MasalaBar, the newest addition to Bandra, the trendy suburb that's a favorite with the Bollywood set, uses molecular mixology to evoke a sense of theater in its cocktail menu. The Bollywood Bhang, for example, is served in a skull glass and emits vodka basil dragon smoke.
Courtesy MasalaBar
An Evening at Chowpatty —
MasalaBar's An Evening at Chowpatty aims to evoke a sense of a day out at Chowpatty Beach. Coconut water (commonly sold at stalls at the Mumbai beach side) and coconut fizz (plus curry powder) help the cocktail achieve a sense of place.
Courtesy MarsalaBar
Mumbai Matinee —
Masala Bar's Mumbai Matinee is as smokey as it looks. Gin-based and flavored with the oil from grapefruit and orange skin, it tastes like a gentleman's club.
Courtesy MasalaBar
Sunset @ Carter —
Sunset @ Carter, another MasalaBar favorite, is a whiskey-based concoction that comes topped with almond foam. Mumbai's mixologists are using scientific methods to give cocktails a molecular twist.
Courtesy MasalaBar
Farzi Café —
Trendy Restaurant and bar Farzi Café uses molecular gastronomy concepts in its cocktail offerings. The Farzi apple foamtini is a mix of vodka, shaken with muddle granny apple, lime juice and flower syrup, and served with mint foam and mint mist.
Courtesy Farzi Cafe/Ajay kumar Gautam
Banta cocktails —
Farzi serves up a side of nostalgia in the form of banta, or goti soda, a childhood favorite with Mumbai children. Traditionally, kids get banta from street carts, though at Farzi the concoction comes spiked with booze.
Courtesy The Bombay Canteen
Boozy theater —
Farzi's mixologists aren't adverse to a little boozy theater. Like all good ideas, the Farzi Idea comes with a physical light bulb.
Courtesy Farzi Cafe
Margarita slushies —
Farzi also has an alcoholic version of another kid favorite: the slushie. It comes in sangria and margarita flavors.
Courtesy The Bombay Canteen
Colaba Social —
Some bars, like Colaba Social, accent cocktail lists with surrealist touches, such as the dream-like margarita-beer cocktail titled Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl.
Courtesy Colaba Social
Please Don't Tell —
Many of Mumbai's newly formed cocktail bars are hidden gems, some tucked away in old mill compounds. One such bar is a speakeasy, aptly named Please Don't Tell.
Courtesy Please Don't Tell
Mood matchers —
Bartenders at Please Don't Tell serve up bespoke cocktails. Tell them your favorite spirit and they'll find a drink to match your mood.
