Cocktails get a ‘shot’ in the arm

Mumbai’s tipple quotient is all set to get a necessary fillip this coming week as the Mumbai Cocktail Week, an international festival dedicated to cocktails is coming to the city. With over a 100 bars and pubs partnering with the event, the week-long do will see a number of acclaimed bartenders flying in from across the world to conduct masterclasses, introduce signature cocktails and more. Archit Singhal, the event’s founder tells us what to expect from the event.

“The biggest highlight is that cocktails will be cheaper than ever,” says Archit, who goes on to add that this week, you can walk into a swanky pub and order any cocktail for as less as '200. However, he’s quick to add, “it’s not just about drinking. The intention is to change Mumbai’s drinking scene and introduce a love for cocktails in it. Mumbai has a great nightlife and an amazing drinking scene. However, currently beer still remains the most popular and we want to change that.”

With a number of international bartenders set to be a part of the event, Mumbai Cocktail Week will also see cocktail competitions and masterclasses for local bartenders. “We have planned a Global pop-up at blueFROG and also curated pub-crawl in which participants can get a wholesome cocktail drinking experience in just '750 (all incl). They will be taken around different pubs where they can try 4-5 different and new cocktails without spending much.”

Decoding as to why cocktails don’t get the same popularity as say a beer does, Archit has just one thing to say, “They’re not as cheap as beer. A major section of the drinking population, which is also the largest chunk of pub-goers are students and youngsters. And they don’t have enough money to afford more than one or two cocktails. But imagine if a cocktail came at the same price as a beer. That will shift things tremendously and that is what we are trying to do with this event.”

But that’s just the first step, adds Archit. “We want to make sure that cocktails find their place among Mumbaikars. For that we need to move away from just having your usual Sex on the Beach or LIITs. We want bars and pubs to invest more in their cocktail menu, but for that they need a customer base. Through this event we will be promoting cocktails and also helping local bars innovate with their menu with new cocktails which international bartenders will be bringing with them. A couple of places such as Bandra’s Masala Bar are already doing this, but if cocktails are to pick up in Mumbai, then a lot more is needed.” While the event will only be a weeklong do, Archit is hoping that the effect it have will be much bigger. “We had a very successful edition in Delhi. But even though it’s just been three months after the Delhi Cokctail Week, over 15 cocktail speciality bars and pubs have opened in the city and 15 more are set to be opened and we are helping them with consultations. We are hoping that we can the achieve the same in Mumbai.”

Mumbai Cocktail Week will take place from April 2 to 9 across close to a 100 venues. Opening night event will take place at Trilogy on April 2 while the Global pop up will be put up at blueFROG Mumbai on April 6.