I was in Santiago, Chile, in the middle of an extended tour of parts southern, and I was hankering for something a bit different that was available with the local “Peruvian” Cuisine.. yes  I know what I said, I was in Chile and “local” means Peruvian in many cases… and I came across an Indian Restaurant, so I decided to check it out.  The food was quite decent for where I was (actually I will say it was excellent) , and I was quite intrigued by the “Indian Mojito” that they had listed on the menu… so I tried it, and it was quite delicious and refreshing.   I inquired of the bartender what was it in, and while I didn’t get the exact recipe, he was kind enough to give me some hints.  This is my version of the “Majestic” recipe below, which both a health-full and a healthy punch… 

The Wandering Honeybadger’s Recipe for the “Indian Mojito – based on The Majestic Restaurant

Light Rum – 1 1/2 oz

Ginger Ale – 222 ml (1 small can – try to find a ginger ale with real ginger)

Orange Juice – 200 ml (1 small terapack)

Lime Juice  – 1/2 a fresh lime

Mint – 8 leaves, roughly bruised or lacerated

Ginger – 3″ section approx., fresh, cut into 2mm slices

1/2 to 1 oz sugar syrup – to taste  (white sugar dissolved in water 2 sugar to 1 water ratio)

Salt and Chaat Masala powder (adds in separate plates for rimming, the Chaat Masala adds in the flavours of mango, cumin, coriander, ginger, salt, black pepper, hing, and chili)

Tall Glass – dip 1/2 the rim with a touch of Chaat Masala, and then re-dip the whole rim with salt

Asian cuisine, especially east & south east Asian cuisine is often based on a balance of up to five flavours depending on the region, however sour, salty, sweet and spicy are the most common flavors.  This drink gives one control and room to experiment with these flavours, by allowing the person to mix in their own combinations of salt and spicy from the rim of the glass..  and its in keeping in many ways with Indian cuisine/mixology, as a common drink in India is a lime soda, where they add a dash of salt and some sugar (great to re-balance your electrolytes in hot weather, and in cold weather perhaps try Garam Masala instead of Chaat Masala as the former is considered under Ayurvedic medicine to raise the temperature of the body).

Enjoy, and do feel free to adjust the proportions, esp. the sugar syrup to properly balance out the flavours to suit your own taste.