Jasmine Sour Martini at Hookah Lounge in Hyderabad (photo by Brad A Johnson)
If you’ve got a jasmine bush in your yard (and the jasmine is blooming throughout Los Angeles at the moment), or if perhaps your neighbor has one… Make this drink! This is one of the best, most elegant cocktails I’ve had in a long time. I discovered this jasmine sour martini at the Hookah Lounge at Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India. And I can’t get enough. Continue reading
Taj Falaknuma Palace hotel, Hyderabad, India (photo by Brad A. Johnson)
On the outskirts of modern, high-tech Hyderabad, on a hilltop in the heart of the Old City, one of India’s finest historic palaces recently opened as a luxury hotel.
Falaknuma Palace sat empty for much of the last half century, sealed up like a time capsule as a curious reminder of what life must have been like for the royal courts before India gained its independence. It took several years to dust off the cobwebs and remove the overgrown weeds from throughout the sprawling estate, but after years of painstaking restoration overseen by the former princess herself, along with Taj Hotels as a partner, the time capsule has been opened. Falaknuma Palace has been reborn. This is a truly stunning hotel, an otherworldly experience, a retreat of a lifetime. The service, the cuisine, the history and the glamour… This is India at its finest. Just make sure to schedule two or three utterly lazy days where you don’t have to leave the estate. Here’s a look around:
Hyderabad, India (photo by Brad A. Johnson)
If this picture doesn’t make you smile, then nothing will. This picture captures the very essence of Hyderabad. These two kids were sitting in the back of a three-wheeler mini cab in the parking lot of the Nizam Museum. Their smiles, their eyes, their spirit—pure magic. Pure India. I’ll be posting more stories about Hyderabad soon. Stay tuned.
