Chandigarh-based Nikhil Sood is a busy man. The bartender and brand ambassador for Jameson whiskey has been travelling across India with alarming regularity, doing guest shifts (he's already done about 3-4 this month) at some of the country's best cocktail bars. "It's been a hectic few months trying to make sense of my schedule, but the thrill of fleshing out new cocktail recipes for a discerning audience and even going behind the bar occasionally to whip up a few drinks has been rewarding. The energy is what I thrive off," he says.
It's safe to say that India's alcobev industry is causing a stir, one heady concoction at a time. According to a study, the country is one of the fastest-growing markets globally, with an estimated market size of US$ 52.5 billion in 2020. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8 per cent between 2020 and 2023. And in the past few years, some of the country's best cocktail bars have been shaking up the game by breaking free from fail-safe processes as consumers look for more than vanilla offerings. Today, we're experiencing a high-energy, cocktail-first culture, encouraging brands and bar owners to experiment with innovative techniques and local ingredients.
This has, in turn, led to the rise of a culture of bar takeovers, where bartenders like Sood find themselves travelling to other cities in the country, and parts of the world, to serve their drinks at another bar. It means guests are treated to the hospitality of an establishment they might not get the chance to visit in the flesh. This trend has been exacerbated by the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated the hospitality industry, preventing establishments from making money and honing their cocktail craft by learning from other bars with commendable cocktail programmes.