'Tuesdays Deserve Great Cocktails As Much As Saturdays': Meet Vicky Singh, The Man Reinventing Mumbai's Bar Culture

For Vicky Singh, a great bar experience is not just about what is poured into a glass—it is about what lingers long after the last sip. After decades of shaping Mumbai's food and beverage landscape — he founded Mumbai's iconic Out of The Blue in 1999 — Singh is back with Koliwada Cocktail Club (KCC), an immersive cocktail experience built around curiosity, storytelling, and the belief that drinks need not always be taken too seriously.

Singh, who is a partner at Banng, Slink & Bardot, Mezcalita, and the Koliwada Cocktail Club, has witnessed Mumbai's drinking culture evolve dramatically. In an exclusive conversation with FPJ, he talks about why the city needs to embrace weekday drinking, the places he enjoys dining at, the changing cocktail landscape, and the philosophy that continues to keep him relevant in the food industry.

⁠Why the need for a Mumbai bar that doesn’t take itself too seriously?

Mumbai is serious enough already. A night out shouldn't be. Sometimes you want the immersive tasting menu and a deep dive into technique. Other times, you just want to walk into a bar, order a great drink, eat really good food, and switch off. No overthinking, no decoding a menu, no pressure.

You have travelled extensively across the world. What's missing in Mumbai bars as compared to the ones abroad?

Honestly, Mondays and Tuesdays. Abroad, people don't wait for the weekend to enjoy a great cocktail. They will head out on a random weekday, settle into a bar, have a couple of drinks, and call it a great night. In Mumbai, we still save our biggest bar plans for Friday and Saturday. I'd love to see more people treating a Tuesday cocktail with the same enthusiasm as a Saturday one.

In 1999, you founded Out Of The Blue. In 2026, there is KCC. How has Mumbai's drinking habits changed over the last three decades?

The difference is night and day. Back then, cocktails were barely part of the conversation. If you ordered one, it was usually a classic, and it was often seen as something the older crowd drank.

Most people stuck to straight spirits or beer, and wine wasn't really part of the culture either. Today, it's almost the opposite. The younger generation is curious, experimental, and far more informed about what they're drinking. The range of spirits available has grown exponentially, and cocktails are finally appreciated for the craft behind them rather than as a way to disguise bad alcohol.

Back then, your choices were fairly limited. Smirnoff was considered the best vodka, Bacardi the best white rum, and cocktails were often built around sugary mixers and synthetic flavors. Mixology, as we know it today, simply didn't exist.

What we call cocktail culture today is an entirely different world, and thankfully, a much tastier one.

⁠For someone who walks into KCC for the very first time, what feeling would you hope they leave with?

I want them to be amazed, satisfied, with their curiosity answered. We build up a real sense of mystery around KCC, and that mystery needs to pay off. People should genuinely feel that it's not "old wine, new bottle", but a one-off experience they've never had before.

⁠Is there a central theme connecting the six-course cocktail program at KCC?

The thread that ties the entire program together is that it isn't designed as a drinks menu at all. It's conceived as a food menu, simply expressed through cocktails. The journey begins with something reminiscent of a soup course and unfolds much like a thoughtfully curated meal, with every course building on the last. That's the idea that connects the entire experience.

Do you remember the first time you had a drink? How old were you? Who made it for you?

Too young to share the actual age. Two friends and I somehow found ourselves at an Irani bar on Hill Road, looking exactly our age, yet the bartender served us anyway. I was happily minding my own business with my back to the door when my older brother, who had also conveniently lied to our parents about where he was that evening, walked into the very same bar.

We locked eyes and both realised we'd been caught. I think he was far more horrified than I was, mostly because I was five years younger and had somehow avoided getting caught. As for the drink, it was probably an Old Monk and Coke, or a beer. Memory gets a little hazy after all these years, thankfully.

Which drink brings you comfort?

Water, honestly. If we're talking alcohol, then it's a beer with about 10 to 15 ml of tequila in it. It's a slightly lazy shortcut to the same happy place without having to drink ten beers, and all the calories that come with them.

A cocktail you wished never existed, or is simply overhyped?

The Long Island Iced Tea. It's five spirits, plenty of sugar, and very little imagination. There's barely any creativity or skill involved. It's essentially the bar's greatest hits poured into one glass and somehow passed off as a cocktail.

⁠What would be your go to places in Mumbai to hang out or eat?

It really depends on my mood. If I'm looking to unwind, I honestly end up at one of our own places, Banng or Slink & Bardot. Outside of that, I tend to choose places based on what I'm craving rather than sticking to one favourite. If I'm in the mood for modern Indian, I'll happily head to Bombay Canteen. If I want great cocktails or a proper dinner, Bandra Born or Loca Maria are always enjoyable. They're places I admire and visit occasionally rather than every week.

During the day, I'm usually in a café because the menu is simple and the meeting is really about the conversation. Mumbai has far too many good restaurants and bars to be loyal to just one.

That's one of the best things about the city. There's always something new worth trying.

What keeps you relevant in the business of food?

A healthy amount of delusion. I'm only half joking. On a more serious note, I've always had one simple rule: I'll never serve or sell something that I wouldn't happily eat or drink myself.

If I don't believe in it, it doesn't make it onto the menu.