In pictures: The Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club raise a toast to Bengal’s rice at annual dinner

The Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club members gathered for a special themed annual dinner at Oh! Calcutta on February 24. The club celebrated six variants of Bengal’s rice through a specially curated six-course Bengali menu on the concept of ‘From Grain to Glass’

Rice varieties from around West Bengal featured in the recipes in various forms throughout the six courses, and the dishes were paired with Glenmorangie single malt scotch whisky. A total of four whisky editions from the brand was served with the dinner

‘This annual dinner is a very special meet-and-greet event for the members. We try to do it between January and February. Members gather over food, and we feature one spirit brand in our get-togethers and delve deep into the details of it. This time it is Glenmorangie,’ explained Subhasis Ganguli, president, The Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club, and founder, Augustus Hospitality Consultant

The dinner started off with some cocktails stirred with Glenmorangie The Original 10 Years Old. The first dish on the menu was a panta bhaat made with Radha Tilak rice served with Posto Bata, Alu Bhaja, Machher Dim er Bora. This was paired with Glenmorangie The Nector d’Or

Up next was a Kanakchur rice Pithe with an Aam Kasundi Murgi, paired with the Glenmorangie The Lasanta 12 Years Old. This transitioned to the Bekti on Tulaipanji rice with Lal Shaag, fried Mourala fish and Pumpkin flower batter fry, which was served with Glenmorangie The Original 10 Years Old

The fragrant Karpurkanti rice was topped with a Golda Chingri with Shorshe Narkol gravy and a Lau Shaag Bhapa, and it was paired with an Ardbeg Ten Years Old. And since no Bengali spread is complete without mutton, there was Kosha Mangsho, served with a Gobindobhog Phana Bhaat with a pretty Dal tuile. The drink of choice for this course was the Glenmorangie The Quinta Ruban 14 Years Old

Rounding things up on a sweet (and sour) note was a Tamarind sorbet palate cleanser, followed by a dessert, which was a delish platter of Daab Sandesh, Pathisaptas and Payesh made with Chinigurai rice

The members of Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club and their spouses had a gala time at Oh! Calcutta over food and drinks, and as expected many toasts were raised

The menu was curated with the joint effort of Subhasis Ganguli and Abhijit Bose along with chef Kingshuk Kundu, Oh! Calcutta

Khushnaz Raghina, brand ambassador for Moët Hennessy India, guided the diners with her deep understanding of the premium spirit through stories, notes, aroma, flavours, and more