Why Cocktail is Turning Big in Bar Menu

Nightlife trends have changed in India. People today look at more customized menu and drinks and they are not limited to the old age alcohol menu. They want to experiment with new age Craft Beer Revolution where breweries are opening taprooms and brewpubs. More and more restaurants are offering craft beer or craft spirits.

At the same time consumers are becoming more savvy and interested in these craft offerings and new restaurant concepts are being developed around them. Pairing food rightly with wine where restaurants are focusing on home grown wine, mixology is turning big and these places are giving a new twist to the old classics.

“Mixology as a trend is growing in the market. But we have known our chefs more than the mixologists though chefs cooks food in the same way a mixologist prepare a drink,” shares Gaurav Gidwani, F&B Director, Corum Hospitality that runs India’s first bar on the concept of stock exchange by adding that how you promote your brand is more important. Cocktail came around seven years ago in the system and changed the whole drinking pattern.

For chefs and mixologists giving cocktails a traditional twist by using traditional, local and sustainable ingredients is new trend in India which is also in line with overall food trend in India where chefs are using old age recipes and techniques to prepare new drinks and menu.

“It is about how you break the barrier. Cocktails and drink menus are made using ingredients that can’t be imagined,” points Prahalad Sukhtankar, Sommelier & Owner, The Black Sheep Bistro that is one of Goa’s premier modern restaurant delivering delicious cuisine, great wines and innovative cocktails especially handcrafted by Prahalad himself.

Mixology has influenced the way people drink in bars and has elevated the cocktail drinking culture. The demand for this profession has increased so much that now there are institutes that teaches you the science of mixology. In India, this trend has already caught up and mixologists are doing very well in the industry. If one can think out of the box and have the flair to create quirky concoctions than this is the perfect profession. All in all, mixology is not just perceived as shaking or stirring, it is termed as a skill that combines art and science beautifully.

“We have given lots of twist to our cocktails. We have given emotional names like ‘I am feeling flirting’ etc to get it a connect. Bar trends happens according to the customer and we believe in discussing it with customers and making it more customized,” adds Shraddha Bhansali, Owner, Candy & Green that has home grown wines in its menu.

Hence, we can say that cocktails have always had a complicated relationship with food, but the conventional thinking with cocktails was that they were too strong to be paired with a good meal, and should be enjoyed on their own.  Cocktails are classified not by style, strength or spirit, but by spice—kitchen staples like coriander seed, fennel seed, star anise and saffron to pair with food. A collaboration between bartenders and chefs is always offers a memorable experience to guests.