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Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
India's cocktail pioneer heads for the hills
The first thing that strikes most visitors from Nepal's overbearing southern neighbour is how clean and quiet most parts of Kathmandu are. There's no escaping the chaos and the pollution, but people don't honk or litter. Longtime residents largely credit Kathmandu's young mayor Balendra Shah for the city's spruced-up look. The rapper and structural engineer, who contested as an independent and leveraged his popularity on social media, was the unlikely winner of the last mayoral elections of 2022. The change is not only evident on the ground, literally, but also in the city's food and hospitality scene. Many young Nepalese are now returning home after graduating or working abroad. Tusa, co-founded by former Noma intern Parashuram Pathak, serves progressive Nepalese cuisine in the historic city of Bhaktapur, about 40 minutes from Kathmandu. Luxury hotel chains, especially from India, are readying new launches, including the resurrection of the iconic Hotel Annapurna; the city is now dotted with Instagram and TikTok-friendly cafes and roasteries; and some of its bars regularly feature on Asia's 50 Best Bars list. The most recent entrant into Kathmandu's vibrant night scene is Yangdup Lama, whose The Old House also marks the first international debut of an Indian bar operator. Lama is India's most celebrated bartender and bar entrepreneur. He set up India's first bartending school in the early aughts; is the first Indian to feature on global bartender lists; and Sidecar, which he co-runs in Delhi with his business partner Minakshi Singh, is frequently recognised as among the world's best. The 54-year-old was born in Kurseong but is of Nepalese descent, and he began his journey as a fresh-faced hotel management graduate at Hotel Annapurna in Kathmandu in the early 1990s. Lama says he has emotional ties to Nepal and, from a cultural perspective, Kathmandu made sense for the duo's first international bar. 'Kathmandu has always had its share of well-heeled, adventurous travellers. Beyond that, many of my contemporaries, some of them younger than I am, have returned from abroad and are doing innovative things. So, we reasoned that while it might be a small market, the signs were all positive,' says Lama. Lama and Singh's bars – besides Sidecar, they also helm Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy and The Brook, in Gurgaon – have followed a simple and successful template of being familiar neighbourhood spaces, 'Monday-Tuesday' bars where you can land up after work, or have a quiet conversation. The Old House, located on the upscale, colonial-era avenue of Durbar Marg, doesn't stray too far from the concept. The Old House leans heavily on the architecture of the Newars, the traditional inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley. With a courtyard that welcomes guests, a generously proportioned skylight, intricate woodwork, and textured brick and stucco walls, one gets the feeling of entering the grand home of an especially welcoming Newari elite. The kitchen sends out generous helpings of meats, some of which are grilled sekuwa-style — over charcoal — and momos, and the bar menu showcases a breadth of ingredients from the subtropical lowlands of the Terai to the subalpine heights of the high Himalaya with measured flair. The easy-drinking Mustang Melody combines gin with seabuckthorn, honey and lime, while the Meaningful Marpha, a nod to Nepal's apple capital, adeptly blends whisky, apple jam, and black pepper bitters. Lama is most proud, though, of the Dhaka Topi, named after the patterned cap worn across Nepal, traditionally made from handwoven Dhaka fabric. To Lama, the cocktail – whisky, bay leaf and lime – speaks of Nepali pride. 'I'd been trying to get it right for a while now. With bourbon, with scotch, but ultimately what worked is a smooth blended scotch and bay leaf purée,' says Lama. The bar and floor staff are all local, trained in the Sidecar style but encouraged to make it their own. While Lama and Singh are weighing offers to set up bars in cities such as Jaipur and Hyderabad, they also have India's other neighbours in their sights. 'Sri Lanka would be lovely. There is a massive, high-quality tourism catchment there,' says Singh. With Indian mixology on the rise – five Indian bars figure in this year's Asia's 50 Best – they might also have a concomitant agenda: to spotlight some uniquely Indian ingredients. Singh believes that some parts of the world are now ready for big flavours. 'I remember this event in Italy where our cilantro-based cocktail got people excited. Some bars in Singapore are already doing Indian-forward cocktails, so we're not starting from scratch anymore,' says Singh. 'So yes, an Indian bar in Sri Lanka or maybe Southeast Asia sounds excellent – I mean, why not?'
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The Old House in Kathmandu's Durbar Marg is the newest cocktail bar by Indian mixologist Yangdup Lama
In the heart of Kathmandu's Durbar Marg — dotted with luxury shops, upscale restaurants and hotels — stands The Old House by Minaskhi Singh and Yangdup Lama. The award-winning duo, best known for Sidecar, which features on World's 50 Best Bars (2021, 2022, 2023) and Asia's 50 Best Bars (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024), has partnered with Desal Lama from Nepal for this business venture. The Old House spells nostalgia for Delhi-based mixologist Yangdup. Back in 1993, as a young industrial trainee at Hotel Annapurna in Kathmandu (then part of the Taj group), he would often pass by this old home. Decades later, he has tried to revive its memory, by reimagining it as his and his business partner Minakshi's first international bar. The bar took a year and a couple of months to shape up. When it did, it felt like a bright and welcoming space that reminds visitors of Kathmandu's Newari-style homes. Developed by the indigenous Newar people of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, Newari architecture is characterised by elaborate wood carvings and pagoda-style temples. Minakshi explains, 'The architecture is such that it breathes life into the bar, reminiscent of the fine art, folk culture, design and the days gone by. This bar will transport you to the Kathmandu of the 1970s and 1980s, decked with woodwork, tapestry, and floor work characteristic of Newari architecture, featuring closely spaced joists (dhalin) supporting a subfloor of terracotta tiles and wooden planks, adorned with a layer of fine yellow clay. The place also features a central water feature in the courtyard, adding a sensory dimension — sound, light, reflection, and calm'. The Old House can seat 80 people and it is not just a name; it is a sentiment. Yangdup explains, in Kathmandu, all ancestral homes over 100 years old were colloquially referred to as 'old houses'. The Old House too, he recollects, has been through many changes; 'But, the banyan tree still stands,' he shares. That lone reminder, and the emotional imprint of the place, was reason enough to preserve the name and spirit of it in their new venture. Their Nepalese business partners, though not from the hospitality world, immediately connected with the vision. Desal Lama, who owned The Old House, has been roped in as one of the co-founders of the bar. 'When Desal Lama reached out to me for a business partnership, I thought it was a good time to reconnect to my memories as a trainee. Once I visited the place , I knew what had to be done,' says Yangdup. This new bar is rooted in Kathmandu Valley's Newar culture — rich in both craftsmanship and culinary heritage. Yangdup and Minakshi worked closely with a local Newari architect to design the space, leaning into the texture and storytelling of traditional homes. Think extensive wood carvings, asymmetry, and subtle echoes of pagoda architecture. The result is a place where design and drink speak the same language. The cocktail menu journeys through the mountains and plains of Nepal, using native ingredients and layered narratives to shape its 12 signature offerings. From Himalayan juniper and sea buckthorn sourced from Mustang Valley to apple orchard notes and cardamom from Makalu, each cocktail evokes a specific geography and emotion. Yangdup's attention to detail is exacting — every element has intent. One drink, Why? Why? Why?, is a whimsical tribute to Wai Wai, Nepal's beloved instant noodle. Another, Sindhuli Gadhi, is a nod to a 1970s folk song and the historical battle in which the Gorkha army triumphed over British forces. There is also Syangay ko Suntala, inspired by the famed oranges of Syangay, and Jau Jau Jau, a smoky, roasted-barley and whisky number that channels the fertile essence of the Terai lowlands. Even Nepal's iconic Bhadgaule Topi gets a toast in the form of a namesake cocktail. Food, too, plays a central role, with a meat-forward menu that reflects Kathmandu's robust palate. Guests can expect Sekuwa, the beloved Nepali-style barbecue, alongside Momoka — a Nepali twist on momo dumplings made with red meat and served with a spicy, tangy peanut sauce. It is flavourful, honest fare, meant to complement the drinks and spark conversation. For Yangdup and Minakshi, this is not just another addition to their acclaimed portfolio of bars — it is a return, a remembrance, and a celebration. In The Old House, they have captured a moment from the past and poured it into the present, creating a space that's as evocative as it is inventive. In doing so, they've not only raised the bar — they've told a story. And that, in mixology as in life, is what makes all the difference. The Old House at Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, Nepal, is open on all days from 12pm to 1am
