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Concept bars are curating flavour journeys in a glass
The art of the pour is now as much about the backstory of a drink as it is about savouring great taste
Concept bars and intentionally crafted, artisanal cocktails when gauged across the Indian landscape, are no longer niche indulgences. From hyperlocal ingredients to storytelling menus and immaculately immersive interiors, drinking has extended far beyond routine consumption. Instead, it's been confidently treading the terrain of curated experiences.
Safe to say, drinking has extended far beyond routine consumption and those holding the show at the bars now being both curators and creators alongside being mixologists and bartenders. One of these experts is Noel Mendes, Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai, who loves delving into the art of pouring curations.
Coastal flavours in a glass
When you talk of the backstory to the glass, you can’t miss out on Mumbai’s greatest attraction - its sea. Savouring the salty breeze is through boozy, artful sips makes for a top-tier experience worth every bit the indulgence. And the offerings at Four Seasons' rooftop bar, Gimlet Garden, takes that same experience and expands it across multiple sought-after coastlines in the world. So, what exactly is it about the coastal lure that makes adapting it to cocktails so natural and exciting? Noel explains, “Coastal cultures intuitively understand balance - salinity against sweetness, freshness against depth, fermentation against acidity. These are the fundamentals of great cocktails." In a more literal sense, he adds, “Ports are also places of exchange, where flavours travel, evolve, and hybridise. That sense of movement and layering translates beautifully into mixology.”
Sea-faring influences
The menu’s coastal storytelling doesn’t stop there, extending across borders, beautifully. Take, for instance, The Pescador that draws from the shores of Peru, layering passion fruit and tomato - both native to the region - into a profile that feels bright yet grounded in place. From Italy, the Basil Bowline leans into extremely familiar culinary markers like Parmigiano Reggiano, basil, garlic and a pesto-washed vodka, translating the comfort of a classic Italian meal into a savoury pour. Closer home, The Waiting Shore looks to Malvani flavours rooted in Maharashtra, where coconut, kokum and curry leaves shape a drink that is holistically coastal. Zooming out again, the rich and spicy Coral Blaze reinterprets the Vieux Carré, originally born in the French quarters of New Orleans, by taking it for a spin to the Mexican border - the tequila, agave, cacao and hibiscus are proof of it.
Together, these cocktails speak to Gimlet Garden's larger philosophy - that geography, when curated with intention, is very capable of turning a single glass into a sense of travel rather than it being just a drink.
Memory to menu
There’s a lot beneath cocktails, how they began and their profiles, but for Noel, it's the simplest of tales that find their way every time a glass is conceptualised. He continues to share: “At Gimlet Garden, a cocktail almost always begins with a memory, which then anchors us to a place and finally to ingredients. We are not interested in novelty for novelty’s sake." Going into the sensory process, he further explains, "The starting point is often a moment - walking through a coastal market, the aroma of fermented produce, or the quiet complexity of a regional dish. Once that memory is clear, we reverse-engineer it into flavour architecture. Ingredients become tools rather than heroes and technique becomes the translator. This is why the drinks read like dishes, they’re composed with the same intent, restraint, and narrative structure as food."
The tangy and crisp Kalikari is a great pick to illustrate this, marrying tamarind, green apple and rum via cold maceration and steeping to create a bright, complex blend where spice and rhythm meet.
When asked to pick a mix from the pour-perfect menu, Noel shares, "It changes with mood." But if he had to choose? “It would be a cocktail that best represents our philosophy, one that appears understated but reveals layers as you sit with it. Those are the drinks that stay with you long after the glass is empty, and that, to me, is the highest compliment a cocktail can receive,” he adds.
