Last month, a martini cocktail made by Adalina, an Italian restaurant in New York, drew gasps from drink enthusiasts across the globe for its eye-popping price. Made with smoked heirloom tomato water, and lemon basil olive oil paired with Clase Azul Mezcal, the cocktail also features 9-carat diamond tennis necklace featuring 150 diamonds that are set in 14k yellow gold. The price of the drink? A cool USD $13K or approximately INR 10 lakh!
Thankfully, cocktails in India have yet to reach such stratospheric levels of aspiration but there are a bunch of cocktails across the country that are already pushing the bar when it comes to drinking luxuriously – perfect for this time of the year when festivity is in the air.
Indeed, cocktails have truly come of age in India and connoisseurs aren’t far behind when it comes to expressing their love for drinks, price no bar. These cocktails are raising the bar in more ways than one, be it in delivering a truly exclusive experience or showing how far patrons will go for a single well-crafted drink, the highest of which crosses the five-digit mark at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai.
Here are five of the most luxury cocktails you can drink in India today.
5. XOXO - INR 6,000++
When the team at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai reached out to sommelier and spirits educator Ajit Balgi to create a new menu at their Cheroot Malt and Cigar Lounge, little did they know they would end up launching XOXO, one of India’s most expensive cocktails. Launched three months ago, the menu is called Cholatails after the Chola dynasty that served as the inspiration for its cocktails. XOXO, made with cognac and peated malt is blended with nannari (Indian sarsaparilla) and saffron, is a take on an Old Fashioned in a city that prefers cognac over whisky. “Chennai is a predominantly cognac market and we wanted to showcase local ingredients to guests through Cholatails. That’s where the idea to use nannari syrup as a sweetening agent and saffron tincture came about,” Balgi reveals. He adds that since Cheroot is a cigar lounge, the team decided to create a chocolate cigar to pair with the cocktail as a garnish after initially debating whether to add an actual cigar for garnishing XOXO.
“This cocktail is indulgence as its best without any smoke or drama,” Balgi says, adding that this is the first time in his decade-long experience of advising bars that he’s created such an expensive cocktail. The bar has sold over 35 units of the cocktail over the past three months, showing that there is a growing appetite for fine drinking even in unexpected places.
4. The Diamond Sour - INR 8,000++
Served at the Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa in Goa, the Diamond Sour is said to be a “cocktail that mimics the sparkle of diamonds with champagne and glitter,” as per the mixologists at the venue who have created the cocktail. The cocktail features luxury spirits such as Louis XIII Cognac or Hennessy Paradis as well as Dom Pérignon Champagne and is sprinkled with silver glitter for garnish.
3. Old is Bold is Gold - INR 8,000++
The Taj Fort Aguada in Goa is known for serving this super premium take on the Old Fashioned that features rare spirits used in its making such as Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon or Macallan 25. The cocktail is sprinkled with 24 carat gold flakes for garnish. A spokesperson for the property said that the cocktail is usually served to bride and groom celebrating their wedding at the property.
2. Jewel Of Tansen - INR 9,999++
Tansen, a month-old establishment in Hyderabad serving food from the North Western Frontier, has released a regal cocktail called Jewel of Tansen on its menu that retails for INR 9999++. “Our interiors exude a royal luxury and our cocktail had to match the vibe of the space. Starting with this idea, we decided to go all in on one cocktail from our menu with Yangdup Lama (of Sidecar fame), who created the menu for us,” says Sahil Malhotra, Operation Beverage Manager, Tansen.
The cocktail is made with Royal Salute 21 Years Whisky and is paired with ajwa dates sourced from Al-Medina in Saudi Arabia, crunchy pine nuts from Italy along with truffle-infused vermouth. Malhotra says the outpost has sold over a dozen Jewel of Tansen cocktails to a diverse set of clientele so far.
1. Déjà vu - INR 12,000++
The title for the most expensive drink in the country currently rests with Tresind in Mumbai for their Déjà Vu cocktail that is priced at INR 12000 plus taxes.
Beverage Head Rahul Kamath says that the drink was created after a guest, who was fond of his whisky, asked for a special drink. Thus, exactly a year ago in October 2023, Déjà vu, with Glenmorangie Signet, homemade cookie syrup, and a hazelnut whisky-dipped chocolate cookie was born with 15-20 units of the cocktail being sold on average per month.
“Its deep, nutty, and sweet elements can pair beautifully with certain courses on Tresind’s degustation menu such as the coffee stone or the Mulayari payasam,” Kamath adds.
These luxury cocktails, and the diversity in cities from Mumbai to Hyderabad to Chennai and Goa, are a testament to the new way in which India is enjoying its drink. As Malhotra from Tansen says, “These drinks showcase the maturity of India’s mixology scene where we are now giving craftsmanship to our cocktails in a bold new way.”