Barbet & Pals Is Redefining Indian Terroir One Cocktail at a Time
New Delhi’s latest bar traces every limited-edition cocktail back to its roots
As Indian bars double down on hyperlocal flavours, Barbet & Pals in New Delhi’s Greater Kailash-2 pushes the idea further with a limited-edition menu section called The Nest. Founded by longtime friends and mixologists, Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal, the duo decided to create this rotating section, which changes every three months, to fly to different parts of the country and talk about India’s diversity in terms of agriculture. “We wanted to create cocktails using less explored, hyperlocal ingredients,” Rana tells us.
Their journey began in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, Rana’s home state, where they spent ten days with local families collecting Myol, an amla-sized acidic berry from the pear family. Its dry tannins star in a namesake margarita layered with pine needle notes, vermouth and 1800 Blanco tequila.
Another standout, Gundriyani, wears a rim of pissi loon (a dehydrated salt mixed with chilli, mint and coriander) and is built on a cordial of angelica root and millet lugni, sharpened with Jose Cuervo Reposado.
Then there’s Madua, inspired by the Rung tribe of Pithoragarh, who brew lugdi (a fermented grain drink) from the region’s millet, madua. “It’s a hot-cold drink with a Bushmills whiskey base, sweetened with banana and gur, and topped with a warm lugni foam,” Pal explains.
You may also like
They even drew on the green walnut trees in Rana’s backyard, using the juice for its natural colour and developing a house amaro from it.
Every cocktail carries a narrative, and the bar nibbles by Chef Amninder Sandhu become the supporting cast. Slow-cooked bhutwa (mutton offal), the regional chakna classic, is reimagined and paired with a mandua (finger-millet) sourdough. A desi grilled chicken recipe from Rana’s wife, Rakhi, arrives with a chimichurri- esque herb sauce and a silky caramelised onion espuma (a light, savoury foam). A pull-apart, buttery Gol Gol bread comes with sides of nolen gur and chilli-fennel butters. And the khichiya papad arrives with dollops of raw mango chutney, mulberry chutney, cheddar dust and bacon bits. “This means understanding the bar’s style—whether it’s bold, botanical, smoky or playful—and designing dishes that complement, contrast or cleanse the palate at the right moments,” says Sandhu.
Clearly, India’s backyard is vast, wild and full of flavour; at Barbet & Pals, you can look forward to drinking your way through it.
To read more such stories from Esquire India's December 2025 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.