From thandai cheesecake to cocktails, Mumbai eateries are serving quirky variants of this Holi delicacy

Celebrate the festival of colours with these cool re-imagined avatars of the popular Holi staple

A staple on the pre-Holi grocery list is a bottle of thandai blend or powder — of course, the more dedicated roast their own at home — which is turned into tall steel tumblers brimming with milky goodness. Comprising fennel seeds, melon seeds, poppy seeds, cardamom, almonds, saffron, pista and rose petals, thandai works as a coolant amid festive bingeing. But eateries are giving the beverage a spin by spiking it with vodka, drizzling it on cakes, and infusing it into tarts.

In good spirits

Tipplers, mixologists are taking care of your thandai cocktail cravings. At this Lower Parel venue, you can sip on a cooling vodka-based rose thandai cocktail (Rs 600), which is also available in a mocktail version (Rs 350).
At: Epitome, Mathuradas Mill Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel
Call: 7900045577

Vegan delight

If you’re looking for more vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free options, Yogisattva has got you covered. Choose from thandai kulfi (Rs 300) that’s made with an organic in-house thandai paste, coconut milk, coconut sugar and tapioca flour; thandai saffron malai ladoos (Rs 499); and thandai phirni (Rs 385).
Log on to: shop.yogisattva.com 

Say, cheese

Love & Cheesecake’s no-bake thandai cheesecake (Rs 175) fuses an oreo biscuit and waffle-crumbled cheesecake with thandai masala.
At: Love & Cheesecake outlets across Mumbai
Log on to: loveandcheesecake.com/shop

Tres good

Cake and thandai are married with nuts in Mishmash Bakery’s Holi menu. Founder Shikha Murarka, a baking instructor, tells us that the thandai tres leches (Rs 250) is her take on the traditional Mexican dessert. The baker has also come up with thandai-laced tea cakes (Rs 800), gulab jamun thandai cupcakes (Rs 600), and thandai donuts (Rs 600).
Log on to: @mishmashbakery

Have your cake

If you’re hosting a Holi party at home, then make space for a wholesome cake. Vile Parle’s Garde Manger Cafe is offering a thandai pull-me-up cake (Rs 299) that has a thandai-flavoured mousse layered with vanilla sponge, served with a thandai-infused sauce and topped with dry nuts.
Till: March 26
At: Shop No 1, Parmar Housing Society, Paranjape B Scheme, Vile Parle East
Log on to: Zomato

Mylky way

For all the vegans out there, baker Rachi Gupta who runs The Bread Bar in Chembur, has whipped up an oat milk thandai (Rs 200) that comprises oat and cashew milk, spices and nuts. Also on the artisanal micro-bakery’s festive menu is a hipster thandai tart aka rang barse (Rs 250), which has a nankhatai base, pistachio saffron dacquoise, a dry-fruit chikki and thandai mousse. “Thandai has a very strong and versatile flavour with a mélange of nuts, seeds and spices. It has a unique yet familiar flavour of saffron and rose, that lends itself well to milk-based desserts,” shares Gupta.
At: Unit 2, Shah Industrial Estate, Deonar Village Road, Chembur
Call: 8928482554
Log on to: thrivenow.in/the-bread-bar-chembur

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