Shillong can feel like many different places at once. If Police Bazar in the city centre has a bustling energy, Jaintia Hills’ toytown setting, far removed from city settlements, can export you to another world. In October, when I left Mumbai to discover the bar scene in Guwahati and Shillong, as part of an assignment …

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There’s no point in starting a tale with a lie, so let me tell you right at the beginning: travelling to the Northeast isn’t easy. Firstly, non-stop flights to Guwahati are few and far between. Secondly, non-stop or connecting, the rest of the seven sister states of the northeast are primarily accessible via Guwahati. So, …

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Amongst the splendor and magic of the Taj Palace, Loya’s majestic rose gold doorways open into a bouquet of aromas ranging from spice to grills, showing me a sight that left me with just one thought, ‘Is that a waterfall at the end of the bar?’ The rustic and chic interiors are lined with tapestry …

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  In the run up to 30 Best Bars India 2021, we throw a spotlight on India’s Top bars. We celebrate the innovation they are bringing to their beverage programs, especially via use of Indian flavours. And also recognise some of India’s best bar owners and bartenders. First up in our series is Varun Sharma …

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Today, Arjun Sagar Gupta, Founder, The Piano Man, Gurgaon How did The Piano Man endure through the lockdown? The lockdown was a rather frustrating and scary experience from the business perspective, but fruitful on the personal front. I don’t often take breaks from work, just a few in a decade. So,  it allowed me time …

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Survival Strategies: Ajay Nagarajan, Co-Founder, Windmill Craftworks, Bangalore How did Windmill Craftworks endure through the lockdown? It was not easy. We had to adapt and continuously find new ways to generate revenue. As takeaway beers were allowed for a few months, we put in a lot of effort to package and sell our beers from …

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Today, Rakshay Dhariwal, Founder PCO, New Delhi How did PCO endure through the lockdown? The lockdown was a time that forced us, and everyone else in our industry, to re-strategize our businesses,  and think hard about how to be more resilient in the future. We were certain that things would improve eventually; we just had …

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 Today: Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Handmade Restaurants 1) How did your bars survive the lockdown? The past eight months have significantly impacted our business plans. We had to make many design interventions to make the outlets Covid  ready, and yet provide the same Social vibe.  We made it convenient and safe for our …

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Today: Minakshi Singh, Co-Founder Sidecar, New Delhi and Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy, Gurgaon 1)How did your bars survive the lockdown? We did a bunch of things. We did daily training sessions. The industry came together and conducted many sessions with our team. We created premixes for our delivery menu, which were a hit. We conducted …

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