Cocktail stories: Mango Lassi, As Above, So Below
As Above, So Below in London’s Stoke Newington is putting an alcoholic spin on a favoured Indian drink.
Is there a more iconic Indian drink than mango lassi? Chai might rival it in terms of being consumed more frequently and in greater volumes, but mango lassi is the real showstopper.
In London’s Stoke Newington, a bar named As Above, So Below has taken the sweet beverage up a gear. Kem Mehmet and J Rivera opened the 30-cover venue in December 2024 and operate on a minimalist ethos, offering elevated riffs on classics.
The inspiration for their cocktail is perhaps obvious, but the real spark came from Desi Daru Alphonso Mango Vodka. “Great drinks start with great produce, Desi Daru’s vodka being one of them,” says Rivera. “There’s a lot of love that goes into making Desi Daru; they do an amazing job combining a single estate winter wheat vodka with alphonso mango, and this shows in the product. All the hard work is done, we just let the ingredient speak for itself.”
Using the vodka means the bar doesn’t have to source fresh mango – which can be a minefield at certain times of year – and the result speaks for itself. “We have a number of guests who come back just for this cocktail and will order it before the menu hits the table,” adds Rivera.
One of the cocktail’s fans is none other than Mohit Singh, Desi Daru’s owner. “A mango lassi is one of my favourite drinks,” he says. “It’s so cool to see the team put a modern play on such a nostalgic drink. What makes it even better is knowing that guests are coming in and ordering more than one in a sitting. That’s the best kind of compliment a drink can get.”
Mango Lassi
To prebatch 15 serves
Ingredients:
525ml Desi Daru Alphonso Mango vodka
450g Greek yoghurt
120ml Fresh lemon juice
160ml Gomme (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
Method: Combine all the ingredients except the lemon juice and mix well. Then add the lemon juice and let the mixture sit for 15-20 minutes, or until you start to see it curdle. Strain off the first 200ml of the cloudy liquid using either coffee filter paper or a muslin cloth and filter again. You should get a transparent liquid. Dilute the total amount with 10% filtered water. Bottle and keep refrigerated.
Pour over an ice sphere in a rocks glass. Add a drop of saline solution and give it a quick stir.
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