Uncovering Mumbai’s secret cocktail culture

While Mumbai’s cocktail scene matures, it refuses to lose its youthful edge.

In some of the city's most fashionable bars, drinks are infused with a touch of nostalgia.

‘I aimed to bring back some of my childhood’s most beloved flavors,’ says Arjun Chaudhary, assistant restaurant manager at Farzi Café—a trendy bar and restaurant that has been one of Mumbai’s top spots since its opening in 2016.

Farzi Café is not only known for its avant-garde Indian cuisine but also for its boundary-pushing cocktails.

One of their standout offerings is a boozy twist on banta—a fizzy drink that’s been a favorite childhood treat in India, akin to soft serve ice cream or cotton candy, for generations.

Banta, also known as goti soda, predates global giants like Pepsi and Coke, and has been a street-side staple in India’s major cities for years.

Alcohol-infused slushies

Served in iconic green bottles, these beverages feature unique local flavors like masala and shikanji (a spiced, cumin-laced version of lemonade).

Today, Mumbai’s top mixologists are giving these classic drinks a modern twist by spiking them with gin and vodka.

(Farzi Cafe, Kamal Mills Compound Ground Floor, Kamala Mills, Near Radio Mirchi Office S.B Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai; +91 8800 690 418)

Another new hotspot, Bombay Canteen, takes things even further by serving boozy bantas straight from an in-house soda machine, alongside alcoholic slushies and popsicles, offering a full-on nostalgia trip for guests.

Two custom slushie machines serve up sangria and margarita flavors, both infused with a local Indian twist.

Patrons can also indulge in a pina colada-cherry popsicle duo, featuring white rum, pineapple juice, coconut syrup, cherries, and a touch of cream.

(The Bombay Canteen, SB Road, Lower Parel Process House, Kamala Mills, Mumbai; +91 22 4966 6666)

Illusions and innovation

In many of Mumbai’s most stylish bars, it’s easy to mistake cocktails for complex science experiments.

MasalaBar has just opened in Bandra, the hip neighborhood that’s a favorite hangout for Bollywood stars.

Using molecular mixology, the bar’s cocktail menu immerses you in the unique flavors of Mumbai, blending time and place in every drink.

Each of MasalaBar’s 10 signature cocktails is inspired by a landmark in Mumbai, with its essence brought to life through inventive ingredients and techniques.

‘An Evening at Chowpatty’ – named after a beloved Mumbai beach – features coconut water, a quintessential thirst quencher by the shore.

This version, however, gets a twist with curry leaves, vodka, and a frothy coconut foam topping.

(MasalaBar, Level 1, Gagangiri Apartments, Carter Road Bandra, Mumbai; +91 845 1900 257)

Cocktails with a twist of drama

The new hotspot Colaba Social takes a playful and theatrical approach to its cocktail menu, where drama steals the spotlight.

For example, the Schizophrenia—a vodka-lavender cocktail—arrives concealed behind a mirror with only a straw peeking through for you to sip.

Other drinks take an even more whimsical turn, like the intriguingly named Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl—a mix of local beer and margarita.

(Colaba Social, 24, Ground Floor, B.K.Boman Behram Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai; +91 80970 05123)

Psst, it’s a secret

A secret always adds allure, which is why many of Mumbai’s best cocktail spots are tucked away from plain sight.

One of the city’s favorite hangouts for a lively bar scene is hidden within a few repurposed industrial buildings.

Among them is Kamala Mills, once a hub for Mumbai’s textile industry.

Today, it resembles more of a construction zone, but hidden within its walls are trendy restaurants and bars, including the speakeasy-style gem Please Don’t Tell, or PDT.

To enter, guests step through a phone booth, and once inside, they can dance the night away while enjoying creative drinks like the Nurse Naughty Pants—a cocktail made with Bacardi rum, maraschino liqueur, and homemade red bell pepper syrup.

(Please Don’t Tell, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai; +91 22 24900 738)