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Why are more Indians drinking cocktails in the comfort of their homes?

By Aatish Nath
14 February, 2023

From bottled cocktails mixers to limited-edition alcohol drops, there is a lot on offer for those looking to expand their home bar

Entertaining guests at home isn’t a novel concept. Indians have used it to get around high alcohol prices in restaurants, a limited availability of drinks and, more recently, a lack of drinking and dining options. In the last three years though, since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Keshav Prakash notes, “Entertaining centred around spirits and cocktails in one’s home is very different from when it is done outside their home.” Prakash should know–he’s the founder of The Vault, which imports a range of award-winning, niche spirits into India. Later this month, he will be hosting the Vault Home Bar Festival in Mumbai, largely geared towards a new cohort of people that prefer  entertaining at home. Spread over the weekend of 25-26 February, the festival will feature a range of programming, from talks to tastings.

A host of companies are catering to the changing home bar segment, whether it be cocktail mixers or ready-to-pour cocktail brands

SpeedX designs and custom-builds bars across India

A similar story is seen at SpeedX, which designs and custom-builds bars across India. The company has worked with bars like New Delhi’s Sidecar and at restaurants in both the Oberoi and Novotel hotels throughout the country. Founder Anirudh Singhal explains, “We had [the concept of] home bars even before the pandemic, but there were little or no takers then. This is largely because of two reasons. Firstly, we ourselves were not pushing it too much and secondly, I think consumers hadn’t yet realised the importance of having a good, functional bar.”

An emerging market for mixers 

As drinking at home on a regular basis became normalised during the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, a host of new businesses sprung up to cater to  amateur mixologists. While some were conceptualised by bartenders and other hospitality professionals who found themselves out of work and with free time, others honed in on their offerings after noticing a gap in the market. Swati Sharma, co-founder of Dram Club, and now Blind Gilt, shares, “Maybe cocktails mixers  are an opportunity that could be explored,” adding that it is a segment booming abroad. Over roughly seven months of trials with the Countertop India team, which consults with international spirit brands, and works on cocktail menus for restaurants and bars across the country, Blind Gilt has launched six mixers, with four more in the pipeline. The goal was to enable the consumer to create “cocktails that are able to work with more than one spirit.” For instance, a Paloma works best with tequila but customer feedback reveals it is more popular when made with gin. The spiced margarita though, made familiar with coriander, is a bestseller.

Vault Home Bar Festival, 2019

Vault Home Bar Festival is largely geared towards a new cohort of people that prefer  entertaining at home

A host of companies are catering to the changing home bar segment, whether it be cocktail mixers like Jimmy’s Cocktails, Bartisans, Bab Louie & Co and Tipsy Tiger, or ready-to-pour cocktail brands. Among the latter, Mr Jerry’s serves almost-there approximations of Negronis and Mai Tais, while Saray & Co.–started by Meet Modi, Parinay Patodia and Trisha Koparde, three former employees of The Bombay Canteen–makes spirits and concentrates for the bar. The pandemic was the push they needed, as Koparde explains: “A lot of people were messaging us saying that they wanted to have a cocktail at home, and whether we could share recipes with them. Or they were on the lookout for instructions on how to make their own drinks at home” That’s when the trio worked on syrups such as Pineapple Pickle and Lavender Blue Pea along with seasonal offerings like Strawberry and Rosemary, all of which have found an audience that is looking to experiment with cocktails at home. “We started super small, making flavoured syrups in my home kitchen, put them into glass bottles and paper boxes, and started shipping them off to people around Mumbai,” adds Koparde. From thereon, it grew to include dry garnishes, and the trio will now come on board for house parties and celebrations, for those looking to customise an at-home evening. 

An experimental consumer base 

Gradually, even major alcohol brands have worked to lobby for a change in government laws surrounding liquor sales and consumption, where states are amenable. In Maharashtra, the excise duty on spirits was halved from 300 to 150 per cent last year, which means that imported spirits saw their prices fall at stores across the state. As a result, collectors and connoisseurs were hoping to find more variety on shelves. Furthermore, with the duty-free segment,  alcohol majors were testing the market, releasing airport-only bottles that frequent fliers hunt out. With a keen understanding of what drinkers are looking for, Prakash, excited about the Vault Festival, says, “A festival release, a limited-edition single malt. Four hundred bottles will be released, which can be bought only at the festival.”

Blind Gilt has launched six mixers, with four more in the pipeline

Speed X has worked with bars like New Delhi’s Sidecar and at restaurants in both the Oberoi and Novotel hotels throughout the country

With drinkers plugging into global trends and experimenting with everything from spirits to clear ice, it is pretty evident that the home bar will continue to evolve. Luckily, there are enough people looking out to ensure that the experience of enjoying a drink while at home remains elevated. 

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