PICANTE WITH A TWIST

Rouge at Tresind Mumbai

(Hibiscus tea and prickly pear shrub)

B Grade Blockbuster at Cobbler & Crew, Pune

(Mango and bell pepper marmalade)

Centro Paradiso at Mehico, Kolkata

Lager Than Life at Bar SoGo, Goa

Lair’s Picante at Lair, New Delhi

(Cilantro air) (Feni and lager beer)

(Gondhoraj and kaffir lime salt)

month in late 2023 to 250 a month currently, says Pankaj Gupta, founder of the hospitality brand Flavour Pot Foods.

Keenan Tham, co-founder of the Mumbai-based Pebble Street Hospitality, says the Pickled Picante at their restaurant Foo, Bengaluru, made by pickling jalapenos and adding a dash of celery salt to amplify the sourness, is popular.

“Picante has found favour among those who enjoy a bit of heat in their drinks,” he says. “At our newly opened Mexican restaurant, Pompa, in Mumbai, we have a signature picante, which adds saline for a harmonious blend. We sold over 2,300 picantes in March, with approximately 600 of them at Foo in Bengaluru alone.”

GOING MAINSTREAM

Unusual ingredients are being shaken and stirred, and new styles have emerged. At Cobbler & Crew in Pune, which was crowned the second-best bar in India in this year’s 30 Best Bars list, head bartender Mayur Marne regularly finds his patrons recommending the passionfruit version of the picante. This has inspired him to experiment further and add another picante with a twist to the menu.

The drink, B Grade Blockbuster, features tequila, maple, jalapeno, mango and bell pepper marmalade. “People have started asking for picante shots instead of tequila shots now,” he says.

It is not just bars. Picantes have entered the retail space too—an indication that the drink has gone mainstream. Last week, the ready-to-serve cocktail brand Mr Jerry’s launched a guava picante. The 500ml bottle is a premix cocktail currently available in Goa for ₹600. Simply pour 100ml from the bottle over ice and you can enjoy a picante anytime.