RAISE THE BAR

SPICE TOASTS THE NEWEST BARS THAT CELEBRATE IMAGINATION, PANACHE, AND INNOVATIVE HOSPITALITY TO GIVE INDIA'S COCKTAIL CIRCUIT MORE POWER FOR THE COURSE.

- GAGAN SHARMA

Distilling the perfect cocktail is an artful production: The idea, inception, curation, preparation, portions, presentation, nomenclature, the storytelling, and finally the actual taste test. India has finally risen to the occasion grabbing eight of the 100 top seats at the last Asia's 50 Best Bars. This wave has brought to shore themed bars, with classy menus, interesting storytelling, with thought-provoking drinks, bites, and ambience to score both on the surprise and delight quotient. Here are some pit stops that mark the golden hour for Indian mixology.

HOOTS', Delhi

Imagine an intimate 16-20 seating space, candle-lit, with leather bound couches, and whiffs of the fragrant cigar leaf wafting through with Frank Sinatra gently cooing on a vinyl record. No barstools, no food menu. Push past an unpretentious, unlabelled white door that opens out to a spiffily- dressed bartender in a waist-coat on the other side, who greets you with a minimalist menu that capture a twist of classics and signatures. Hoots' is a worthy embodiment of a prohibition-era speakeasy bar. What Hoots' does well, and really well at that, are classic-inspired drinks that are technically sound and refreshing at the same time. The two-page menu features page one with twists on Old Fashioned, Negroni, Martini, Highballs, and Sours, and the other page showcases 10 signature drinks that are not named, but numbered. Setting a benchmark for poised hospitality with a thoughtfully-curated theme, Hoots’ is as much a find for hospitality professionals as it is for consumers who wish to enjoy a drink in quiet civility. 

POISON OF CHOICE No. 5 (with olive), No 7, Albert's Old Fashioned

LAIR, Delhi