<h2>Bar crawl, almost</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Fruit-cut_1793463196_s.jpg" alt="" />
No bar stools, no back bar. Just thin mountain air, steep Himalayan slopes, and wild juniper growing where few cultivated plants would survive. Three years after this writer suffered an Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) scare in Ladakh, awe of the altitude still lingers. But the focus is on juniper, a hardy botanical that resists cultivation and thrives in the wild as we head to Hapusa&rsquo;s Forager&rsquo;s Journey to Miyar Valley in Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh.
<h2>Mountains are welcoming</h2>
The early-morning flight from Delhi to Kullu is short and drowsy. Breakfast at Johnson&rsquo;s Caf&eacute; Hotel &amp; Bar, housed in a property dating to 1917, sets a convivial tone: aloo, gobi, and onion parathas passed around, generous rounds of chai, coffee, and ginger tea, eggs, and easy banter. The Team from Beyond The Wall lays out what lies ahead: towering mountains, thinning air, unpredictable weather, and a botanically rich wilderness.&nbsp;
<h2>Enter Sissu, Lahaul</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Foraging_1793463229_s.jpg" alt="Amid poplars in Sissu, the region was lush with Artemesia, wormwood, Himalayan thyme and oregano" width="1280" height="720" /> Amid poplars in Sissu, the region was lush with Artemesia, wormwood, Himalayan thyme and oregano
Traffic jams are part of mountain life, and President Droupadi Murmu&rsquo;s visit has us queuing for the Atal Tunnel. Past it, we drive into Sissu, in Lahaul&rsquo;s rain-shadow region, at an altitude of 3100 metres. The landscape shifts, the air thins, and the mountains take over.
<h2>Confluence, apple orchards, home meal</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Dishant-Kanojia_1793463258_s.jpg" alt="Dishant Kanojia forages sea buckthorn in Urghose, Lahaul" /> Dishant Kanojia forages sea buckthorn in Urghose, Lahaul
In the mountains, detours are often the destination. Near Sissu, the Chandra and Bhaga rivers merge to form the Chandrabhaga (Chenab). Grey wagtails flash their yellow bellies along the banks. Fields brim with coriander, zucchini, and cabbage, hops hang in sticky floral clusters, and apples are plucked straight from the orchards.
In Urghose, our friend, philosopher and guide Dorje welcomes us into his home. At the campsite, he introduces us to the village&rsquo;s wild-growing poplars, junipers, and sea buckthorn. We settle on a floor-seating dari around the bukhari (wood-burning heater).
His wife serves sea buckthorn tea, butter tea, and salt tea. Dorje insists we try the homemade jau (barley) wine, fermented for six months, with a distinct funk. Lunch is chicken curry, fibrous spinach sabzi, rice, and rotis, served in casseroles. The standout is a chutney made with local herbs and spices: simple, warming, and unmistakably of the place.
<h2>Songs of ice and fire</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Bottle_1793463283_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
We climb towards our campsite, leaving urban comforts behind with every step. Everyone finds their own pace as we reach the plateau that will be home for the next two nights. We have composting dry toilets to figure out, sleeping bags to zip up, and tents to settle into.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Camping-site_1793463344_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
After dark, a crackling bonfire draws us together beneath the Milky Way. Negronis pass around alongside fried bhajias and warm mushroom soup. Stories, songs, and conversation stretch into the night. The cold bites, but the company makes it easier to bear.
<h2>Wild, wild juniper</h2>
At 6 am, the valley slowly comes into view. As we wait for sunrise, someone gets a makeshift fire going and a kettle on. By daybreak, we pack water, snacks, extra layers, and secateurs for the trek.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Juniper-berries_1793463368_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
&ldquo;We could be on Mars,&rdquo; someone says. Frosted peaks rise above dry, rolling hills as the sun warms the trail. Miyar Valley, often called the Yosemite of India, offers glacier views and a landscape that shifts with every turn. Then comes the unmistakable scent of juniper. &ldquo;Smells like gin, all right,&rdquo; we joke.
The berries range from vibrant green to swollen purple-black. Foraging slows us down. The group bends over the shrubs, studying a botanical usually encountered across a bar counter. Spiky sprigs are clipped, berries picked. Bite into an unripe one and the dry tannins leave a sharp, bitter finish.
<h2>Renewed</h2>
The descent offers time to take stock. Moss releases its earthy fragrance underfoot, and the trail reminds us to slow down and tread lightly. We leave with a sharper sense of the landscape around us. On the drive down, we stop at a botanical nursery maintained by the Udaipur Forest Range in Kukumseri. It grows kukumseri, angelica root, green walnuts with an almond-like flavour, and miniature apple varieties.
<h2>A feast, then a dance</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Rice-rajma_1793463413_s.jpg" alt="Chirag Pal and Angaihi Khawlhring savour butter tea" width="1280" height="720" /> Chirag Pal and Angaihi Khawlhring savour butter tea
At the Lahaul Mahila Mandal in Mooring, a feast awaits. Siddu stuffed with walnuts, a buransh (rhododendron) cooler, mutton curry with rice, and chullar pancakes made with sorghum arrive in generous succession, alongside aloo-gobi. We eat well past fullness.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Food-6_1793463442_s.jpg" alt="A lunch thali of mutton curry, siddu, rice and rajma" width="1280" height="720" /> A lunch thali of mutton curry, siddu, rice and rajma
Then comes the shabu dance. Pulled into the circle, we raise our hands, loosen our limbs and find the rhythm together. The meal has brought us to the table; the dance makes us part of the celebration.
<h2>Foraging to mixology</h2>
The journey from mountain to bar continues at Lair, Gurgaon, where eight bartenders turn Himalayan ingredients and experiences into cocktails inspired by the people and landscape.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Chirag-Pal-a_1793463563_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Chirag Pal Barbet &amp; Pals, Delhi; Punchline, Mumbai Cocktail: Himalayan dry gin, Artimesia oxymel, apricot, kukumseri On the journey: &ldquo;The Himalayas are our dharohar (inheritance).Bringing back ingredients and stories adds value to a creation. This journey was about learning, exploring, and slowing down; like a personal consultation with nature.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Angaihi-Khawlhring_1793463603_s.jpg" alt="" />
Angaihi Khawlhring&nbsp; Top Banana, Delhi Cocktail: Dorje&rsquo;s Tea Gin, apricot and sea buckthorn On the journey: &ldquo;Locals like Dorje go out of their way to make you comfortable. Sea buckthorn, the teas we drank, and wild juniper have all found their way into my glass, served with a biscuit, just as we like it.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/dishant-kanojia-a_1793463618_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Dishant Kanojia 1932 Trevi, Jaipur Cocktail: Stone and Thorn Gin, sugar plum, coriander mix, citrus and chilli On the journey: &ldquo;The trek reminded me to enjoy the moment, even when you have to leave something behind. Life in the mountains demands endurance, a lesson I brought back. The ingredients we gathered also connect to the spirits we use at the bar.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Gaggn-Duggal_1793463631_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Gagan Sharma Hapusa Guide Cocktail: In the News Gin, Pahadi nimbu, gondhoraj, coconut water + red wine float On the journey: &ldquo;Locals burn the juniper shrub, press the berries for oil, and use the dried ash as incense. The plant has an emotional culture around it. Even at the distillery, no two berries taste exactly alike. The craft lies in working with those differences.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Arnold-Hou_1793463652_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Arnold Hou Room One, Drop Dead Sexy, Dali &amp; Gala, Bengaluru and Goa Cocktail: Arnold Has H.A.P.E Artemisia, toasted sesame, Pahadi lemon, pear shrub and espresso On the journey: &ldquo;This cocktail is personal. One moment I was eating fresh apples and enjoying morning coffee; the next, I had HAPE and needed evacuation. The drink brings together the ingredients I encountered in the mountains: gin, Artemisia and Apples, Pahadi lemon and Espresso conveniently spelling H.A.P.E. I serve it in a kulhad with a piece of freshly buttered rusk.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Navjot-Singh_1793463667_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Navjot Singh Lair, Delhi and Gurgaon Cocktail: Highland Flora Negroni Gin, Himalayan rosebud tea, juniper needles, aromatised wine and bitter aperitif On the journey: &ldquo;Foraging for juniper changes how you see a spirit, even before the gin is made. Goat herders travel for six days to reach lower ground as winter approaches. That stayed with me. We often talk about community in bartending, but sharing ideas and helping one another in the mountains gave the word new meaning.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/sarbani-mukherjee_1793463678_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Sarbani Mukherjee Cocktail: Valley of Flavours Gin, dry vermouth, sea buckthorn, apple, Himalayan mint On the journey: It was a journey back from the bottle to its core ingredient in the wild. We see dried juniper berries during gin training, but seeing them fresh makes you appreciate the people who forage them. My approach to bartending is simple: I love to play with fresh ingredients and turn it into craft. Being in nature has an inspiring effect.&rdquo;
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Prantik-Haldar_1793463698_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
Prantik Haldar Kowloon&nbsp; Tiger, Pune Cocktail: Foragers&rsquo; Trail Gin, blanc vermouth, mountain shrubs and apple nectar On the journey: &ldquo;When I first walked into the juniper fields, I recognised the fragrance of gin. That was when I understood provenance. The herbs we gathered had distinct aromas, and I&rsquo;m curious to see how they change when processed.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Seven mixologists travel to the Himalayas to forage juniper, tracing its journey from its rugged mountain habitat to the glass. Sunday mid-day documents it

Lahaul, through a forager’s eye

Bar crawl, almost

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