Over the last six months, Merwyn Alphonso, assistant bar manager, Yauatcha, has travelled to the nooks and crannies of Mumbai foraging for botanicals that he could infuse into his cocktails. The bar is proof of his labour. Lined on the shelves are canisters containing spirits that have been macerating in the dark room for days. These are infusions that have made the cut. "Some batches turned out fine, others didn't," he says. "We had to taste the concoction routinely, until we got it right. Every little detail such as temperature, heat and light, had to be looked into because a minor imbalance could ruin the infusion."

Abhishek Bindal