- Crafted by Barsys | Last Updated - Aug 5, 2025
Old Monk, New Tricks: 5 Desi Cocktails That Hit Different
- Aug 5, 2025
There was a time when the only thing that mattered at a house party was Who got the Old Monk? No one asked for mixers. No one asked for garnish. If someone brought cola, they were fancy. If someone brought Sprite, they were wild.
Old Monk wasn’t just rum. It was a rite of passage. A liquid inheritance passed from elder cousins and engineering seniors. It was there during heartbreaks, hostel nights, train rides, failed startups, weddings, breakups, band practice, and bonfires. It tasted like burnt sugar, clove, and bad decisions - wrapped in good intentions.
But we have grown. We have learned how to stir instead of shake. We have started using words like notes and body. So maybe, just maybe, it’s time Old Monk got a remix.
Not replaced. Not rebranded. Just... reimagined.
Here are 5 desi cocktails by Barsys mixologist who let Old Monk wear something new - without forgetting where it came from.
1. Monk Mule
You know how some drinks show up wearing sunglasses, even indoors? That’s the Monk Mule. It doesn’t try too hard, but
still makes you ask, Wait, what’s in this?
What You Need:
- 60 ml Old Monk
- Squeeze of lime
- A pinch of black salt
- Ginger ale
- Ice
- Mint leaves (optional, but pretty)
How to Make It:
Pour the Old Monk into a tall glass. Add the lime juice and black salt, give it a stir. Fill the glass with ice. Top it with ginger ale. Stir again, drop a few mint leaves, and there you go.
Why It Hits Different:
Because it’s simple, familiar, and somehow still surprising. The ginger cuts the heaviness, the lime wakes it up, and that black salt? It’s the kind of move your grandmother would approve of - spicy, zesty, slightly medicinal, but oddly perfect. It’s the Old Monk version of fixing your posture and putting on cologne.
2. Rum Lassi
This one shouldn’t work. It really shouldn’t. But it does. Like a long-distance relationship that somehow makes it.
What You Need:
- 45 ml Old Monk
- Sweet lassi (the homemade kind or the plastic bottle kind, no judgement)
- Pinch of cardamom
- Crushed pistachios
How to Make It:
Mix the Old Monk and lassi in a glass. Stir gently - don’t shake, you’ll make a mess. Add the cardamom. Pour it into a chilled glass, and top with pistachios.
Why It Hits Different:
Because it tastes like a secret. Like something a Punjabi uncle would make after two pegs and never tell anyone about. It’s creamy and bold, and the rum slides into the lassi like it’s been waiting to be there all along. It shouldn’t be good. But it is.
3. Kala Khatta Monk
A drink that feels like skipping school. Tangy, cold, purple, and a little bit rebellious.
What You Need:
- 60 ml Old Monk
- 30 ml kala khatta syrup
- Dash of lemon juice
- Crushed ice
- Rock salt for the rim (optional)
How to Make It:
Rub lemon on the glass rim and dip it in rock salt. Shake Old Monk, kala khatta, and lemon juice together. Pour it over crushed ice. That’s it.
Why It Hits Different:
Because it turns the bar into a chuski stall. It’s gola meets grown-up. Sweet, sour, nostalgic, and bold like those friends who still call you by your school nickname and remember your first crush. It doesn’t care about sophistication. It just wants you to feel something.
4. Masala Rum Soda
This one is unapologetically Indian. No bitters. No vermouth. Just vibes and masala.
What You Need:
- 60 ml Old Monk
- Sparkling water or soda
- Lime juice
- Chaat masala
- Roasted cumin powder
- Coriander leaves (yes, really)
How to Make It:
Mix the rum, lime juice, chaat masala, and cumin in a glass. Add ice. Top with soda. Stir and garnish with coriander.
Why It Hits Different:
Because it’s not trying to be a cocktail. It’s trying to be you. Messy, chatpata, slightly over-the-top, but full of flavour. It tastes like drinking at a shaadi while aunties are judging your outfit. It tastes like honesty.
5. Monk Mojito
Same mint. Same fizz. But with some desi swagger.
What You Need:
- 60 ml Old Monk
- Handful of tulsi leaves (or mint if tulsi feels too holy)
- 1 tsp jaggery or syrup
- Lime juice
- Soda
How to Make It:
Muddle tulsi, jaggery, and lime in a glass. Add Old Monk. Stir. Add ice. Top with soda. Done.
Why It Hits Different:
Because it tastes like a Sunday. Not the lazy kind, the pooja+laundry+WhatsApp calls with cousins kind. The jaggery adds earthiness, the tulsi adds surprise, and the soda makes it all go down easy. It's familiar, but flipped.