What are ‘bar takeovers’ and why are more and more Mumbai restaurants hosting them?

At a city restaurant recently, diners were encouraged to take a sip, swirl and take another sip, before placing their glass down. This, so they could fully understand the flavours of the cocktails. While they already knew what was in their order, the amalgamation of flavours still surprised them. It was buzzing with people who were unwinding after a hectic work day or were simply relaxing at the end of the week. Apart from enthusiastic cocktail lovers, those awaiting their turn to get a table also began to gather around the bar and enjoy the distinctive tasting drinks.

While diners usually come for the food, they are increasingly coming for the cocktails too. That is a part of the menu that restaurants have been focusing on improvising in the last few years. Now, catering to the informed customer, restaurants and bars are not only serving in-house cocktails but are also experimenting with bar takeovers - a concept where they collaborate with a guest bar team or upcoming spirit brand to make delicious cocktails.

Yash Bhanage, founder & COO at Hunger Inc. Hospitality, which runs The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, believes there is a lot more to this trend than just sipping alcohol. He explains, "It is not just about serving cocktails made by the guest mixologist or the signature drinks from the bar doing the takeover, but also recreating the atmosphere, the ambiance and the vibe of that bar within ours. This also includes creating a similar music experience by playing their style of music or having a live band perform that sets the vibe."

Called ‘Canteen Cocktail Takeovers', they have done over five takeovers featuring bars from around the world and within the country. Imagine drinking a heady mix of whisky, rum, coca cola reduction with garam masala and bitters served on the rocks. Yes, the India-inspired cocktail called Spirit in the Sky (Pantone 676) was part of one such takeover by San Francisco-based Trick Dog with the theme of Pantone swatches, at the restaurant. Most recently Goa-based Hideaway Café and Bar popped up at O Pedro and took over the bar to create cocktails with Stranger & Sons Gin, which drew up a sizeable crowd, even on a Thursday.

For the homegrown alcohol brands that have been popping up in parts of the country, this is an opportunity. The Covid-19 pandemic did play spoiled sport but a recent surge in bar takeovers in the city indicates Mumbaikars are ready to enjoy a good evening again. In the last few months itself, there have been at least three takeovers at O Pedro, Taftoon Bar & Kitchen and Woodside Inn respectively. Surely, credit can be given to the hot summer but not without focus on the growing cocktail-drinking culture in the city. This coupled with the fact that many people haven't been able to visit their favourite bars in the city to enjoy flavourful cocktails in the last two years, means the bars are crowded at least on weekends. The owners of these three restaurants spoke to Mid-day Online to understand what is driving this trend in the city.

Pankil Shah (left) believes with the number of domestic craft spirit brands rising as well as the introduction of new imported brands in India, bar takeovers remain a great way for brands to showcase their products to a certain target audience. Photo Courtesy: Woodside Inn

Why take over the bar?
The buzz around these bar takeovers is such that it is difficult to get a table closer to the day, and one may have to pray for a cancellation. So, what is really driving this? Talking about their philosophy, Bhanage says, "We have always strived to build a strong cocktail culture and community - not only within the city but also in India. And I feel one of the best ways of doing that is by inviting bars and bartenders from around the world where the cocktail culture has flourished. The reason to host bar takeovers at The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro is to try and imbibe that cocktail culture!" The fact that The Bombay Canteen recently featured at number 76 on Asia's Best Bars is a testament to Bhanage's words. In fact, for him, it goes further than that because he believes that the bar takeovers also help his bar team to learn new tricks of the trade from bartenders and mixologists around the world.

Bar takeovers are more than just building the cocktail culture in the city for restauranteurs. The collaboration gives them a chance to let diners interact with people behind their favourite brand, and also allows them to offer a new experience in a familiar place. Pankil Shah, director and co-founder, Neighbourhood Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, which introduced Woodside Inn to the people, provides a business insight. He says, "With the number of domestic craft spirit brands rising as well as the introduction of new imported brands in India, bar takeovers remain a great way for brands to showcase their products to a certain target audience. At Woodside Inn, we have an ideal clientele for artisanal and craft spirits. This makes it a win-win for both us as well as the brands."

Last weekend, the restaurant collaborated with Goa-based Tāmras Gin, who took over the bar to bring innovative gin-based cocktails like Wake Me Up Negroni - a take on the classic with Tāmras Gin, coffee and chocolate infused Campari and sweet vermouth to diners. It comes at a time when the number of Indian gin brands are growing and in turn fuelling the conversation around gin cocktails. In the past, the restaurant has done bar takeovers with tequila, whisky and even beer brands.

Yash Bhanage (left) now sees that guests are moving away from sweet and fruity concoctions towards technique driven, alco-forward drinks and classics, which weren't a popular pick until a few years ago. Photo Courtesy: The Bombay Canteen

Evolving palates
The excitement to present the diner with experimental cocktails is palpable today, for Bhanage and team, who have definitely seen the interest in experimenting grow over time. "I remember when we introduced the first cocktail menu at The Bombay Canteen - we did notice a slight hesitation from guests towards the alcohol-forward martinis that we had added into the menu." However, Bhanage says he now sees that guests are moving away from sweet and fruity concoctions towards technique driven, alco-forward drinks and classics (like a Negroni or an Old Fashioned), which weren't a popular pick until a few years ago.

Pankaj Gupta, owner of Taftoon Bar & Kitchen, agrees. "The credit goes to all the bartenders for creating unique menus with different techniques to get the right flavours out," he says. The Bandra Kurla Complex-based bar recently hosted a bar takeover and took it up a notch when they paired Tāmras Gin with spices that are a part of the cuisine served at the restaurant, to experiment with their cocktails. "We at Taftoon, serve the Grand Trunk Road cuisine, thus all the exotic spices are easily available, which gives the bartender access to all these spices to experiment with his drinks," adds Gupta. Having hosted over six bar takeovers since their inception in 2017, he points out that there has definitely been a bigger turnout due to the takeovers.

While Bhanage and Gupta are positive about Mumbai's growing fondness for cocktails, Shah feels Mumbaikars are still behind when it comes to accepting the cocktail culture. This, he says from the experience of hosting over two dozen takeovers and collaborations in the last decade across outlets in the city. "Mumbai seems to be lagging behind Delhi when it comes to the cocktail scene. Due to the higher state excise taxes on spirits and higher rents, bars in Mumbai generally have to focus on a myriad of products and services to attract a larger spectrum of guests," he points out.

But the city restaurateur finds hope in the fact that more guests are travelling and thus experiencing the fast-rising cocktail culture. "I'm excited about the cocktail culture in Mumbai over the coming year," he adds, saying that with the advent of craft spirits and other platforms showcasing cocktails, guests are going to have a good selection of some "terrific flavours and techniques in the cocktail space". The fact that a lot more restaurants are hosting bar takeovers than before also makes Gupta happy because he has seen the city respond positively to this trend.

"This year will definitely see a lot of bar takeovers. This is also related to the last two years of the pandemic and the travel restrictions it came with. Bar takeovers allow bartenders to not only travel to a new city, but also explore its culture and give them a chance to work with people of that city," concludes Bhanage.