THE HIGH-SPIRITED MEXICAN WAVE

Once relegated to the end of the menu, agave spirits have stormed India's F&B scene, giving a boost to Mexican cuisine

- Priyanko Sarkar

When asked why he chose to open a Mexican restaurant in Mumbai, Anurag Katriar, the restaurateur behind popular spots like Indigo and Neel, replies: "Look at tequila. It's trending everywhere." Katriar opened Tijuana in Mumbai's crowded Lower Parel business district in October, and he's not the only Indian restaurateur betting on the growing popularity of agave-based spirits (the most famous of which is, of course, tequila) to give Mexican food in India its second coming.

Last month, I walked into a Dia de Muertos (Day Of The Dead)-themed evening at Juju, Pune's first tequila bar, where it felt like I had stumbled on to the sets of Disney Pixar's Coco. I tried the cocktails and could instantly recognise that we had moved on from Tequila Sunrise and Margaritas. These were second generation tequila cocktails as I sampled ingredients like spicy mole sauce, ancho pepper liqueur, and jalapeno oregano wine.

Across Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Kolkata and Bengaluru, Mexican cuisine is seeing a resurgence led by the growth of tequila and other agave-based spirits. Indian restaurateurs seem to have gone into overdrive opening tequila bars and leading a new wave of Mexican cuisine that goes beyond tacos and guacamole.