Step into a cafe or bar in Bengaluru today, and chances are high that you may find yourself liking a drink even before you sip it. Drinks are no longer just about quenching thirst or delivering a caffeine hit – they have acquired a personality of their own. From foamy matcha and cloud coffees to mocktails and low-ABV cocktails crowned with airy whips, Bengaluru’s latest obsession are cloud drinks.
With a pale, cloud-like foam resting gently on a darker base, a spoon hovering mid-air, one may take their phone instinctively as the cloud drinks orders arrive at the table. Because the appeal of cloud drinks lies in interaction maybe more than its flavour. At Eywa Cafe, co-founder Vickyath explains that Bengaluru’s drinking community is increasingly seeking more than taste alone. “Texture or mouthfeel – is now equally important to flavour and aroma. It elevates a drink from a mere beverage to a multisensory experience. Texture also changes perception – a creamy foam can make a drink feel indulgent without being heavy” he says. Additionally, ingredients like matcha, coconut water and even turmeric with their wellness cues lend themselves naturally to this shift, Vickyanth adds.
Yet how the ‘cloud’ is used varies from space to space. Many hotel bars are adopting the trend with a refined hand. At Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield’s Chime, food and beverage director Jatinder Pal Singh uses foam to soften bold, regional flavours. “The soft foam allows strong ingredients like curry leaf to feel gentler and more approachable,” he says, adding that texture now defines how a drink unfolds on the palate, making it feel considered rather than merely flavour-forward.
Crucially, cloud drinks are not designed to fill you up. At Phurr, co-founder Rahul Lunawat emphasises the importance of balance. “A table of four should be able to order four different mocktails to pass around and try,” he says. “These drinks should act as palate cleansers and enhance the flavours of your food, not fill you up entirely.”
In a city where cafe-hopping is second nature, cloud drinks fit neatly into slower dining habits. Lionel D’Souza, restaurant manager, Royal China, says the shift began with ‘an obsession – not with flavour alone, but with sensation’, while the team noticed guests responding instinctively to how a drink felt. “A silky foam or airy cloud engages the senses before the first sip creating anticipation. And texture has become the quiet luxury of modern beverages,” he explains. Singh also agrees, adding that blending local flavours with luxurious presentation makes these drinks feel refreshing, nuanced and visually engaging, without tipping into gimmickry.
Although with the city’s reputation for its weather and cafe culture naturally favouring lighter drinks, it is social media that rewards drinks that layer beautifully and photograph well. And with savoury foams, regional herbs, plant-based textures and thoughtful aeration techniques, it’s assuring that this cloud isn’t floating away anytime soon.
Yet how the ‘cloud’ is used varies from space to space. Many hotel bars are adopting the trend with a refined hand. At Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield’s Chime, food and beverage director Jatinder Pal Singh uses foam to soften bold, regional flavours. “The soft foam allows strong ingredients like curry leaf to feel gentler and more approachable,” he says, adding that texture now defines how a drink unfolds on the palate, making it feel considered rather than merely flavour-forward.
Crucially, cloud drinks are not designed to fill you up. At Phurr, co-founder Rahul Lunawat emphasises the importance of balance. “A table of four should be able to order four different mocktails to pass around and try,” he says. “These drinks should act as palate cleansers and enhance the flavours of your food, not fill you up entirely.”
While cafes may have sparked the cloud drink movement, bars are now giving it an after-hours edge. According to SuzyQ’s assistant restaurant manager Suresh Vijayan, the push came straight from guests. “People wouldn’t stop pulling out their phones and saying, ‘Can you make this but in your style?’” he recalls. “We thought – why should that fun be limited to cafes?” At bars, the use of foam depends more on the drinkability than the sweetness. “Texture has become as crucial as taste. It’s what makes you slow down and enjoy the drink,” Vijayan says. Matcha and coffee foams are folded into low-ABV cocktails, allowing guests to drink through the evening without feeling weighed down. “Flavour hooks you first, but that airy foam or silky mouthfeel – that’s what keeps people at the table longer,” he notes.