A pocket-sized trend report for India's bar enthusiasts
1 week, 3 days ago

A pocket-sized trend report for India's bar enthusiasts

Live Mint  

Trends are a fluid phenomena that don’t fall within the limiting scope of a year. “There is a gradual rise in bars offering progressive cocktails in tier-2 cities," notes Mumbai-based drinks consultant Ajit Balgi. The bars in Indore—including The Library Bar—organise brand- Taking India’s drinks story forward is the increasing availability of homegrown spirits. Six Brothers collaborated with Mumbai restobar Bandra Born for a limited edition menu Mahura Bar that showcased the liquor, says Delhi-based beverage consultant Nitin Tewari. Making mindful choices involves opting for low-sugar drinks, and Balgi says savoury cocktails high in acids and salts, with twists on classics like Bloody Mary, will occupy more space on bar menus.

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History of this topic

What India was drinking this year. We look at the top cocktail and alcohol trends of 2024
1 week, 6 days ago

What India was drinking this year. We look at the top cocktail and alcohol trends of 2024

The Hindu  

Earlier this year, I wrote about the world’s first cocktail and fragrance pairing menu here in India. It adds an extra layer of enjoyment to their experience, allowing them to not only learn about the culinary culture of another country but also appreciate the connection between the inspiration and the cocktails they are savouring.” The brewing bar scene of tier …

The cityscape in a glass
4 weeks ago

The cityscape in a glass

New Indian Express  

Imagine the sunset and the beautiful winter line created by it and top that with the falling AQI of Delhi and a breathtaking view of the Lutyens. From their rooftop bar Cirrus 9, one can soak in the views of the Delhi Golf Club, Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan on any given day. Globally renowned bar and beverage …

Cocktail culture oversaturation: Mixology dominates our drinking culture, but unmixed drinks have immense value.
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Cocktail culture oversaturation: Mixology dominates our drinking culture, but unmixed drinks have immense value.

Slate  

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Since 2009, it has been “a celebration of the diversity and universality of drinks culture and a reflection of new bar scenes developing all over the world,” according to Emma Sleight, head of content for 50 Best Bars and …

Yearender 2024: Signature Martinis to Fat-Washing Finesse, 5 popular cocktail trends defined bars this year
4 weeks, 2 days ago

Yearender 2024: Signature Martinis to Fat-Washing Finesse, 5 popular cocktail trends defined bars this year

India TV News  

Cocktails have various meanings. So from Signature Martinis to Fat-Washing Finesse, here’s a compilation of 5 popular trending cocktails of 2024 you might want to add to your menu. The growing trend for drier, umami -flavoured cocktails appear to have driven a martini boom in the United States, and the cocktail is experiencing a cultural moment on social media, resulting …

Cocktail scene in India is getting bolder (think ingredients like Maggi masala, wasabi)
1 month, 1 week ago

Cocktail scene in India is getting bolder (think ingredients like Maggi masala, wasabi)

India Today  

Chyawanprash - the Ayurvedic herbal jam your mom used to force-feed you every winter - isn’t something you’d expect to see in a cocktail on a Saturday night outing. India's cocktail culture is undergoing a dazzling transformation, with mixologists and bartenders embracing bold flavours, unconventional ingredients, and cutting-edge techniques to elevate the drinking experience. People want to try something bold …

High on past, mixing with present
1 month, 2 weeks ago

High on past, mixing with present

New Indian Express  

Yangdup Lama, one of India’s most celebrated bartenders thanks to his experimental cocktails, and co-founder of artisanal cocktail bar Sidecar, recently opened Brook in Haryana’s Gurugram. The bar’s staple menu is a tribute to hill fare: Happy Himachali Hi Ball that uses blended whiskey with Himachali apple cider vinegar, the Thou Cha with gin and pinewood smoked Himalayan tea—an ode …

Bartenders Craft Elevated Cocktails and Elevated Experiences in a Vibrant City
2 months, 1 week ago

Bartenders Craft Elevated Cocktails and Elevated Experiences in a Vibrant City

Live Mint  

The article highlights the importance of bartenders in the bar industry, emphasizing their sharp memory and personalized service. It showcases the rise of bartender-owned bars in India, with successful entrepreneurs like Yangdup Lama and Arijit Bose opening multiple establishments. The article also explores the factors that contribute to the success of these bars, including the capital required, the focus on …

The world’s 50 best bars have been revealed – here’s the top five
2 months, 2 weeks ago

The world’s 50 best bars have been revealed – here’s the top five

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Inside Handshake Speakeasy, which was crowned the best bar in the world This magical gem is …

Agave Takes Center Stage in India's Tequila Boom
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Agave Takes Center Stage in India's Tequila Boom

Hindustan Times  

The tequila / agave boom in India is driven by the pandemic, with consumers seeking new and exciting experiences. The wider trend has led to a surge in homegrown brands, with three now operating in the country. The rise in agave spirits is particularly pronounced in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. The popularity of agave is attributed to …

Bumipura cocktail bar opens in Mumbai’s Lower Parel serving Malaysian and Singaporean flavours
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Bumipura cocktail bar opens in Mumbai’s Lower Parel serving Malaysian and Singaporean flavours

The Hindu  

Picture this: It’s 2124, a century into the future, and India is an economic superpower. The space This spanking new cocktail bar in Mumbai’s Lower Parel pays homage to the authentic flavours of Singapore and Malaysia. In Mumbai, bartenders craft cocktails with passion, but the drinks often get overlooked, unlike the dedicated cocktail bars in Singapore, Tokyo, and Malaysia,” says …

India’s Yangdup Lama wins Roku Industry Icon 2024 by Asia’s 50 Best Bars
5 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s Yangdup Lama wins Roku Industry Icon 2024 by Asia’s 50 Best Bars

The Hindu  

Asia’s 50 Best Bars awarded Yangdup Lama of Sidecar in Delhi as the Roku Industry Icon award 2024, making Yangdup the first Indian from the industry to win the title. Asia’s 50 Best Bars, are voted by members of the bar industry, media and mixology experts and are judged by at categories like quality of drinks, level of service and …

India’s best bar for 2024 is in Bengaluru, ranked 40th in Asia’s top 50 bars: Report
5 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s best bar for 2024 is in Bengaluru, ranked 40th in Asia’s top 50 bars: Report

Hindustan Times  

The Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list was revealed during a live awards event held in Hong Kong. Lama, the visionary behind the celebrated New Delhi bar Sidecar, was recognized for his exceptional cocktail-making skills and his significant contributions to elevating India’s bar scene, the report stated. Furthermore, last week’s extended list of Asia’s best bars ranked from 51 to …

At Cheroot, at the ITC Grand Chola, we try Chennai’s most expensive cocktail, rich with Cognac and saffron
6 months ago

At Cheroot, at the ITC Grand Chola, we try Chennai’s most expensive cocktail, rich with Cognac and saffron

The Hindu  

It is 9 pm. This is Cheroot’s version of black kaapi, seasoned with dry ginger, green cardamom tincture, filter coffee and Cognac — a part of Cholatails, the sparkling new bar menu stitched together with a little help from the history of the Cholas, along with beverage recipes and ingredients from the region. “While ITC Grand Chola is an ode …

There’s dessert in my cocktail
8 months, 2 weeks ago

There’s dessert in my cocktail

Live Mint  

When spirits’ consultant Pankaj Balachandran was curating the drinks menu for Mumbai’s Bandra Born, he asked the restaurant’s partner-chef Gresham Fernandes about his memories of growing up in the Bandra neighbourhood. At Mumbai’s Mexican restaurant and bar Mezcalita, the drink Strawberry Fields draws inspiration from strawberry cheesecake and features Campari, and tequila milk-washed with vanilla cream cheese. At the Italian …

Bengaluru bars get intimate
11 months ago

Bengaluru bars get intimate

Live Mint  

You feel as if you are entering a cocoon when you step into SOKA, an effect enhanced by a large hanging paper sculpture resembling a luminous insect that dominates the small room. The menu at SOKA spells out this distinction as well, with cocktails like the Next-Gen Martini featuring Bull Dog gin, extra dry vermouth, Choya Yuzu Liqueur, and a …

Inside India’s hidden dens and prohibition cocktails
11 months, 1 week ago

Inside India’s hidden dens and prohibition cocktails

The Hindu  

In October, Riya Dastidar, 32, and Mainak Sen, 33, a couple based in Mumbai, explored Kyoto’s speakeasy scene while on holiday there. Mainak reflects, “This speakeasy didn’t demand a password; a simple proof of identity sufficed.” As the night unfolded, the couple conversed with fellow patrons, all foreigners sharing similar interests. While the decision to grant reservations ultimately rests with …

India’s best bar: Sidecar in Delhi Clinches Best Bar in India for Another Year
11 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s best bar: Sidecar in Delhi Clinches Best Bar in India for Another Year

The Hindu  

It is midnight in Goa and the graveyard shift is on at Elephant & Co. The influential 30 Best Bars Award have just been announced in an action-packed ceremony at the Taj Cidade De Goa, with Sidecar from Delhi, winning the coveted title of the country’s best bar. It gives people more opportunities to have a good night out.” Recognising …

Behind the counter, drinks get a spicy, Indian makeover
1 year, 2 months ago

Behind the counter, drinks get a spicy, Indian makeover

Live Mint  

Those who have sampled Nagaland’s distinctively vibrant mountain pepper and bamboo shoot chutney will tell you there’s nothing quite like it. Twelve years ago, Manu Chandra, helming the pan-India bar-chain Monkey Bar, was one of the first to look beyond formulaic mixology, helping create the cocktail Mangaa, with aam panna and “without having to borrow concepts from the West”. Essani’s …

Behind the counter, drinks get a spicy, Indian makeover
1 year, 2 months ago

Behind the counter, drinks get a spicy, Indian makeover

Live Mint  

Those who have sampled Nagaland’s distinctively vibrant mountain pepper and bamboo shoot chutney will tell you there’s nothing quite like it. Twelve years ago, Manu Chandra, helming the pan-India bar-chain Monkey Bar, was one of the first to look beyond formulaic mixology, helping create the cocktail Mangaa, with aam panna and “without having to borrow concepts from the West”. Essani’s …

Modern artisanal cocktails that go back to Indian roots
1 year, 4 months ago

Modern artisanal cocktails that go back to Indian roots

Hindustan Times  

In the vibrant landscape of India's culinary renaissance, artisanal cocktails are making quite a fizz in the world of libations. Rear view is a tequila-based cocktail flavoured with aromatic ingredients such as black garlic from Assam, honey, ginger, and lime while Waiting List is a coconut fat-washed, tequila-based cocktail with house-made curry leaf soda and curry leaf salt. At Copitas, …

The cocktail capital of India
1 year, 5 months ago

The cocktail capital of India

Live Mint  

Served table-side on a bed of ice—to keep the drink at a brain-stirring recommended temperature of minus 4 degrees Celsius—the martini at Rick’s, at The Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi, is a thing of beauty. Rakshay Dhariwal, managing director and founder of Pass Code Hospitality, the group behind PCO, one of Delhi’s first speakeasy-styled cocktail bars, explains: “I would argue that …

When the best bars come to Mumbai
1 year, 10 months ago

When the best bars come to Mumbai

The Hindu  

As we settle into spring weather and brunches, entertaining at home means being a mixologist, gourmand and setting a Pinterest worthy table, all at once. Premium’s the word Keshav Prakash has carefully curated premium whisky and rums for his exclusive Whisky and Rum Parlour, that allows guests with a ticket to taste never-seen-before spirits in India. Keshav is excited about …

How Pune is becoming a top dining destination in India, drawing cosmopolitan bar hoppers
1 year, 10 months ago

How Pune is becoming a top dining destination in India, drawing cosmopolitan bar hoppers

The Hindu  

New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru may be frontrunners in India’s cocktail culture, but the country’s smaller towns and cities are no longer mere spectators — they are fast catching up and turning the tide. At the 30 Best Bars India 2022 Awards held in January — the definitive list for the best bars in the country — four of Pune’s …

Cocktails in India come of age
2 years, 3 months ago

Cocktails in India come of age

Live Mint  

"When I say watermelon cocktail, what are the colours that come to your mind?” Devyani Nath, assistant beverage manager at JW Marriott, Bengaluru, asks me as a prelude to a discussion on her new cocktail menu, which will be launching at the hotel’s Merak Brewhouse during the festive season. “Bartenders see themselves as scientists and are experimenting not only with …

Why great cocktails often fail the bar
3 years ago

Why great cocktails often fail the bar

Live Mint  

For mixologists in India, December’s festivities shone brighter when three bars gained international fame during the month. And, for the first time ever for an Indian bar, Delhi’s Sidecar ranked 47th on the World’s 50 Best Bars List. To be on the World’s Best Bars list, one needs to have a cocktail-forward approach,” explains Vikram Achanta. “One might like the …

Cocktails menus in India shaped by geography, now boasting bael, vetiver, kokum and Darjeeling tea
3 years, 3 months ago

Cocktails menus in India shaped by geography, now boasting bael, vetiver, kokum and Darjeeling tea

The Hindu  

Kokum mocktails, bael cocktails, Darjeeling tea coolers and chikoo -flavoured beer now jostle for space on Indian bar and dining menus. Since there is a natural inquisitiveness to try new flavours, it becomes our responsibility to combine regional flavours, whether fruits, herbs and spice, to narrate an exciting story of the place it comes from.” One of the most popular …

Cocktail recipes and tips from India’s top mixologists? Dive in
3 years, 6 months ago

Cocktail recipes and tips from India’s top mixologists? Dive in

Live Mint  

“Try making a Balle Balle Bloody Mary,” says Yangdup Lama promptly in response to a question about a recipe for this story. RECIPE Balle Balle Bloody Mary Balle Balle Bloody Mary Ingredients 3 dashes of Tabasco 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce 2 green chillies, chopped 2 tsp fresh coriander, chopped Salt to taste A pinch of rock salt or kala …

From the East to the Middle East
4 years, 2 months ago

From the East to the Middle East

China Daily  

Baked feta Bedu unveils a vibrant new autumn à la carte and cocktail menu. Following the success of its harmonious blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisines, Bedu's new à la carte autumn menu showcases an impressive collection of blended influences, from the sandy dunes of North Africa to the vibrant bazaars of the Middle East. Start with the reinvented …

Forget Dalgona, stir up a whisky cocktail
4 years, 7 months ago

Forget Dalgona, stir up a whisky cocktail

Live Mint  

In the beginning of the lockdown, all the beer picked up during the last booze run was the first to finish. Additionally, she highlights three specific reasons—if you are living with someone who is not a whisky fan, making cocktails to mask its strong flavour is a way to include them; millennials who were used to bar experiences now want …

Enter a new age of cocktails
5 years, 6 months ago

Enter a new age of cocktails

Live Mint  

Guests may not be able to tell from where they are standing, but this is what a bartender at Miss T has within arm’s reach behind the counter: five bottles of in-house liqueur, 25 bottles of fresh house-made syrups on ice, about a dozen infusions, seven-eight tinctures, and two oak barrels in which signature versions of classic cocktails are being …

Enter a new age of cocktails
5 years, 6 months ago

Enter a new age of cocktails

Live Mint  

Guests may not be able to tell from where they are standing, but this is what a bartender at Miss T has within arm’s reach behind the counter: five bottles of in-house liqueur, 25 bottles of fresh house-made syrups on ice, about a dozen infusions, seven-eight tinctures, and two oak barrels in which signature versions of classic cocktails are being …

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