Chef Meherwan Irani’s expertise with Indian spices extends past the masala-tinged fish and cumin-and-chile-seasoned lamb burgers he serves at his restaurants around Asheville, Atlanta, and now Charlotte, where the four-time James Beard Award nominee is opening a third iteration of Botiwalla at the new Optimist Hall. This wintertime treat mingles his Spicewalla chai tea blend with rum and North Carolina amaro.
Drinks
Hot Spiked Chai
A warming, spicy, boozy sipper from the Botiwalla team
Photo: Molly Milroy| Chai Pani Restaurant Group
Ingredients
Yield: 1 cocktail
4 oz. equal parts brewed masala chai tea (such as Spicewalla Chai Masala) and hot milk
1½ oz. Amrut Old Port rum
1 barspoon Eda Rhyne Appalachian Fernet
½ oz. honey
Preparation
Brew black chai tea to listed specifications and add hot milk. Preheat a mug with hot water. Discard water and pour in milky chai tea. Stir in remaining ingredients. Top with grated nutmeg.
Related Stories:
The Wild South
The South Carolina–based chef and outdoorsman brings an inspiring approach to wild game and fish. Get his recipe for coriander-cured venison loin
Food & Drink
Belly up to the relic where Andy Warhol, Jack Kerouac, and Bob Dylan once gathered. Plus, shake up a pineapple-infused cocktail from the menu at Eberly
Recipe
Two soft cookies encase a schmear of peach and buttermilk ice cream
Trending Stories:
Arts & Culture
For almost fifty years, they carried the bags of golf legends but also masterminded victories from the tees to the holes. Then, with one decision, their lives shifted, and the legacy of their glory days went unheralded. Finally, that’s changing
Food & Drink
Step aside New York and Chicago: Biloxi, Mississippi, has a secret pizza ingredient that’s ready for the spotlight
Arts & Culture
Decades later, those dainty florals still hold a powerful grip on the South