Huge chunks of monogrammed ice cubes, elaborate garnishes, and smoke and fire for a touch of drama are all visually appealing additions to cocktails, but defeat the very point of drinking them
You walk into a bar and order a drink. It arrives encased in a glass cloche filled with smoke that the server expects you to film as soon as they reveal the drink. It’s a fancy cup perched atop a petite plate, with a biscuit balancing precariously on the rim. You sip, nibble, sip again, and pause—what exactly are you drinking? Whatever it is, it’s definitely not the drink you were expecting, and it certainly isn’t anywhere close to being simple.
Welcome to the new wave of cocktail culture in India, where taste often plays second fiddle to theatrics, and every sip comes with a side of spectacle. Mixology is having a moment in the country, where urban India’s drinking trends are driven by an active bar community and a growing spending power. The allure isn’t just the drinks—there’s a competitive edge too, with bars popping up across cities solely to chase the prestige of gaining accolades and industry awards. According to a 2024 report by Modor Intelligence, cafes and bars in India accounted for 22.52 per cent of the market share in 2022, with over 800 establishments serving alcohol across the country.
Indian cocktail bars are catering to experience-seeking customers
With the growing number of bars, understanding the customers has never been more crucial. Craft cocktails don’t always hit the mark in a high energy place packed with weekend beer drinkers. Yangdup Lama, mixologist and owner of Sidecar Delhi—ranked 18 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023—knows this well. What thrives at Sidecar would probably tank in a nightclub setting, where the crowd’s vibe and idea of a great night don’t align with meticulously crafted drinks.
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With the growing number of bars, understanding the customers has never been more crucial. What thrives at Sidecar—ranked 18 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023—would probably tank in a nightclub setting
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The modern drinker isn’t just thirsty— they're curious. They want to know about the spirit’s origin, the distillation processes, and even the size of barrels it is aged in. Plus, there's information available on Instagram
“Consumers today are well-travelled, and come in for an experience that goes beyond just the taste of the cocktail—the technique, the story behind the drink, and the presentation,” explains Lama. In 2024, Lama co-founded The Brook, a Gurugram-based bar with a cocktail programme that highlights produce from the Himalayas.
It’s not only about what’s in the glass anymore. “As hypercapitalism and marketing has made consumers believe that something good translates to ‘custom-made,’ people are more invested,” notes Mumbai-based food critic and creative lead at Please See, Suman Quazi. “Drinking out is an experience, especially when a cocktail costs at least ₹650 in Mumbai. I won’t pay ₹650 for a Tom Collins; if I’m shelling anything above ₹700, I want a clarified cocktail.”
The modern drinker isn’t just thirsty—they’re curious. They want to know about the spirit’s origin, the distillation processes, and even the size of barrels it is aged in. Many bars even mention the rotovap—or a rotary evaporator used to create flavour-focused cocktail components through vacuum distillation that helps evaporate the tannins, colours, or bitterness in spirits—on their menus.
“PLACES WHICH HAVE TOO MANY FRILLS AROUND AN OTHERWISE AVERAGE DRINK ARE OVERCOMPENSATING FOR LACK OF THOUGHT AND CREATIVITY”
Suman Quazi
“There’s information available on Instagram, besides bartenders putting out information on social media. Consumers now want to know what’s going into the spirit, its origin, how long it’s been aged for, how exactly it’s additive-free. So, it’s important for high-end cocktail bars to showcase this information ,” explains Rakshay Dhariwal, co-founder of India Cocktail Week , and founder-MD of Pistola Agave, who is often asked what makes Pistola hangover-free. According to him, it’s all down to being additive-free and incorporating a specific distillation process. Barrel size is another factor; using larger barrels slow down ageing. Pistola even runs an FAQ series on Instagram, tapping into the platform's role as a key marketing tool.
Instagram-worthy drinks—all style, no substance?
In the era of Reels and Instagram stories, presentation is everything. Theatrics work because Instagram demands it. A drink engulfed in smoke or topped with an oversized garnish isn’t just a beverage; it’s content that grabs eyeballs. But drinks that merely look appealing don't always tell the whole story—or the right one.
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FOMO-driven choices often lead to disappointment. “Over-the-top drinks will make people order them, but never reorder unless they’re backed by a balanced, unique, refined taste,” warns Yangdup Lama
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Interestingly, the cocktail craze has spurred a parallel trend: the rise of the home bartender. As bars close early and house parties become the go-to choice for many, people are investing in their own bar setups
“Around 85 per cent of speakeasy bars that market themselves as secret bars heavily promote themselves on online platforms, which is quite ironic,” says Attapon De-silva, beverage consultant at the newly-opened Thai restaurant and bar BANNG in Gurugram. The disconnect is real. While bars chase virality, with elaborate presentations, the drink itself can at times be underwhelming. “Over-the-top drinks will make people order them, but never reorder unless they’re backed by a balanced, unique, refined taste,” warns Lama.
FOMO-driven choices often lead to disappointment. You’ve seen the Negroni trending, so you order it—only to realise it’s too bitter for your taste.
Part of the problem is that real craft—the chemical changes from fermentation, fat washing or distillation—happens behind the scenes. “[These shifts don’t occur] when the bar is open. So, a customer doesn’t see that,” explains Quazi. As a result, most people focus on what they can see: the ingredients. This is why they’ll opt for a tequila soda containing fewer calories or swap sugary mixers for healthier alternatives. “Places which have too many frills around an otherwise average drink are overcompensating for lack of thought and creativity. Because bars are only looking at Instagram or what’s trending, instead of treating the drink like an art form, where presentation is also key,” she adds.
Not everyone, however, is sold on the spectacle. For Delhi-based art director and curator Shiva Kant Vyas, function trumps form—if you serve a drink with a big cube of ice, you can’t really drink it properly. Vyas finds a lot of Indian-inspired bars going wrong while mixing too many ingredients and spices into their offerings. For instance, picantes, where the size of the chilli added as a garnish keeps getting bigger with each order. “It’s like when cocktails with foam floating atop that just look like soap water. I appreciate a good head only on a glass of beer or a whiskey sour,” he shares.
Garnishing gone wrong
The perfect garnish? For Vyas, it’s the glass. Yet, he’s often served cocktails that require a balancing act just to hold them—with wooden spoons precariously placed on the rims and elaborate garnishes that hit you in the face with every sip. “Sure, the first one could make an impression, but after the second drink, it gets tiring,” he says.
For Quazi, the flavours in a drink need to add up. For instance, an espresso martini with a biscuit which is sweet and shaved parmesan which is salty, works. “But, chocolate [as a garnish] will only add to the bitterness,” explains Quazi. Garnishes should enhance, not overwhelm—a sprig of mint in a Mojito or a dehydrated orange peel in a whiskey cocktail adds both aroma and aesthetic without being intrusive.
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In the era of Reels and Instagram stories, presentation is everything. Theatrics work because Instagram demands it. A drink engulfed in smoke or topped with an oversized garnish isn’t just a beverage; it’s content that grabs eyeballs. Image: Pexels
Infusions can be a brilliant way to add a kick to a drink without resorting to saccharine syrups, but only when done right. This is where coloured spirits often fall short, given that they aren’t completely natural. “But, neat spirits look good,” says Dhariwal. “Besides, there are too many brands that do limited-edition drinks which taste great the first time, but the second drop, not so much, because they’ve figured out a way to make it in a cheaper way.”
A story-forward cocktail culture
Bars like PCO, helmed by Arijit Bose, and Perch, co-owned by Vaibhav Singh, offer exceptional cocktails that blend great hospitality, thoughtful presentation, and compelling stories behind their drinks—all without losing sight of the most important element: taste.
Arjun Sagar Gupta—owner of The Piano Man Jazz Club which has three outlets across Delhi-NCR—echoes this sentiment, highlighting how these establishments prioritise flavour alongside flair. The menu at his clubs draws inspiration from the Prohibition era, tracing the roots of ‘jazz’ through both its drinks and ambiance.
“AROUND 85 PER CENT OF SPEAKEASY BARS THAT MARKET THEMSELVES AS SECRET BARS HEAVILY PROMOTE THEMSELVES ON ONLINE PLATFORMS, WHICH IS QUITE IRONIC”
Attapon De-silva
Interestingly, the cocktail craze has spurred a parallel trend: the rise of the home bartender. As bars close early and house parties become the go-to choice for many, people are investing in their own bar setups. Gupta has perfected his recipes for Bloody Mary and Margarita at home, experimenting with different salts.
Making drinks at home, including a Negroni, an Old-Fashioned, and a Piña colada, is now well within reach, with good bar equipment. Gupta converted his study cabinet and bookshelf into a home bar, stocked with shakers, glassware, and a cocktail toolkit he received as a wedding gift. He’s also invested in a SpeedX X-station, replete with refrigerated drawers for garnishes, starting at ₹20,000. Even Vyas has a budget-friendly bar setup—₹30,000 spent on alcohol, ₹2,000 on basic equipment, and a bartender hired for the night at ₹5,000— proving you don’t need to break the bank to enjoy a good drink at home.
At the end of the day, cocktails are about more than just a medley of ingredients. They’re about stories—real or crafted—that bars tell to justify the price tag. “Storytelling is a tool that works for the market. But it’s nothing without a good, basic foundation and balance,” concludes De-silva.
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