In The Spotlight: Cavity, A Cocktail-First Tasting Experience With GI-Tagged Ingredients

At the World Class India 2026 final, judge Tim D Philips, Johnnie Walker's global brand ambassador and a former world-class winner, remarked that what the Indian bartending scene needs next is to bring local flavours to the forefront. Call it a coincidence, but another former World Class India Winner has done exactly that with Cavity in Delhi. 

Cavity is a bar within a bar (Barbet & Pals), started by Jeet Rana (World Class Winner - 2016), Chirag Pal, and Chef Amninder Sandhu. It’s built on the philosophy of exploring “Indian regional flavours and GI-tagged ingredients through cocktails and paired experiences”. In a city where almost every second weekend sees a new bar, restaurant, cafe, or “secret spot” open up, this is what sets Cavity apart. 

Presenting below a breakdown of the experience, the standout drinks, and the idea behind it all. 

Reaching Cavity

Barbet & Pals stands amidst the packed lanes of GK 2, M-Block Market. Like most other establishments in the area, it’s difficult to make out where one building ends and the other begins. However, step inside the establishment, and the bar’s signature ‘claws’ (bird footprints) will ensure you don’t confuse its interiors with any other place. 

The Great Barbet is a Himalayan bird; the bird, especially its claws, makes up the bar’s recurring motif, present on napkins, decor, menus, name, and more. Pals, in the name, refers to the co-owner Chirag Pal, but is also a nod to the fact that the bar is set up by friends. 

To reach Cavity, you simply follow the tiny claws on the ground, down a set of stairs, until you reach a table set for 9. The design replicates an omakase bar, with the open kitchen in the centre. Here stand two bartenders-cum-storytellers, (usually Jeet and Chirag themselves, though in the absence of one, another bartender steps in) who explain each course, share anecdotes behind the drinks and dishes, and turn the evening from a simple dinner into an engaging experience. By the end of the evening, you feel like you’re walking out of a friend’s place. 

As Jeet shares, “We always approached Cavity as a conversation between food and cocktails rather than one supporting the other. Sometimes a dish inspired the drink, and sometimes a cocktail pushed us to create a dish around it. The idea was balance, not pairing for contrast alone, but creating progression and flow through the entire experience.”

What’s On The Menu?

The 9-course menu began with an in-house mead and ended with a miniature soft serve ice cream (which is actually a surprise tenth dish). Here’s everything served in between: 

Course 1: Mead with Bedu Cotton Candy Toast

(GI Inspiration: Sundarban Honey from West Bengal)

The in-house mead was like a sweet wine, lightly aromatic, with a touch of carbonation and just the right depth to get the evening started. It was paired with a small cotton candy wrapped around a liver pate (or baba ganoush for the vegetarians). 

Course 2: Amazake with Murukku

(GI Inspiration: Fermented rice culture of North-East)

A low-ABV, aromatic drink served in small flower-shaped bowls, amazake reminded you of simple, soothing teas. The accompanying murukku was made of stuffed prawn.  

Course 3: Rasam with Paniyaram

(GI Inspiration: Thooyamalli Rice from Tamil Nadu)

A nod to the cuisine from down South, the drink combined Tanqueray London Dry Gin with clarified rasam, topped with cold rice foam. It was one of the more experimental serves, balancing hot and cold temperatures in a bowl. The first sip was confusing because of how the stark temperatures combined, but by the third sip, you’re convinced the experiment works. The paniyaram, though, couldn’t keep up with the drink.

Course 4: Susegad with Truffle

(GI Ingredient: Cashew Feni from Goa)

Susegad is a phrase popular in Goa, referring to a relaxed, unhurried approach to life. The drink brought the philosophy in a glass, pairing notes of feni with mango in a take on a frozen margarita cocktail. The drink has balanced sweet and dry notes, paired with a delicate truffle. 

This is one of the courses that continues to change, depending on the seasonal availability of ingredients. However, the focus is always on regional spirit, distillate and ferments. 

In the middle of the meal was a non-alcoholic course with coconut water jelly. Designed as a break between courses, the idea was to bite into the jelly as you’d bite into a golgappa, and the coconut water explodes in the mouth, literally. 

Course 5: Guntur Chilli Chicken with Gougère

(GI Ingredient: Guntur Chilli from Andhra Pradesh)

Turning a fiery, spicy dish into a cocktail, this was an umami-rich drink where the dehydrated chicken skin formed the rim. A vegetarian version was also available. It was paired with gougère, a crisp yet warm and airy French choux pastry filled with cheese. Delectable from the first bite. 

Course 6: Cold Dessert with Seekh

(GI Ingredient: Ladakhi Apricot from Ladakh)

This was a take on the Gibson-style martini cocktail made with Tanqueray London Dry Gin. Served in a chilled glass to maintain the optimum temperature, the drink swapped the traditional pickled cocktail onion garnish with an apricot concentrate. The food was no less special - A mini, flaky, kulcha served with soft seekh (made from mutton intestines/banana flower) and burnt tomato ice cream. This was one of the most loved courses on the menu.  

Course 7: Bhimkol

(GI Ingredient: Bhimkol banana from Assam)

Bhimkol was designed like the traditional, street-style Indian ice gola with the flavour of banana. It was interesting but not as memorable as the rest of the courses.  

Course 8: Beyul with Nihari

(GI Ingredient: Black Cardamom from Sikkim)

This was a smokier take on the Manhattan cocktail, made from Talisker 10 and a hint of Mezcal. Minimal and balanced, this is the drink you serve to someone still apprehensive about single malts. It was served with a traditional nihari (made with jackfruit for vegetarians) and corn-shaped soft brioche. 

Course 9: Baba Budan with Nolengur

(GI Ingredient: Nolen Gurer from West Bengal)

The last course on the menu, the dessert, brought the evening to a perfect close. Baba Badun was like an affogato, made with smoky Johnnie Walker Black Label and served with raspberry sorbet as a digestive-style closing drink. The sorbet-coffee-whisky mix worked unexpectedly well, with every sip (or bite) leaving an unmistakable aftertaste of the smooth whisky. The dessert was a take on the classic Bengali sweet, Nolengur, which was also the GI-inspiration for the course. 

It’s hard to pick a single hero cocktail from the night because the menu isn’t designed to promote one over the other. Rana even confirmed that over the last few months, almost every guest had had a different favourite.

“Every drink on the menu is intentionally very different from the others. Interestingly, over the last few months, almost every guest has had a different favourite, which is actually the most satisfying part for us. Personally, one of my favourites is Rasam & Rice. It’s comforting, nostalgic, savoury, and probably one of the best examples of how Indian food memory can translate into cocktails.”

The Story Behind Cavity

Jeet is clear on why Cavity exists, not as a speakeasy or just another bar experience, but an intentional, flavour-led exploration. 

“It’s probably one of the few spaces in India where cocktails are treated with the same emotional and narrative depth as food. The idea was to build an intimate format where guests don’t just consume drinks, but experience ingredients, stories, memories, and regional Indian flavours in a completely different way. At Cavity, every course is intentional. It’s not about showing technique for the sake of it; it's about creating emotion through flavour.”

Cavity certainly nails the narrative depth, proving that a good technique can take you far, but a well-planned experience is what stays long after the evening is over. As Rana puts it, “Technique is important, but it should disappear into the experience. A guest should remember how the drink made them feel, not just the clarification or fermentation behind it. The spirit is the backbone, technique is the tool, but flavour and emotional connection are the final goal.”

What’s next for Cavity?

While Cavity is designed to be a continuously evolving menu (in the last three months, almost 40% of the menu has changed already, depending on sourcing and produce), the focus will continue to be on exploring GI-tagged ingredients, regional Indian narrative, and menus inspired by travel and hyperlocal food cultures. 

To Book A Spot: 

• Address: Barbet & Pals, Ground Floor, M Block Market, M-51, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi

• Timings: Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 8 pm. The experience runs for 2.5-3 hours. You have to arrive sharp at 7:45 pm. 

• Price: Rs. 4,500+ taxes per person (Inclusive of a 9-course cocktail and food experience)

• Reservations: +91 9205645151

Cavity isn’t the spot you go to for loud music and no conversation. Rather, it’s for those looking for food with a side of storytelling, cocktails that experiment with textures and flavours, and an experience that blends the intimacy of home hosting with the professionalism of fine-dining.

*Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.