Monkeying around has never tasted so good
Our adventure continues with the world's first and only 100% Himalayan distillery. And this time we journey with an unlikely hero - a long-tailed primate that for some strange reason believes in its own loopy head that it is the lord of the jungle.
The distillery’s Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is a product of such collaboration. The neutral spirits made from hyperlocal barley and Himalayan Spring water mixes with Coffee Cherries and beans from Chikmagalur. The flavour is not only distinctly Indian but also blends the finest ingredients from its northern and southern reaches. Every sip, traceable to a world that is collegial and disarmingly wonderful. Sorry, Bandarful.
The lovable and talkative leader with a hyperactive long-tail is an essential part of the local Kumaoni culture and proudly takes credit for inspiring the invention of Bandarful, which is India's first spirit made directly from the branches of the coffee tree.
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Every adventure starts with a character - this is a first principle of Venture Design
When you watch an ensemble movie or play or read a novel with a motley cast, what often stands out is not the hero or the protagonist of the story, but a character that stands out for its quirks. They stick out for a performance or peculiarity that makes them memorable.
Say, the hat wielding Thompson + Thomson (millinophiliacs) in Tintin. Samuel Jackson in the delightfully wicked, Django Unchained, who turns on his own. Or the scene stealing Michael Douglas in Ghost & the Darkness (based on the hair-raising true story of the twin man-eating lions of Tsavo). Or Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. Friday in Robinson Crusoe. The Madhatter in Alice’s Adventures. Anton Ego as the grim-eating food critic in Ratatouille. The list goes on.
The jungles of Kumaon & Corbett present a similar case. While they are known for their formidable Royal Bengal Tigers, fleet-footed Chitals and mighty Asian Elephants, it is one character, that truly is the life and merrymaker of the jungle. The Langur.
Happy, relaxed and with a hectic social schedule. “Why so serious”? Is what he asks as he lords over his imaginary treetop kingdom.
Bottle and beyond, the beautiful world of Bandarful
This swig-stealer is a unique cold brew Coffee Liqueur inspired by a long-tailed, "cherryful"... sorry cheerful citizen of Kumaon. Humored by the birds, chided by the plantation hands, our dear friend lives a charmed life. Raiding orchards, chasing butterflies, lazing away idle afternoons, feasting on the spoils of the day, scheming for the next adventure or often in rapturous company of their cousins from farther lands who come bearing gifts like the robust and sweet, arabica coffee cherries. They make for excellent trade with the Kumaon sugarcane.
Coffee liqueur is made by infusing coffee beans into a distilled spirit, like vodka or rum, and then sweetening it with sugar or other sweeteners. In this adventure, instead of taking the traditional route of rum or vodka, Bandarful is inspired by the traditional rice spirits of Uttarakhand. A truly indigenous, hyperlocal brand, Bandarful’s spirit comes from the native broken rice from the region, like Noori Basmati and Jaya.
In all of these efforts, our long-tailed friend innocently believes that this Coffee Liqueur is thanks to him and his friends. So much so that our friend from Kumaon hangs onto the bottle that comes from its land.
Brand development, design and packaging
For a category known for being either a staid and measured drink after dinner or a quiet smooth accomplice in a dessert mix, the venture design and development team felt that we needed a bit of loosening up. Get a bit inventive. Literally like a barrel of monkeys. Yes that is what a group of monkeys are called.
Fun and illustrative, friendly and with a hint of adorable mischief. A sense of playful adventure in the jungle, natural and lively. Idyllic when our protagonist the Himalayan Langur is resting and full of antics when it is up and about. Living off a plentiful land, fresh ingredients, innocent plucks and handpicked goodness. This is the world of the monkey and his tree-top cabinet.
Packaged in a flint clear-glass bottle with a distinctive funky neck design, finding Bandarful on the shelf should be as easy as spotting a monkey in the jungle – it is easily recognizable and stands out with its personality.
This liqueur is made from coffee extract or brewed coffee which is then mixed with a distilled alcohol base, such as rum or vodka, and then sweetened with sugar or syrup. What you have in your glass is a sweet, dark, and aromatic liqueur that can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, in cocktails, in adding that extra punch to your cold coffee or tiramisu and other dessert recipes. From the house of Himmaleh Spirits, the brand behind India’s first provincial dry gin Kumaon & I, this tree-top adventure has been about creating India’s first-ever farm-to-bottle coffee liqueur Bandarful.
The Arabica coffee beans are steeped and cold brewed in pure Himalayan water for more than 22 hours, to extract all the natural oils of the coffee. During this process of cold brewing the beans, the acidic properties of the beans are sifted out and what remains is the fruitiness of the coffee.
Every bottle of Bandarful is full of life and goofy fun as a barrel of monkeys. And why not? After all, it is the Himalayan Langur and its adventures across barley fields, cane farms, coffee estates and fruit trees that inspire our farm to bottle, cold brew, Coffee Liqueur. A produce that oozes natural goodness and a recipe that stays disarmingly Bandarful, oops again!! wonderful.
Venture design, brand & product development of Bandarful (with Himmaleh Distillery)
The world of this easy, inventive coffee-liqueur is like a safe, collegial sanctuary - happy, un-spoilt and full of life. And at times quite imaginative. Very much like the Himalayan Langur (and its gang of accomplices). Always fun but never out of line.
Here are three recipes to get you started on a weekend
BANDARFUL ESPRESSO MARTINI
Ingredients:
15 ML Bandarful Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
45 ML Vodka
1 Shot of Espresso
7.5 ML Sugar Syrup
3 - 4 Fresh Coffee Beans to Garnish
Glass: Martini Glass
Method: Mix all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake it well. Then, double strain the concoction in a martini glass and garnish it with fresh coffee beans.
BANDARFUL TONIC
Ingredients:
60 ML Bandarful Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
200 ML Classic Tonic Water
One Orange Slice for Garnishing
Glass: Highball
Method: Pour 60ml Bandarful in a highball glass filled with ice and top it up with tonic water before garnishing it with a slice of fresh orange for a refreshing mouthfeel.
THAT MONKEY MELLOW
Ingredients:
30 ML Bandarful
15 ML Caramel Sauce
15 ML Coconut Cream
1 Marshmallow for Garnish
Glass: Edible Waffle Kulhad/Glass
Method: Mix all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice before straining it and pouring it inside the edible waffle glass / Kulhad. Pin the marshmallow to a fine toothpick, burn it well before garnishing the drink with it.
