The Tequila Takeover of India The spirits distilled from the agave plant are finding much favour in India, through homegrown spirits, cocktails and focussed bars BY JOANNA LOBO The first time I tried mezcal was at the now shuttered restaurant, Xico, in Mumbai. A friend and I were there to check out the Mexican food, an experience that started with tacos and ended with fried grasshoppers and mezcal. The spirit, an expensive and rare commodity in bars then, was smooth, a touch of smoke, and some earthiness Many years later, I tried mezcal again, at a restaurant named after it. At Mezcalita, the mezcal has a more pronounced smokiness and goes down smooth. The spirit and my experience with it haven’t altered much, but the industry around it? That’s another story. Agave spirits (collectively called mezcals in Mexico) like tequila are having their moment in the Indian sun. We have two homegrown brands, DesmondJi, and Pistola offering agave spirits. Last November, Delhi had an agave fest. There are now agave-focussed bars like Barfly in Goa, and tequila bars like Juju in Pune. Elsewhere, Latin American, and Mexican themed restaurants are creating cocktail programmes that showcase agave spirits, namely tequila and mezcal. Pernod Ricard recently mentioned they are planning on bringing tequila brands to India citing growing interest. Earlier this year, the 30 Best Bars’ report, What India is Drinking 2023, said tequila is setting the spirit world ablaze. ‘The growing popularity of Mexican restaurants with Juju Cafe 14|LUXEBOOK|NOV/DEC 2023 NOV/DEC 2023 |LUXEBOOK|15 SPIRITED AWAY
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