Spirit of adventure

Whiskeys from India shine in pairings at Shojo dinner

Bostonians aren’t afraid of trying new things when it comes to spirits. And the next big wave in the liquor industry has landed — Indian whiskey.

Earlier this month, Amrut Whisky, based in Bengaluru, India, showcased its wares with several events downtown — one a whiskey dinner at Shojo in Chinatown, paired with some fusion dishes crafted by the restaurant’s head chef, Mike Stark.

The meal started off with a cocktail made from the brand’s Two Indies Rum. Ashok Chokalingam, the

global brand ambassador and distiller, said that contrary to popular belief in the United States, Indians love their whiskey. In fact, they are the No. 1 per capita whiskey consumers in the world. Considering how large the country’s population is — that’s a lot of whiskey.

The Indian affinity for whiskey, he explained, is influenced by its history as a British colony and has evolved into a flourishing domestic industry today.

For the first course, Stark brought out a barley salad that incorporated both miso and paneer, which is an Indian soft cheese that many Americans would know from the popular dish sag paneer. This was an excellent pairing to the first whiskey from Amrut, the Naarangi Single Malt.

The second course had us move onto chickpea curry, which is typically traditional Indian cuisine, but Stark put his own Shojo spin on it by topping it with crispy pork belly and plenty of cilantro. It was paired with the brand’s most popular liquor, the Flagship Fusion, a blended whiskey.

We all learned a new trick to help a whiskey quickly open up. Hold the glass in one hand and place your other hand over the top of the glass and cover it for a minute or so. This heats up the liquor slightly and forces all the scents to percolate in the glass — enhancing them. When you taste it again, you can clearly identify more of the distinct notes in the flavor.

As the evening came to an end, a platter of honeycomb drizzled with apricot jam was brought out along with the last whiskey, the Madeira Single Malt.

PHOTOS BY J.Q. LOUISE/ BOSTON HERALD HOT SHOT: Whiskeys from Amrut, based in Bengaluru, India, were featured at Shojo in Chinatown. Whiskey is a popular drink in India.

CHEERS: A toast is make with a drink made with an Amrut whiskey.