Now Reading: Smoky Highball Trend Drives India’s Monsoon Cocktail Craze
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Smoky Highball Trend Drives India’s Monsoon Cocktail Craze
Times Now reports that smoky highballs are becoming India’s biggest monsoon cocktail trend, with bars in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Delhi serving variations. The drink combines soda, citrus and ginger with a…
The Story in Brief
Times Now reports that smoky highballs are becoming India’s biggest monsoon cocktail trend, with bars in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Delhi serving variations. The drink combines soda, citrus and ginger with a subtle peat smoke from lightly peated whisky, smoked citrus oils or glass-smoking techniques. Bartenders are moving away from sugary cocktails toward this lighter, Instagram-friendly serve. Gen Z drinkers, seeking premium but not intimidating experiences, are driving demand.
Master distiller Michael D’Souza of Paul John Whisky says the highball lets the whisky’s character shine. Popular versions include the Soda Highball with grapefruit peel and the Penicillin Highball with honey-ginger syrup and a smoky float. The monsoon connection is deliberate: the cold fizz feels quenching in humid weather, while ginger and smoke create a cosy rainy-evening mood.
The Indian Opinion
The smoky highball is being celebrated as a sign of India’s maturing palate, but the real driver is content creation. Instagram reels and bartender theatrics are doing more to sell this drink than any flavour revolution. If Gen Z truly wanted smoky, they would order a peated single malt neat. The test will be whether this trend survives winter, when a cold fizzy drink feels less inviting and the hoodie stays indoors.
Source: timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
