How India’s cocktail culture is moving beyond its bigger cities

What’s in a cocktail? Well, until a few years ago, Indians were sipping on the usual suspects—negronis and gin-infused tipples—which soon gave way to trendier drinks like agave-based libations, picantes, and espresso martinis. Today, India’s cocktail culture has undergone a remarkable transformation, with cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi leading the way with savoury-inspired creations. Don’t be surprised to find shrimp in your cocktail—or better yet, ones inspired by umami-rich flavours like instant noodles or pickled fruits. While this is the case in the larger metro cities, smaller cities are not far behind. Places such as Indore, Amritsar, and Nagpur are fast catching up, driven by aspirational audiences and a growing appetite for innovative drinks with unique ingredients and flavours.

Take, for example, Shiso in Amritsar. This Asian-inspired restobar, which opened sometime last year, is known as much for its cocktails as its food. “The idea behind offering a concept like Shiso in Amritsar was to introduce an international style of dining and drinking to a city that traditionally hasn’t been associated with cocktail culture,” explains Vansh Aggarwal, co-founder of Shiso. “The concept is built on the belief that cocktail culture can thrive in cities outside the major metros. So, you can look forward to an elevated experience in a city like Amritsar, which has traditionally been underserved in the bar scene.”

Shiso’s bar programme complements its pan-Asian menu, with cocktails such as the Osaka Whiskey Sour, Tokyo Highball, Trippy Fungi, and even a smoked ananas mocktail. Some of the techniques employed include clarification using agar-agar, sous-vide infusion, and cryo-freezing for intense flavours. Shiso also offers wines brewed in-house in flavours such as pineapple and apple-cinnamon. The ingredients used are similarly rooted in Asian influences—a signature cocktail, for instance, features yuzu marmalade infused with homemade ginger syrup, paired with Japanese whisky, along with exotic elements like sichuan peppercorns and miso.

A shift towards innovation

So, what’s driving the shift in cocktail culture in smaller cities? Vikram Achanta, founder and CEO of Tulleeho—a beverage academy—and co-founder of India Bartender Week and 30BestBarsIndia, believes it’s a story of premiumisation. “What was once confined to select metro pockets has now evolved into a movement towards drinking better—well-crafted and creative cocktails,” he explains, adding that consumers in smaller cities now expect a higher level of sophistication in the drinks and spirits they consume.

For Achanta, cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, and even Shillong have offered up interesting surprises. “Cocktails, in turn, become conduits for storytelling, weaving together inspiration, ingredients, and local narratives.” At one particular bar in Shillong, for instance, the cocktail menu represents all eight states of Northeast India. Each cocktail is crafted with ingredients unique to its state. The menu features hyperlocal elements rarely seen in cocktails, such as a black rice and whisky cocktail, blended with jaggery, coconut, and whisky to create a rich yet balanced drink, and a pinewood tincture paired with white chocolate. Both pay homage to regional flavours. Instead of refined sugar, the bar uses cherry liqueurs, jaggery, and local fruit preserves as sweetening agents. “Additionally, seasonal, indigenous berries such as Soh Shang (bastard oleaster) and Soh Phie (a raspberry-like fruit) feature on their rotating seasonal cocktail menu,” Achanta adds.

A growing story of tipples and flavours

Celebrated mixologist Shatbhi Basu—often dubbed India’s first female bartender and head of the STIR Academy of Bartending—notes, “Everyone is super aspirational in smaller cities.” They want to be on par with those in bigger cities, and they have the disposable income to spend. As they travel more and their palates evolve, bars and restaurants evolve with them, Basu says.

“Consumers are also engaging with social media platforms where all of these changes are visible. It makes everything feel new and exciting,” she adds. According to Basu, the trend of stirring up cocktails during the Covid-19 pandemic opened up this whole world on Instagram and YouTube. “It’s made people more open to experiencing these drinks in their hometowns, thus encouraging bars and restaurants to expand their offerings and go beyond the ordinary.”

Achanta believes there’s much more to look forward to. Homegrown Indian bars are also making waves globally. Take the case of prestigious lists like Asia’s 50 Best Bars, which featured several Indian bars. India’s cocktail story is just beginning to tap into the vast diversity of its smaller cities.

Lead image credit: Pexels 

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