On a gourmet cocktail trail in Chennai

A decade ago in Chennai, bars were the exclusive prerogative of five-star hotels as they needed to sell rooms to serve liquor. Gradually, stand-alone cafés, restaurants and bars opened around town. Tamil Nadu’s rise in tourism, the hectic IPL season and a new-found love for dining out have brought international flavour and competitive fervour. The best premium cocktail experiences are still in five-stars alongside a handful of stand-alone bars and restobars. Some have visionary concepts, others have mindfully curated drinks around gourmet menus and a few captivate with a world-class cocktail experience.

Cutting-edge drink at KOOX—Rooftop Asian Grill & Bar
It’s a sophisticated rooftop space with an alfresco area by the pool and cocktails that pay homage to the Japanese-forward menu. Mixologist Kalayarasan Baskar has crafted special oriental drinks for the fifth anniversary celebration in September with options such as Red Fire Margarita with Thai red chilli, Senpai with sous vide gin and fresh cucumbers, among others. Some favourites from their regular menu include Mango Bite (Tequila, Sake, mango yogurt, cardamom tincture, alphonso mango Sorbet), Yuzu Picante (Tequila, Cointreau, cilantro, jalapeno and yuzu) and Truffle Scented Old Fashioned (Truffle infused whiskey, washed maple, aromatic bitter with oleo saccharum). Most say it’s difficult to find better cocktails in the city.

Price for two starts at ₹4000

Cocktails under palm trees at Sunset Grill
The atmospheric rooftop bar with palms on the terrace by the pool is reminescent of Dubai. Their reinvented cocktail menu, that launched in July, is conceptualised by mixologist Subham Chakraborty. It comprises mellow drinks like Hibis-Custa (Dewars 12YO, hibiscus and honey) and Sky Garden (Bombay Sapphire with lavender drops). These drinks accentuate young executive chef Saravanan Ranganathan’s eclectic menu with Middle Eastern tapas, grills and Moroccan mains. Finger millet go into dainty ragi pita alongside Arabian dips incorporating surprise local accents.

Price for two starts from ₹3000

Colonial class at the Wild Garden Bar
One of the city’s most popular cafés, Amethyst Garden Café opened a quaint colonial-style bar with wooden settes post the pandemic. Gin-based cocktails are their speciality including Saffron Gin and Tulsi Gin, but try Green Tiger, decidedly good with green chilli as one of the ingredients. Fresh-squeezed juices go into their margaritas. Young mixologist Jeeva SS can mix up something magical depending on your preferences.

Price for two starts from ₹3000

Also read: How Chennai brews its speciality coffee

Elegant elixirs at Chipstead, Taj Coromandel
Over three decades, this timeless bar has raised a toast to the spirit of Chennai. Their cocktail menu is an ode to local ingredients with house classics, like Zing (Earl Grey-infused vodka, jaggery syrup and curry leaves). The Mylapore Martini modelled on the Espresso Martini with filter coffee is an award-winning drink which bagged young mixologist Ajithkumar a place amongst the Top 100 Bartenders at World Class Bartending Competition by Diageo in April 2024. The bar team can conjure champagne cocktails à la minute. Think Sukku Royale where champagne bubbles over homemade sukku (dried ginger) liqueur and cardamom bitter spray; Kaffir Oasis has homemade kaffir lime puree which adds a piquant twist to champagne; while Nutty Breeze has champagne with homemade coconut-almond syrup and cherry bitters.

Price for two starts from ₹5000

The Bond experience at The Thief
It’s a one-of-a-kind, concept bar themed around thievery. The first floor exhibiting famous stolen paintings recalls a museum. The second floor looks like something out of a Bond film with its ritzy bar counter. The third floor’s open kitchen is about experiencing live cooking. The fourth floor is a romantic rooftop with cabanas. It is the brainchild of the 30-year-old owner Hari Chandran who hails from Thanjavur in provincial Tamil Nadu. When I first met him 10 years ago, he was managing what was then Chennai’s most expat-filled café named Kipling Cafe. Between dancing, sample their signature cocktails named after notorious thieves, like Carl Gugasian (Vodka, betel leaves, gulkand, tutti-fruity and fresh cream), and John Dillinger (Single Malt, Campari, star anise and clove syrup), among others.

Price for two starts from ₹2500

Gastro glam at Farzi Cafe

Thought Farzi Cafe pays little attention to cocktails? Think again. The Chennai outlet has a swish double-decker terrace with an elevated private deck, and their service hardly ever faulters. Must-try cocktails include Sexy Monica (gin, fresh green apple, peach, red wine complete with a spritz from a cocktail spray) and Mickey-1996 Moment of Magic where smokey scotch, orange and grapefruit make for a chilling tryst. Manager Mani James remembers my stringent palate from when we met in 2018. He recalls I don’t like cucumber cocktails but serves me just that: “You’ll like it when I make it.” He wasn't wrong. 

Price for two starts from ₹2500

The destination bar at KoKoMMo Tiki Shack
KoKoMMo at the Intercontinental in Mahabalipuram is a veritable destination bar. Guests, from Chennai as well as the rest of India, gather for sundowners at this ultra-luxe shack on the beach. One can offer to pay ₹25,000 per person to enjoy a private romantic set-up, and explore grills, kebabs and tapas paired with a cocktail carnival of tropical flavours. The new cocktail menu that launched in August is high on tropical notes with drinks like Spicy Red Sea (rum, strawberry and chilli flakes), Sun and Sand (rum, mango and passion fruit). The best way to enjoy them is with feet sunk into sands with the soothing sea breeze and waves for company.

Price for two starts from ₹1500

Devanshi Mody is a freelance lifestyle writer who divides her time between Chennai and London.

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