Roasted tomato and onion salsa, clarified and aerated, poured over a generous shot of tequila, to which is added a float of spirulina-infused hot honey, adding colour and heat. The result: A slow-burning finish that keeps one thinking long after one has had it.
This was the winning entry at a bartender contest earlier this year. Karan Dhanelia’s ‘Corazón de Fuego’ (The Heart of Fire), defies every expectation of what a cocktail should look, smell, or taste like.
If you are surprised, you did not try ‘Loud Whisper’ at Oxymorons, a cocktail bar in Hyderabad, which takes Wai Wai instant noodles to a new level. Smooth vodka meets the nostalgic punch of Wai Wai masala and the savoury depth of chicken broth in the popular cocktail. “It is a nod to my hostel days. The masala from those noodle packets has this instant familiarity, and I wanted to see if that nostalgia could translate into a cocktail. Pairing it with chicken broth felt like a natural extension because both are very savoury and umami. Vodka gives it this clean backbone to hold everything together,” said Rehan Guha, founder of Oxymorons.
Gone are the days when cocktails would be limited to a fizz of soda or a splash of lime with a few sprigs of mint to boot. As bartenders, mixologists and restaurant owners reimagine the cocktail space, quirky ingredients are adding a refreshing twist to alcoholic beverages this summer.
Nostalgia on the Rocks
The shift is especially strong towards Indian-inspired flavours and ingredients like spices, herbs and aromatics. “This is very exciting, especially since we have such a wide range of flavours to play with, from mahua to garadu pickle brine to even something like nimbu achaar. The diversity is incredible, but for me, it’s also about using these elements in a way that feels natural to the drink, not forced,” said Dhanelia.
And it’s not just spices and desserts but also florals coming into play. Silq, a fine-dining restaurant located in New Delhi, offers ‘Genda Phool’, a cocktail that uses the marigold flower, layered with gin, orange blossom and coconut water to keep it light and contemporary. “Inspired by the Silk Route, we wanted a drink that feels rooted yet refined… ‘Genda Phool’ is familiar, but presented in a way that feels new, much like the journey of flavours along the Silk Route,” said Deepak Chhabra, co-founder of Silq.
Building something closer to a dish in a glass is also the premise behind ‘Cin Cin!’, a tequila-based cocktail created by Vedant Newatia, founder and head chef of Atelier V in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. “The use of ingredients like parmesan and mushrooms brings in a rich umami character, inspired by Italian flavours. The idea was to translate these into a cocktail that still feels easy to drink,” explained Newatia.
Liquid Gastronomy
This concept of ‘kitchen meets the bar’ has been one of the most defining trends in the Indian cocktail scene. “There is a growing influence of culinary techniques and ingredients in mixology, with bartenders increasingly using kitchen-inspired elements such as herbs, spices, fruits, ferments, and even savoury components. This not only enhances flavour complexity but also creates a more authentic drinking experience,” said Germain Araud, managing director of MONIN India, a brand known for syrups, liqueurs and fruit purees.
Agreed Sanaya Dahanukar, marketing manager of Tilaknagar Industries, an Indian alcoholic beverage manufacturer. “Driven by evolving palates and a growing sense of pride in Indian ingredients, there is a clear shift happening. That is leading to the inclusion of far more interesting and regionally rooted flavours in cocktails,” she added.
Earlier this year, the company, in collaboration with mixologist Fae Barretto, explored how brandy can be expressed in a more contemporary bar setting. The result was Rajputana Armour, a cocktail that uses smoked tamarind and a honey-amchur shrub anchored in a saffron and black pepper-infused brandy.
Storytelling plays an extremely important role. “While there’s still a boom in iconic seasonal fruits, the diversity of India is reflected in unique ingredients from the northeast along with Himalayan foraged and wild elements,” added Evgenia, drinks director at Nao Spirits & Beverages, a homegrown craft spirits maker, and MTW, a cocktail bar in Goa.
At IKI & GAI, an all-day diner and bar in New Delhi, things get bold with ‘Dadi Issues’, a nostalgic reinterpretation of a classic picante, inspired by an amchoor mutton recipe of co-founder and head mixologist Sarthak Batra’s grandmother. Featuring her house-made amchoor masala—crafted with degi mirch, garam masala, and dried mango—it is blended with jalapeño, agave, and tequila.
If you browse through the new cocktail menu of Tangra-Tales of Chinatown restaurant at The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa, Delhi-NCR, jalapeno is one of the ingredients for ‘Shisen’, a fiery tequila-based drink sure to leave a lingering warmth in your mouth. If that sounds too bold for your liking, you can try their ‘Mamuang’, a softer, more indulgent expression of rum that uses jasmine rice as an ingredient, resulting in a creamy, almost dessert-like drink.