Multi-course cocktail menus are spreading throughout major cities in India

In India's major cities, the tasting menu experience has moved beyond restaurants and into bars. From Mumbai to Delhi, ordering a single drink is increasingly common: you can now participate in a carefully crafted cocktail tasting menu of six, nine, or even twelve courses.

Mumbai's first standalone cocktail omakase menu has opened at Slink & Bardot restaurant. Koliwada Cocktail Club is a six-course drink experience, presented in the style of a fine dining menu. It begins with a tequila gazpacho topped with salted celery foam, followed by tamales made with smoked tequila wrapped in corn husks, chicken broth, and roasted jalapeños, a bar-friendly take on the spicy corn tostada.

Next comes the Morel, in which 12-year-old Singleton whisky is intensified with rye brandy and a morel mushroom glaze, the flavors shifting towards a darker, richer umami profile. By the sixth glass, most diners are already feeling a touch dizzy. This menu isn't for traditional cocktail aficionados, but rather for those who consider cocktails as essential to a tasting menu as the food itself.

In Delhi, Barbet and Pals, one of the city's trendiest spots, designed by Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal, invites diners into a subterranean space called Cavity, more like a cozy lounge than a bar. Its nine-course cocktail menu is accompanied by appetizers, and the table for nine is set for a tasting experience. It might seem like a lot at first, but experts have carefully balanced the portions and alcohol content so that you leave feeling refreshed, not intoxicated.

The dishes are inspired by ingredients with protected designation of origin from India: from wild floral honey from the Sundarbans region to Tooyamalli rice from Tamil Nadu, and dried and salted apricots from Ladakh. Coorg coffee completes the menu as dessert, accompanied by a nolen gur rasgulla. During the break, a bhimkol, an iced banana drink, arrives to refresh the palate. Thus, step by step, a map of the subcontinent is revealed.

Bengaluru was the first major Indian city to embrace the multi-course cocktail experience, and it immediately took it to another level. The "Theatre" menu at ZLB23 restaurant in the Leela Palace Hotel is structured in four "acts," each named after a classic cocktail style: Aperitif, Daisy, Red Snapper, and Mary Pickford. The order follows the natural progression of the palate, from bitter to sour and from salty to sweet, and each drink is designed to capture the diner's attention before the first sip.

The most philosophical item on the list is the menu at Dwadash 2.0 in Ekaa, Mumbai, which is based on the number twelve. Niyati Rao built it around the significance of that number in Indian culture, astronomy, and spiritual traditions: fullness, continuity, and a closed cycle. The series, consisting of eight mini-cocktails and four full-size portions, begins with a kombucha, continues with a feni-based drink and a monsoon-inspired Petrichor, and then introduces Ayurvedic botanicals and other nearly forgotten ingredients. “There’s a difference between progression and order: progression creates meaning, order is just order” Rao explains. “Our goal was never to create twelve cocktails. The goal was to create twelve perspectives: twelve experiences that invite the diner to think, feel, and taste differently.”

In Delhi, Pendulum creates a cultural bridge between India and Mexico through a four-course menu. Among its agave cocktails, Rosa de Pushkar, made with rosewater from Pushkar, is served with a dhokla filled with lamb barbecue, and Naga Noche, made with dark rum, cacao vermouth, and the heat of Naga King chili, is paired with a fish pie seasoned with cafreal. In Bengaluru, Bunker Room, tucked away behind Una Hacienda and seating only eight, is the brainchild of Arijit Bose. “Most bars are designed for speed and uniformity. Bunker Room, on the other hand, is based on curiosity: it gives bartenders the space and time to explore ideas and presents each drink as an experience, not just a fleeting moment” explains Bose, regarding a four-course format inspired by the Japanese omakase system.