As cocktails go, the Brown Derby isn’t a household name. But it has a history as enjoyable as the drink itself—a crisp and surprisingly harmonious blend of whiskey, honey, and grapefruit.
Long before India’s burgeoning bar scene spawned celebrity mixologists and cocktails with cult renown, the most refreshing, distinctive drinks were made by village grandmothers and at roadside dhabas: puckeringly sour aam panna, made from green mangos, or the musky, beet-red fermented vegetable juice kanji.