Single-spirit bar culture catching on

There are places in the city dedicated solely to whiskey, gin and rum

Bengaluru has always been known for its affinity for beer. Though it’s position as
the brewpub of the country remains unchanged, beer is not the only alcohol that everyone wants a glass of anymore.

Restaurateurs are exploring the concept of single spirit bars due to huge demand. Whisky lounges, gin bars and rum taverns are among the bars making an entry here.

Though there is a niche audience for single spirits, other drinks will also be served in these places, though in limited quantity.

Rum-believable flavours

When they launched ‘RumBah’ at The Ritz-Carlton, one of the reasons was to reminisce the rum and coke days.

“It was usually an adolescent’s first step in the drinking scene; they eventually graduate to other things while growing up,” explains Amitabh Rai, general manager.

Here, about 70 per cent drinks, including signature ones like ‘Berrycane’, ‘Evening Blossom’ and
‘Midnight Maitai’, are rum-based. These have rum-infused flavours that have an aftertaste which many enjoy.

They have also imported rum from Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Kraken from Trinidad and
Tobago, among others. You can’t expect a full-fledged three-course meal here of course; they serve Caribbean and South Indian dishes as appetisers and a pairing for the drinks.

“Interestingly, the South Indian spices used in these go very well with the drinks,” explained a representative of the brand.

The bar opens only after 6 pm every day, except on Thursdays.

Whiskey business

‘The Whiskey Bar’ at Radisson Blu Atria is for the whiskey connoisseur. Boasting a relaxed ambience, it’s known for single malts and whiskey cocktails.

Liston Johnson, F&B manager, says, “The people who come in here know which whiskey they want and how they want it.”

Options include whiskeys like Glenlivet, Cragganmore, Lagavulin, Oban, Talisker, Johnnie Walker Blue, China’s Regal and Laphroig, to name a few.

Whiskey isn’t a drink that many enjoy, especially the younger crowd. So mostly the older crowd or in-house guests visit this place.

The bar’s ambience is relaxed and soothing, making you want to have a drink in your hand and drink it as slowly as possible as you laze over food, conversations or your own pleasant company.

Indian cuisine is served here.

Soon to be-gin

While ‘Toast & Tonic’ in Wood Street had introduced the gin and tonic culture a few years back, the latest to join the bandwagon is ‘URU Brewpark’ in JP Nagar.

Next week, they will be launching the gin garden where you can make your own drink. Karthik Chandrasekaran, co-founder, told Metrolife that it will be a DIY (do-it-yourself) setup and an “interactive session”.

“You can select the gin and tonic of your choice. We have our set of in-house bitters and we will use the herbs and flowers from our garden and infuse it in your drinks.”

In fact, if you come up with a really good drink, it might be seen in the new menu too. Imagine that!

It’s understandable that everyone might not know how to make their own drink and that’s where the experts come in to help. Also, if you’re not in the mood to do the work, you can just choose from their menu of signature gin drinks.

Launching on September 6, the DIY drinks will be available only during the day. The other drinks will be served throughout the night.