What’s in a Name? Inside India’s Cocktail Naming Game

The Indian bar scene isn't just about technique, it’s about storytelling. And cocktail names are the opening chapter. They’re memory triggers, inside jokes, cultural winks or straight-up dares. And no, there isn’t exactly a rulebook. As every bartender puts it: names live somewhere between instinct and theatre.

Some keep it ingredient-driven, others lean on nostalgia, and a few walk the edge of outrage. But they all agree: in a world where attention spans are shrinking and menus are getting longer, a great name is the strongest handshake a cocktail can have.

We asked some of India’s best bartenders: what’s the wildest name you’ve ever given a drink—and did it actually work?

MOFO DON, MISUNDERSTOOD BJ

Avinash Kapoli, partner at SOKA Bengaluru, christened one of his spiciest cocktails Mofo Don–a take on Picante spiked with pickled pineapple and cabbage–in tribute to the Russell Market vendor who supplies his produce and is known locally as the “don of vegetables.” He also delights in cheeky names like Misunderstood BJ, a Bourbon Julep that guarantees giggles before the explanation. “The pause, the laugh, and the reveal; it makes the drink an experience,” Kapoli says with a grin.

MAGGI POINT

At The Brook in Gurugram, the runaway bestseller is a concoction called Maggi Point. “It connects with every Indian who’s ever driven through the mountains,” Yangdup Lama, the man behind The Brook, Sidecar, Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy and recently The Old House in Kathmandu, explains. “Even if you don’t like the masala flavour, you feel like you have to order it.”

GUAC MARGARITA, PILLOW TALK

At Cobbler & Crew in Pune, bar manager Aashie Bhatnagar once prepped a clarified tequila-avocado base and got teased by her team: “Are you making guacamole or a cocktail?” Her answer: both. The drink became Guac Margarita, complete with tomato water, chillies, and a hit of truffle oil. “It sounds more like a dip than a drink, so people were intrigued,” she says.

NUDIST PICANTE

Vikram Achanta’s recent hit is Nudist Picante, created for Latango in Delhi. The drink is a clear but not clarified take on the modern tequila classic, and the name slotted neatly into a themed menu called Letters from Two Worlds. “Cheeky, visual and layered, the name carries just the right amount of intrigue,” says the co-founder of 30BestBarsIndia and India Bartender Week, and CEO of Tulleeho.

MC MATTRESS, DJ PILLOW

In Goa, Pankaj Balachandran, co-owner at Boilermaker, leans gleefully into absurdity. One of his most ordered cocktails is MC Mattress, DJ Pillow, born from his stock excuse for skipping after-parties: “Sorry, I’ve got plans with DJ Pillow and MC Mattress.” The joke eventually found its way into a glass, and regulars lapped it up.

THE RULEBOOK

Connect: To the bar, the city, or a cultural memory, says Lama

No fluff: Skip cheap puns, generic names, or anything sexual/gimmicky. Make it link to the flavour or story, and make people smile or think, says Bhatnagar

Keep it simple: Easy to say, easy to remember, and magnetic enough to spark a story at the table, says Kapoli

Hook first: The name doesn’t need to spell everything out; it can be a mood, an image, or a single intriguing detail, says Achanta

If you believe in the name, you can make it work: For example, renames like We Are Still Figuring It Out to We Have Figured It Out can turn into inside jokes among regulars, says Balachandran