If you thought our cuisine was diverse, then you’ll be as surprised with our drinking habits. Whether we ‘put one small’ or grab a tall, be rest assured that Indian drinking habits are just as curious and varied as our cuisine fixations.
That’s why you’ll find that fellow who drinks two beers everyday with one plate of peanut masala with half a lime sprinkled on top, or the other macchi who insists on having her 60 of Rum and Coke, with some pickle for ‘touchings.’
Celebrating the delightfully unique drinking culture of the south, are our quirky TPR Cocktails. It’s everything traditionally popular, but with a twist.
And what could be the only thing better roadside sweet meats? A cocktail based on said sweet meats, which we present in the form of the Rum Pazam Pori.
But what in the rum blazes is a Pazam Pori, you might ask? Well, we’ll tell you.
What you need to know right up front, is that the spelling might be a little misleading to those unfamiliar.
You see, the ‘Z’ in Pazam is meant to be the closest representative of a sound you find in Tamil (actually, Tamiz) and Malayalam of a sort of ‘L’ sound, which doesn’t really have an English equivalent. ( How’s that for some South-Indian bragging rights?!)
The ‘Z’ in the spelling is basically your cue to twist your tongue and attempt to make that L-but-not- quite-L-sound without sounding like a complete fool, which is rarely achieved by anyone who isn’t a native speaker of Tamil or Malayalam. But no harm in trying. (Just send us a video when you do, thanks!)
As to what Pazam Pori is, well, to put it quite simply, are South-Indian Banana Fritters.
This beloved snack that hails from Karnataka, is nothing but ripened banana and maida, that is fried to perfection to provide little snacks of joy to children and adults alike. As it shall continue to do until the end of time. Or end of maida. Whichever comes first.
But wasn’t this supposed to be a cocktail, you must be wondering at this point.
Which brings us to the only form of the Pazam Pori that dare we say, is possibly as joyful to consume, if not more—with Rum!
Our version isn’t quite in the fried form, but it has all the essentials—fresh banana, cardamom, clove, a splash of lime, a dash of sugar, and to top it all off, white rum.
Could we have possibly replicated the Pazam Pori joy in drink form? Might this be the most soul- satisfying cocktail ever created? Will many sips of this transport you back to your childhood memories and the joy of eating freshly made pazam pori lovingly made by your ammama? Will the memory make you cry?
We can’t say with certainty. You’ll just have to come by and try this one yourself.