Mysterious and woody, Distillery, a recently opened bar in Gurgaon’s Sector 29 market, forms a shadow-like cast over its large monochromatic space, harkening back to prohibition-era sinister glamour. “Imagine being in the Gatsby movie, just a little rawer, surrounded by gentlemen smoking cigars, dancing to the roaring twenties music, sharing a meal with the gangsters and having a good laugh with the mafias. If that wasn’t enough to give you goosebumps, then do hop over to Distillery, we’ll make sure you do, this time” says Manish Sharma, the owner.
It’s 40-feet bar dazzles as the centrepiece decked with premium whiskeys, wines, champagnes and more. Attached to the bar on the side is a suave fist folk lift used by the waiters to fetch bottles from the top shelves. Because it’s rarely seen anywhere in India, it has also become the bar’s hallmark.
The history of the forklift goes back to 1887 when the first material-handling equipment was made from iron axles and wheels, known as a two-wheel hand truck, Sharma tells us. It was an effort to pick up heavy loads without using manual labour. And since distillery has been inspired from the speakeasy era of the 1920s, this serves as an interesting yesteryear feature. “The 11-feet lift comes with a capacity of 500 kgs and requires an electrical and mechanical stimulus to operate. It makes our job much easier and also adds an uncommon element of excitement for the guests sitting in front,” says Sharma.
The popular bar drinks are the American Dream, a smoked in-house whiskey with Indian spices and bitter, Cranberry Nutmeg Gimlet, a gin-based beverage with cranberry juice and lime cordial with grated nutmeg, and Mango Jalapeno Margarita, Sharma tells us.
Teetotalers, on the other hand, too have a special selection of drinks for themselves, two of the most ordered ones being the Coco Bango, a mix of Blue Curacao and pineapple juice, with a hint of coco cream, and Mango Raspberry Slush that comes with Mango and Raspberry jam with lime juice slushed in a cocktail glass.
The food plates are a mix of bar food with multiple cuisines such as North Indian, Italian, Chinese, and European. You have an Italian Four-Cheese Tortellini with Spicy Tomato Chutney on the one hand and Iranian Mutton Chelo Kebabs on the other. And in between, you have everything from Dal Makhni, to dim sum to sushi. Some might call it confusing, others may look at it as exciting. Whatever your pick is, Distillery dives right into making a good impression.
At: Plot 16 & 17, Sector 29, Gurugram Price: Rs 1,900 plus taxes
Unravelling history
The fist fork life is a rare feature one sees in bars and is now at Distillery. Its history goes back to 1887 when the first material-handling equipment was made from iron axles and wheels, known as a two-wheel hand truck.