Yangdup Lama, co-founder of Sidecar Bar in Delhi, knows a thing or two about alcoholhis bar has made it to the list of Asia's 50 Best Bars and the World's 50 Best Bars. A keen observer of trends in the business, Lama says vodka's time in the limelight has passed. "Five years ago when we opened Sidecar, we always assumed vodka would be more popular than gin, but it has become the other way around. Gin consumption has been consistent, unlike vodka," he said.
A decade ago, for every 10 bottles of whisky Lama ordered, he would order an equal number of vodkas and just two or three bottles of gin. Today, while the whisky count remains the same, gin stands at about eight bottles and vodka is down to just four.
Vir Kapoor, 37, who regularly hosts parties at his west Delhi home, has also observed this shift. "A lot of my friends have become gin drinkers," he said. Vodka, long the go-to white spirit for those who weren't into brown drinks such as whisky and brandy, has fallen out of favour in his circle. "Gin never existed for a lot of us a decade ago. It was primarily whisky, vodka, and a little bit of dark rum in the winter, and a lot of beer in the summer," recalled Kapoor. It would be the norm to have at least two bottles of Absolut (Pernod Ricard's premium vodka), or Belvedere (a Polish vodka distributed by LVMH) in his bar. Later, Grey Goose (Bacardi's) made an appearance. "But today, a lot of my friends are becoming gin drinkers. These are people who don't have brown spirits. They have almost exclusively switched over to gin from vodka and something like a Bacardi white rum," he said. And so, Kapoor's bar today features four-five bottles of gin such as Bombay Sapphire, Greater Than, or Stranger and Sons during parties. Oflate, his friends have also begun to ask for high-end sipping tequila. Greater Than and Stranger and Sons are craft gins made in India.
This change at Lama's bar and Kapoor's parties is playing out across the country.
Bu hikaye Mint Mumbai dergisinin February 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Mint Mumbai dergisinin February 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Premium the watchword for SBI as Q2 profits surge
Chairman says the bank will compete on quality of service, not on deposit rates
India eyes grants, loans for Global South at COP29
India plans to leverage its climate commitments to pitch for grants and concessional loans, instead of investments for the Global South, at the upcoming climate negotiations in Baku, two people aware of the matter said.
Tata Steel's Q2 show weighed down by slow Europe revival
The September quarter (Q2FY25) earnings of Tata Steel Ltd had its share of positives even as European operations remain a drag.
Spectre of fall in revenue nixes telecom levy cut
Indian telecom service providers' hopes to get relief from levies on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) might get dashed on the Union finance ministry's revenue concerns, according to two senior officials close to the discussions.
Zomato, Swiggy face CCI heat on antitrust violation
An investigation by India's antitrust body found food delivery giants Zomato and SoftBank-backed Swiggy breached competition laws, with their business practices favouring select restaurants listed on their platforms, documents show.
Trump enters just as the Fed is shifting its focus
With its second consecutive interest-rate cut this year, the Federal Reserve is attempting to boost the odds of a soft landing.
Regulator gets staff to enforce drug quality
The govt is planning to fill 250 new positions to strengthen enforcement
Govt unveils scheme for meditech industry
The government on Friday launched a scheme aimed at strengthening the medical devices industry with an initial outlay of ₹500 crore for three years 2024-2025 to 2026-27.
RATAN TATA MADE INDIA A BETTER, KINDER PLACE
Shri Ratan Tata's support for the Swachh Bharat Mission was close to my heart
Ministry cancels allocation of coal block to JSW Steel
The Union coal ministry has annulled the allocation of the Banai-Bhalumunda coal block in Chhattisgarh to Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel over the non-payment of a performance bank guarantee worth about ₹1,000 crore.