The Chai-tini

This week we here at The Greatest Drink in the World are posting a long overdue drink recipe. The Chai-tini is an award-winning original drink created at Passage to India and voted "Best Signature Cocktail of Salem Massachusetts" for 2008.

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice, add,

- a 2 count of Voyant chai cream liqueur

- a 2 count Baileys Irish Cream,

- a 2 count Kahlua

- a 1 count Svedka vanilla vodka

- a splash of milk

- Shake,

- Strain into chilled martini Glass.

Garnish with a cherry, (optional)

Original Recipe by The Amazing Ranjeet, Passage to India restaurant, Salem, MA

Joe's notes: The Chaitini's main ingredient is Voyant Chai, a chai and rum based, cream liqueur, ("chai" simply meaning tea in India.)

Voyant is produced in Holland. Voyant stands on its own, and can be enjoyed chilled, on the rocks or over ice cream. Holland is renowned for its tulips, windmills, wooden clogs, many fine artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh and cafés where you can get legally stoned.

Many years ago on a short trip to Amsterdam to soak in some of the art and culture, I stumbled upon one of these aforementioned establishments. Out of pure curiosity I went in.
My waitress arrived at my table bringing me a coffee and large glass of water and handed me the menu. She smiled sweetly at me and said "English." I nodded my response, while at the same time looking over at a table of five or six English guys. They looked to me as if they had consumed about half a dozen pints of strong Dutch beer before even coming to the cafe. They all looked a little green around the gills and I expected them to spontaneously projectile vomit at any given moment. I redirected my attention back to my waitress. "I'll take a Moroccan slice please," I said. She returned a few minutes later with my order. I sat and ate my cake, washing it down with the coffee she had previously brought me. It tasted quite awful, (The cake not the coffee).

Nothing happened.

I sat back and read my tourist guide. After a while, I realized that I was re-reading the same page of my guide over and over again. It had suddenly become very interesting, like it was a work of great literature, if only I could remember what it had said. As I looked up from my guide, I was sure that everyone in the cafe was watching me. I really wanted a drink from the large glass of water but it looked so far away and I didn't think that I would be able to pick it up. What seemed like hours passed and I decided it was time to leave. After an eternity, my waitress came over and dropped the check. It took me too long to find my wallet and produce the notes required to pay.

Then came the time to actually get up and leave, I looked over to the table of English guys hoping to get some help, but they had somehow miraculously disappeared. I decided to count to ten and stand up. The third attempt it worked and I managed to get to the front door. I was shocked when I left the cafe; it was still daylight. I had in fact only been in the cafe for about one hour.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe that a mans choice of poison is his own. But I decided on that day that mere mortal like myself should stick to martinis.

Chris's notes: Despite Joe's flirting with getting tie-dyed and going dreadlocks, (and this blog probably would have ended up somewhere else entirely,) ya gotta give the Dutch credit; Those cigars, that kid on the paint can, Dutch Chocolate, Holland Oats, the Van Halen brothers, and now this Voyant stuff. Not a bad resumé, as far as contributions go!

And speaking of credit where it is due, Passage To India's own 'The Amazing Ranjeet' saw the potential in this liqueur and blended up this cocktail all by his onesies.

Good?

It was the very Best Drink to come out of Salem in all of 2008!

See?

Of course, this creamy dessert drink is not exclusively Voyant. The Bailey's and Kahlua also contribute to the creaminess, (Oh yeah, and that milk!) and the Svedka Vanilla keeps the flavor right in the zone. This drink could handle a big ol' scoop of coffee ice cream on a really hot summer night and so well!

PROOST!

Almost-completely-unrelated, (but still funny!) token video by Van Halen.