Cocktails menus in India shaped by geography, now boasting bael, vetiver, kokum and Darjeeling tea

Bartenders, chefs and restaurateurs are innovating with indigenous fruits, roots and herbs to create refreshing, adventurous beverage menus for customers in search of culinary thrills

Kokum mocktails, bael cocktails, Darjeeling tea coolers and chikoo-flavoured beer now jostle for space on Indian bar and dining menus. Drinks that hero indigenous ingredients are this year’s fastest growing trend, fuelled by a rising interest in regional produce combined with a pandemic-induced hankering for comforting childhood flavours.

So bael ka sharbat now has a chic new avatar, as a bael cocktail at Sidecar in Delhi. It is a whiskey or vodka-based alcoholic drink with bael shrub. The inky blue pea flower, which grows wild in parts of India, has found its way into everything from tea to gin-based cocktails. And the Indian olive, or jalpai, infused iced tea has become an epicurean trend for cafe hopping Instagrammers in Imphal, Manipur.