Luxebook June 2022

things alcobev, which offers content, experiences and an e-commerce shop. “We used to host many online workshops and saw a higher interest in gin workshops as compared to any other spirits”, says Puri. Indian craft gin is also making a mark on the world stage with several brands winning prestigious award. Hapusa bagged a gold at The International Wines & Spirits Competition 2021 and Stranger & Sons won the highest honours at the Asian Spirit Masters 2021. “I was recently in Bangkok and Singapore, and I saw a bottle of Stranger & Sons at every bar that I visited. It just shows that it’s a quality product and stands for India. Seeing it there, I felt proud,” says Yash Bhanage, founder and COO at Hunger Inc. Hospitality, which runs the restaurants The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro in Mumbai. At Cannes this year, India was the ‘country of honour’ at the Marche du Cinema, a trade show that runs alongside the film festival. “Greater Than and Hapusa were the only two craft gin brands that were invited as part of the India pavilion at the festival; it was a great opportunity to showcase what we do,” says Virmani. Strong brand stories While many Indian craft gins have managed to create strong brand stories, keeping consumers interested and maintaining the buzz is no mean feat. Some of the early entrants have struck up innovative collaborations with bars, restaurants and other beverage brands. “I believe that collaboration is a powerful tool that helps brands channel their creativity and drive for innovation towards creating something uniquely groundbreaking”, says Sakshi Saigal, co-founder and director of Third Eye Distillery, which makes Stranger & Sons. The company partnered with The Bombay Canteen to launch Perry Road Peru, a limited-edition distilled cocktail that incorporates seasonal pink guavas. “Our most recent collaboration is with Four Pillars in Australia, which led to the creation of two unique gins. We ‘traded’ ingredients to create a gin inspired by the unique flavours and botanicals indigenous to Australia, and the team at Four Pillars managed to capture the bold and complex flavours of Indian spices and botanicals perfectly in their gin”, says Saigal. Both Trading Tides — Coastal Dry Gin and Spice Trade Gin launched in May 2022. Early this year, Greater Than partnered with Sleepy Owl Coffee to launch the limited-release No Sleep, India’s first coffee-infused gin. They also joined hands with mixers brand Jimmy’s Cocktails to create Jimmy’s Gin Cherry Sour, a cocktail mixer crafted by celebrated mixologist Yangdup Lama (who is also a mentor for Hapusa Gin). Shaken and stirred One of the contributing factors to the growing interest around gin has been cocktail bars, which have stepped up with new offerings and innovations, from shaking up classic cocktails to reimagining forgotten recipes. “Bartenders are in charge of the magic behind the bar, and they are the ones interacting with consumers, so we rely on Tamras Co-founders, Khalil Bachooali & Devika Bhagat Shuchir Suri & Anjali Batra at Gin Explorers Club Mumbai Event 14| L U X E B O O K | J U N E 2 0 2 2 J U N E 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 15