Lounge
A pocket-sized trend report for India's bar enthusiasts
Summary
In 2025, bartenders will seek to create unique cocktails to fit India’s food habits and heritage
Trends are a fluid phenomena that don’t fall within the limiting scope of a year. Most begin as interesting concepts and can take a few months to garner a larger following later, and therefore, how India drank in 2024 could be a pointer to how bartenders will shake things up next year.
“There is a gradual rise in bars offering progressive cocktails in tier-2 cities," notes Mumbai-based drinks consultant Ajit Balgi. He mentions the restobar Atelier V in Indore with drinks like Negroni Sbagliato, Picante with a Margarita twist and classics such as the Manhattan. The bars in Indore—including The Library Bar—organise brand-sponsored events too and host takeovers within the city. In Shillong, the year-old Shad Skye accentuates its cocktails with ingredients from the North-East. There are cocktails with cherry blossoms from Meghalaya, ghost peppers from Assam and bamboo shoot from Mizoram. The opening of these bars in tier-2 cities has been driven by the presence of an aspirational audience, increasing tourism and the ambition of local restaurateurs, among other factors.
Also read: Flavoured snow and the best meals of 2024
Taking India’s drinks story forward is the increasing availability of homegrown spirits. The newest entrant is the premium mahua liquor, Six Brothers Mahura, which launched in October. 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.
The India spirit story extends to liqueurs as well. Balgi points to India’s first limoncello Mikiamo from Goa being launched in March, and Diageo acquiring a minority stake in the coffee liqueur Quaffine in July. These are indicators of holistic growth in the alcohol space.
The third significant trend is the blossoming of intimate cocktail bars helmed by bartenders. “It’s as if they have returned home after being ambassadors of alcohol brands," says Tewari. He gives the example of Pankaj Balachandran, former ambassador of Monkey Shoulder, who started Boilermaker in Goa in October and Arijit Bose, former brand ambassador of Bacardi India, who opened Bar Outrigger, also in Goa, in July. Bumipura in Mumbai, which reimagines South Asian dishes as drinks, is the brainchild of Malaysian Ming YangChai that opened this year. Last month, a Lounge story on the rise of bartender-owned cocktail spaces outlined how they will grow, as they attracts more investors.
Most of these trends are set to get bigger in 2025. Tewari believes tequila will continue its stronghold as well.
In the spirits space, there is a persistent buzz about making conscious low-alcohol choices, and mead could mature into a prominent category, predicts Balgi. 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.
Tewari, who is also a regular on cocktail competition juries, says he has witnessed a thirst among bartenders to create new and unusual recipes that integrate local ingredients with different spirits for a unique India identity. “Classic drinks, like a Manhattan, were created in the US because it suits their palate. Aperitivo-style drinks are rooted in Italy’s culinary culture. So, what is the cocktail to fit India’s food habits and heritage? I believe we will have the answer soon."
Maybe in 2025.
