Monkey Business

Three-malt blend Monkey Shoulder is rewriting the rules of whisky drinking

- K. Sunil Thomas

Whisky purists wouldn’t like this one bit. Not only is the hippest scotch in leading Indian clubs and bars this season not a traditional favourite, but an impish new entrant, and one that is not being consumed neat or on-the-rocks as ageold wisdom would suggest, but in funky, and original, cocktails. The horror!

Erm...monkey thandai, anyone?

To the uninitiated, monkey thandai, a take-off on thandai (a cold drink popular in the northern part of India and made with a mix of milk, sugar, herbs and spices), is the rage at bars in cities like Delhi and has as its base Monkey Shoulder, a scotch whisky that is a blend of three single malts (Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie). The cocktail is said to provide a smooth vanilla deliciousness that is quite mellow on the palate (see box for the recipe). The Indian Express recently called the cocktail ‘quite faddish for the Indian summer drinker.’

“If you think of (having) traditional whiskies with water, or straight, (yes) we respect those traditions, but we don’t follow them,” says Joe Petch, global ambassador of Monkey Shoulder, who was in India recently to host the India finale of Ultimate Bartender Championship 2017. “We tell people, ‘guys, you can do