STIR IT UP

India is basking in its mixology glory, with stirring new trends and concepts, but there are some habits that have caught on that the industry can't seem to shake off. Here's what the alco-bev professionals are tossing up.

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Ask a hundred people to predict the dawn of India’s golden era of cocktails, and most will admit that we are cruising through it right now. With an increasing kitty of bars making it to Asia and the World’s 50 Best list; an Indian or an international bar visiting your city every week, and cocktail festivals on loop, it’s time to toast the ‘shake and stir’ segment. Brands are also doing their bit to celebrate innovation and champion celebrity bartenders. Some complain of excess, while others believe the pie has only just been put in the oven. But the problem with hurtling towards the next best ingredient; grabbing another top award, and carpet bombing your Instagram feed, is the slam-dunk cookie-cutter, unintelligent adapting of drinks and techniques, overselling of ideas, which sidelines what a true cocktail experience was supposed to be. If India is to matter, there has to be a collective exchange, leaving a few tricks behind, and reviving those that got us here in the first place. 

INGREDIENTS

India has a ‘problem of plenty’. Ask for a citrus and you will get over a hundred varieties. The same goes for mangoes, spices, rice, grains, and more. With an average bar menu rarely exceeding a dozen drinks, there’s an overwhelming majority of ingredients that are left out. So junk the need to champion scarcely available international ingredients. Pandan, an aromatic leaf, has overwhelmed India recently. It gives an overcooked, wet, starchy, rice-like taste which can easily become overbearing after a few. It is expensive and seasonally available. So why fixate on it? “There should’t be an over-dependency on imported ingredients, whether it’s grapefruit, Italian lemons, or Malta oranges; anything that can’t be replicated locally,” says Vedant Mehra, Community Manager for Greater Than Gin.