The notion of finding meat in your cocktail might sound preposterous, but across the globe’s most innovative cocktail bars, bartenders are redefining what belongs in a glass. It isn’t just culinary shock value, though. A sophisticated exploration of umami, texture, and flavour complexity is transforming the cocktail landscape, and recently, it is reshaping the bar scene at home.
The Thai capital has emerged as the epicentre of this revolution. At Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, known for its ‘Resourceful Cocktails’, the drink menu reads like a carnivore’s fever dream. Their signature cocktail, ‘Cow,’ literally incorporates almost every bovine by-product—beef fat, brown butter, clarified milk, and blue cheese “air,” mingled with cognac and aged rum, alongside Thai mulberry.
Cocktail enthusiast Yamini Reddy from Bengaluru observes that “in evolved markets like Bangkok and Singapore, bars are using shrimp paste, fish oils, sauces, broths and inks in their drinks.” For example, Bar Us in Bangkok serves a ‘beef dish in a glass’. This punchy homage to classic Asian flavours combines vodka with smoked beef jerky sous vide, red onions, kaffir lime, cucumber, and ginger brine. However, the trend is now extending beyond meat-based ingredients.
Singapore’s Fura has a cocktail featuring gin infused with jellyfish, a distillate of fish leaf (a peppery plant), spirulina-infused dry vermouth, and oil infused with roasted kelp. Mahaniyom in Bangkok, #18 of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024, also has a cocktail featuring actual worms. The agave-based concoction derives toasty notes from silkworms, nuttiness from bamboo worms, and creamy texture from sago worms, all clarified with kiwi and mint for a surprisingly refreshing finish.
Their best-selling squid-based cocktail showcases two parts of the cephalopod. They slow-cook dried squid into a dashi soup with clarified tomato water and then top it with squid ink sake. “Try the Squid with a big sip,” says head Bartender and partner, Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn, “then you will get both layers and beautiful, enjoyable umami-ness.”
Reddy tried both Squid and Cow. “Being a hyper-ingredient-focused bar, their drinks showcase versatility and possibilities in taste profiles in this particular segment, which is just excellent. Currently, Indian bars are primarily using such ingredients in spicy cocktails, but I hope their use will evolve beyond this flavour category,” she says.
Tokyo’s Le Club offers “Chicken Ramen Sour,” which Reddy, the founder of Outlier Story, an alcohol and beverage marketing company, describes as having “the perfect balance” and not being too umami-rich. The menu has cocktails with mackerel, eel, monkfish liver and the works. Founder Hidenori Murata has now pushed boundaries even further with his OPBF BBQ cocktail, incorporating feni, Sapporo Potato BBQ snack distillate, paprika, rosa tomato ketchup water, and roo meat jerky. “I gathered as many ingredients as possible from Original and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) member countries and made the cocktail,” Murata explains.
Even New York has embraced the trend. In the city, Bangkok Supper Club combines gin with fish sauce, napa cabbage broth, fresh pears, and citrus, finishing the drink with milk and clarifying it to produce a fresh, slightly fruity, and subtly savoury profile.
These cocktails are not merely gimmicks; they require serious culinary techniques. Fat washing, a process that infuses spirits with animal fats, extracts rich, complex flavours while maintaining the spirit’s essential character. Clarification methods ensure that the flavours remain intense while the textures remain refined and palatable. Supradeep Dey of Delhi’s Inja explains, “It adds a film-like layer to the alcohol, and while fat-washing clear liquors like vodka is easier, doing the same with whisky takes longer.”
The appeal lies in the fifth taste, umami. These cocktails tap into the same savoury depth that makes a perfectly aged steak or a bowl of ramen so satisfying, transforming it into liquid form.
Bumipura by Ming Yang Chai set out to introduce such ingenious ideas to the increasingly discerning market in Mumbai last year. He crafted cocktails with flavours drawn from Singaporean and Malaysian cuisines and integrated seafood and meat in unexpected ways. While the restaurant is on a temporary break for relocation, we miss their cocktails with crab distillate, chicken essence and mutton fat-washed rum.
Chef Ali Akbar Baldiwala of Slink & Bardot attributes the rise in interest to Indians travelling abroad and experiencing such drinks firsthand. “Of course, it comes with religious and political sensitivities that already exist in our country. Therefore, there may be limited acceptance of beef and pork in this region. But seafood-based cocktails, or those incorporating seaweed or mushrooms, could work.”
India’s cocktail scene is cautiously but enthusiastically embracing this trend, perhaps teetering on the tropes of acceptance in a world that is increasingly choosing plant-based and vegetarian options. But our bars are pushing boundaries with increasing sophistication.
In Mumbai, recently opened Gaijin showcases this evolution with ‘Oink Oni’, a complex creation in protein-forward mixology. Head Mixologist, Nischal Suman, begins with fresh bacon, rendering its fat to create a vodka fat wash. “Employing a classic kitchen technique, we caramelise onions and confit them in sunflower oil for 24 hours, infusing them with flavours,” he explains.
This flavourful oil is then used to to fat-wash white rum, resulting in a blend of caramelised and savoury notes. To elevate it further, Nischal incorporates Japanese dark tare, a fusion of mirin, dark soy, honey, and sake to lift the flavours. The clarified yuzu adds a refreshing balance to the sweetness.
With adventurous consumers seeking to try unique flavours in savoury and umami-rich cocktails featuring ingredients such as bacon, chorizo, and even dried seafood, Nischal decided to try something on the lines of the classic Bullshot, a concoction of vodka, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon, and seasoning—with a twist that felt more relevant and sustainable in 2021. “We created a clear prawn head broth, clarified with egg shells and egg whites, and packed it in using vegetable scraps. I then paired this umami-rich broth with vodka to create a frozen vodka martini at a chilling 0 degrees. The result was a beautifully balanced drink with extraordinary taste,” he confirms.
Mixology competitions have noted the uptake of this trend. World Class is a global mixology competition hosted by Diageo, held annually. “This year’s challengers truly pushed the boundaries of creativity, but what stood out remarkably was the sophisticated use of fat-washing. We saw bartenders using ghee, sesame oil, and even bacon fat to add depth, texture, and unexpected nuance to their serves,” says Vikram Ku, India Lead of World Class by Diageo.
Balancing such dense drinks requires thoughtful opposing elements to cut through the proteinous texture. Slink & Bardot demonstrates a playful approach with their “Tamales” cocktail, which infuses tequila with corn and incorporates house-made chicken stock, jalapeño, and chipotle, translating the beloved Mexican dish into liquid form.
“Such drinks are sparking conversations and opening doors to new flavour profiles,” says Sahil Essani, Bar Manager at Bengaluru’s Muro, which serves a ‘Dirty Ceviche’ – a gin-based cocktail with shrimp paste and brine. “While Dirty Ceviche is currently the sole non-vegetarian offering on our menu, it’s a deliberate step to gauge the receptiveness and thoughtfully introduce this exciting category,” Essani affirms. But ingredient-forward bars are the only ones embracing this trend.
At Ekaa, Bar Manager Apurv Bhatwadekar talks about Nothing Fishy – an unconventional twist on the classic Bloody Mary with a base of vodka with tomato, shrimp paste and chilli. “Initially, it sparked curiosity and a touch of hesitation as guests weren’t quite sure what to expect. But after the first sip, everything changed, and the inventive concept won them over and soon became a favourite, with guests returning to enjoy it again and even requesting it in advance,” he says.
As this trend continues to evolve, it has become more than just a fad. These protein-forward cocktails are expanding our understanding of flavour possibilities, representing a new frontier in mixology—one where the only limit is the bartender’s imagination and the diner’s willingness to embrace the unexpected.
Embodying a broader movement toward breaking down the barriers between food and drink, these cocktails challenge preconceptions about what belongs in a cocktail glass. Essani believes that while trends might be fleeting, they reflect a deeper shift in consumer appreciation. “People are seeking out more complex and nuanced drinks beyond the standard,” he notes.
For adventurous drinkers willing to step outside their comfort zones, they offer an entirely new dimension to sensory drinking. After all, in a world where molecular gastronomy has transformed fine dining, why shouldn’t our cocktails evolve with equal audacity?
