Chronicles Of The Vault Bienalle: #3 Indulging In The Takeover At Kamala Mills
Every great cocktail has a story to tell. Especially, if it belongs to one of the best bars of the world.
Luckily, The Vault Bienalle, India’s first luxury spirits festival which took place over the weekend, was all about sharing spirited stories.
With tasting booths featuring over 60 premium distilled beverages, masterclasses, and access to stories from the makers, The Vault Biennale offered a sensory explosion like none other.
And amongst these curated experiences, The Vault Biennale welcomed three of the World’s 50 Best Bars for the first time in India, to take over three bars at the legendary Kamala Mills in Lower Parel, Mumbai, offering a one-of-a-kind experience in world-class mixology.
These experts gave us a flavour of what it takes to be on the top of the list with their tips, tricks, exotic ingredients, and obviously, stories.
Eager to swim deeper into the craft of concocting the world’s best cocktails? Follow us!
The Canteen Cocktails
The Bombay Canteen brought out the disco ball with The Clumsies, No 7 of the World’s Best Bars, all the way from Athens in Greece.
Taking a cue from the 3-part bar, The Bombay Canteen created an energetic space giving the entire restaurant a special makeover for the night. They further amped up the atmosphere with ‘The Room’ where the iconic Baklava Martini could be shaken up! Alex Simonidis and Georgia Georgakopoulou served up their signature sips as the crowd grooved along to classic 90s disco tunes!
The Mexicali Mixology
Benjamin Padrón Novoa (co- founder) and José Luis León Martinez (bar manager) at Licoreria Limantour wooed us with their best bartending skills at Xico. Exclusive handcrafted cocktails namely, Margarita Al Pastor, Philly Collins, and Jamaica Mezcal from No 11 of the 50 of the World’s Best Bars, were served in this restaurant adored for its Mexican vibes. With cocktails, made with specially sourced Serrano peppers and even worm salt, no wonder #XicoXLimantour had everyone saying ‘Salud’!
The Asian Alchemy
All the way from Tokyo’s famed Bar Benfiddich, Kayama San took over the bar at KOKO. Mumbai witnessed Kayama’s seamless and graceful movements behind the bar, and of course, got a taste of his incredible creations. Inspired by classics, the sensei of cocktails mixed up twisted sips like Green Negroni, Swertia Japonica Bitter Gimlet, and more! No wonder they say making a cocktail is like shūji, the Japanese art of calligraphy – it requires discipline and patience to ensure an enriching experience!
Now, that’s what we’d like to call a truly World Class experience!
Read more about the Vault Bienalle here and here.
Drink Responsibly!
