WINNER OF JIM BEAM 30 BEST BARS INDIA 2022 AWARD FOR BEST INDEPENDENT BAR

How was the idea of Sidecar conceived, and how has your background influenced the atmosphere and menu offerings?

The idea for Sidecar was conceived because we wanted to create a great neighbourhood bar in the city we love - Delhi. The intent was to create a simple, classy yet elegant space that paid homage to the kind of bars we loved drinking at, around the world. Both Yangdup and I are from the trade and have been part of the bar business for decades, so our thoughts were aligned on what kind of menu we’d like to create and what kind of experience this bar will offer. The name and the muse of the bar is one of our favourite classic cocktails, and we do a great signature version of it.

Can you tell us about the creative process at the outlet when it comes to the cocktail menu?

Our menu creation process is a collaborative and interactive one, and the inspiration is often selfexploratory wherein we focus on an idea that we are passionate about, and not necessarily what is “on trend” at the moment. Our menus are instinct driven and we follow our gut once we all agree on and love an idea. There are no boundaries on creativity, but we do ensure we follow our two guiding principles of sustainability and seasonality, so a lot of the menu is dictated by that, but it’s also about finding an idea that speaks to us.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a bar and how have you overcome them?

think our biggest challenge has been the Covid pandemic, just like it was for most of hospitality, but especially the bar business. We were forced to shut for almost 9 months with no steady source of income and a team that we wanted to support through this tough time.

Restaurants still had the option of pivoting to deliveries, but for bars, we were left to our own devices with not many options. Never one to sit still though, we used that time to think outside the box and a lot of our current wins were kickstarted during that phase. Our farm, Bhumi, was started during that time, and has gone on to become one of the reasons we are greener and more sustainable as a company. We also started our consulting wing, Drinks India Co, during the lockdown and have helped build multiple brands, launches and success stories through that.

How do you create a welcoming environment for your patrons and foster a community?

Sidecar has always been a welcoming, open and inclusive for all space. We take our neighbourhood bar tag seriously, and everyone is welcome here - doesn’t matter if you are in shorts or a business suit - and our door policy is built around keeping the bar floor fun, friendly and safe. We regularly carry out sensitivity training for our staff to ensure they understand our ethos and also understand what being a proud pride-flag bearing bar means, and how to make every guest feel at home. As for the community aspect, we believe it’s important to create a bar fraternity and support each other. We work closely with a lot of bar owners across the country and count many of them as friends. Our team also ensures we take every visiting bar/bartender coming in from outside the country for a bar-hop to different city bars so they get to experience the full spectrum of Delhi’s cocktail culture and talent.

Can you share any future plans or projects you have for the bar, and how do you plan on continuing to innovate and evolve?

Sidecar is an ever evolving entity and as a team we are equal parts restless and enthusiastic, so we never rest on our laurels and are always looking at doing more. Currently we are working on our next menu, and that’s taking up all our time and energy. There are also a bunch of exciting guest shifts lined up for the year, so keep an eye out.