to point out that the cocktails tasted are not patented by Moet Hennessy India and one can try them with any bubbly of their choice- Sula, Grover, Fratelli, York, Casablanca and now Soma Vineyards in Nashik also give you the option to bring out the best in you as a mixologist- the challenge would be to stay away from using any liquor in the blend.
Subhash Arora
Press the bottons below for the various recipes
1. Cassis & Strawberry Spritz
2. Orange & Basil Spritz
3. Sweet Lime & Mint Spritz
4. Classic Spritz
5. Lemon & Sage Spritz
6. Grapefruit & Ginger Spritz
7. Plain Chandon Spritz (DavideMarkovich Serve)
8. Chandon Elderflower Spritzer
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