TC127 – Thirsty City 127 Craft brewery and cocktail bar

Thirsty City 127, at Lower Parel, Mumbai is a craft brewery and cocktail bar. Replacing the legendary “Barking Deer,” one of the first craft breweries in India. The new space improves the beer portfolio, and adds a craft cocktail bar to the space.

The studio set out to work towards a space that would bring to the forefront the iconic brewery, and then expand into spirits.  Additional spaces on the premises are a flexible room connected to the bar, and another bar on the first floor for private events. The bar is at the end of a narrow alley dotted with popular breweries, and restaurants. The space was crafted, much like a great, out of its basic elements- Specific ingredients, perfect pairing, and careful assembly.

Alcohol occurs in nature, from the depths of space to the primordial “soup” that may have generated the first life on Earth.¹ Almost every creature on the planet consumes alcohol. This zest for spirits has led to humanity being able to make it out of almost anything. This was a starting point for the studio’s exploration into the iconography that goes into the space. A set of spirits and beverages were chosen in consultation with the bartenders- Beer, Vodka, Gin, and malted liquor. Their respective plant bases were identified- Barley and Hops, Potato [sic], Juniper, and then ingredients that go into drinks- Sugarcane, Citrus, and water. These plant forms were studied in detail, and abstract forms of these were created with Unomono². These abstract forms- cast in Iron, Copper, and Brass make sculptural forms. Patination and corrosion is used to create colours. A large number of wave,  and cloud forms were created to tell  a story of the production of liquor. This set of sculptural forms creates the basis for the whole space, which is designed to tell a story of the crafting of the drink you hold.

Located at the end of the alley, in Mumbai, the space is tucked in and barely visible. The studio used the vegetable forms created for the space, using them in frames to tell a story of liquor. Every window is unique, custom-made, and presents the organic element in the aesthetic of the bar; lights in between each light up the various forms, and encourages you to continue on a journey through a crafted space.

One has to walk past this line of windows, to enter the main bar space. The door is an assemblage of liquid forms that unfolds in layers to reveal a rippled brass handle. Stepping in, a monogram in the floor greets you. The bar hides on the left, walking further in, one enters  an intimate space within brewery brewery; copper vessels surround you, and the space is dark. The mood is light, conversation, wafting aromas, the perfect  temperature, and music that holds conversation make the atmosphere. Make your way to the bar, or sit down in a chair, designed by the studio and intimately arranged for conversation. A large bar with seemingly unlimited liquor is at the far end of the space. Made of terrazzo with glass chips, brass coasters are in-built to point to a serving area. The bar stools, designed by the studio are perfectly weighted to not topple forwards while getting off. The floor is a tapestry of black limestone and dark terrazzo with coloured stone; brass strips give direction to the space.

The event space is flexible, and allows for a range of functions, from adding space to the bar, to hosting private events, or a gallery space. Held together by a fluted glass partition on the south, and a set of folded steel planes that make the stairway up to the next floor. A sofa under the stair holds in the north end.

The stairs in Thirsty City are made to feel  almost impossible, a single folded plane of steel that winds up four supports- nothing else. The handrail winds its way in a similar fashion starting at the bottom, and winding up and round the stair to meet with the viewer as they walk up.

The room above is a private, even more intimate bar that is treated similar to the one on the ground floor. The ceiling above is the night sky. Mirrored panels with small bulbs that light up the space, and are reflected at angles in the ceiling. The space is for private parties, or quiet drinks.

Thirsty City 127 is a labour of love, from every person involved, Studio Pomegranate appreciates the faith shown by the clients, and all the amazing people involved in crafting this space, where every element is created for the experience of being able to come with close friends and have an unforgettable experience.

Notes:

1. McGOVERN, PATRICK E. “ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Whence and Whither?” In Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages, 266-82. University of California Press, 2009.
2. Unomono: Creative Agency in Delhi- http://www.unomono.in

 

Project Facts:

Client:                                          Barking Deer hospitality private limited

Project location:     Thirsty City 127, Mathuradas Mill compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400030

Area:                                            4340 Sq.ft

Time:                                          3 Months

Project Team:                              Studio Pomegranate:Pranav Naik, Shweta Shah, Neel Davda, Rasika Rajagopalan,                                                     Parmi Savla, Manasvi Rane.

J.M. Baxi:Vir Kotak, Akriti Agarwal, Jitin Sahni, Manindra Nath Hati, Sameer

Barking Deer:  Gregory Kroistch, Abhishek Aggarwal

Consultants: Bajrang Sharma, Rameshwar Bhadhwa Alex Barstow, Gracian                                                                  D’Souza, Arijit Bose, Yogi Engineering,  Sunny Nikam,

Artists:  Anand Prabhudesai (Rich Steel),  Adil Khanna, Reva Dutta (Unomono)

Construction Team:Tanishq Interiors, Yogi Engineering, Mortar Construction, Rich Steel

Portobello Mushroom Dum Biryani.

This is the recipe for The Best Mushroom Biryani in the world. Introduction  For the longest time I really did not like Biryani, having eaten it at some pretty famous places in Bombay, I was a bit disillusioned. The only good biryani I have had in Bombay is at Neel, at Tote on the turf. You should have the Gucchi ki Biryani (Can’t go wrong with Morels!). The first time I had a good Biryani was in Hyderabad, where a friend took me to every place that served a superb Biryani, apart from Paradise Palace, and the five star hotels, I found some exceedingly perfect Hindu Andhra food at a place called Malgudi. Now let’s get to the Biryani. 

I first started experimenting with this with my friend Erik Krautbauer four years ago, when we cooked Chicken Biryani for 80 guests at Taliesin West.

Concept: Every flavour must be kept separate, yet every morsel must have all flavours. You can make Biryani with anything, just remember it is a three part deal. 1. Absorption – Rice will absorb flavours, use the longest grain Basmati rice you can find, it has a wonderful fragrance, we cook it 3/4th to keep that fragrance locked in until you serve. 2. Masala – This will impart the flavour. Never use anything that absorbs flavours in this, a common mistake is Potato, Carrots, Cauliflower, etc. 3. Aromatics – These are separate- Saffron and Mint, even your masala will have aromatics, but these are special and need to be kept that way. Keep in mind that use only the best ingredients possible, at the end of your grocery trip you might wonder why not go and eat it at the restaurant? Recipe: I will not go through what ingredients you need, you will find out as you go through this recipe, this is important because you need to know what we are going to do with them rather than see them on their own. This is part of the design of this food. You will need at least two hours for the whole process.

Saffron, Vodka, Unrefined Sugar, (you can add milk or cream)

Take a tiny bit of saffron and mix it with about 5ml Vodka, add some sugar. The Vodka helps the saffron quickly lose its flavour, you can see the yellow strands after a few minutes of treatment. Sugar is to bring out the flavours in the final product. The alcohol will burn off when you cook everything.

Portobello mushrooms

Wash and dry the Portobello Mushrooms. Remember all mushrooms will absorb water very quickly, so keep them as dry as possible. I have used Shimeji, Button, and Shiitake mushrooms as well.

The largest cashews you can find, I went to Karwar to get these.

Fry some Cashew halves for later

Fry the onions for garnish

Fry two white onions until crisp for later.

Whole Garam Masala

Add some more oil, then put in Black peppercorns, Star Anise, Bay leaves, Green cardamom, Black cardamom, Cloves, and Cinnamon. Most of these were found in Wayanad, Kerala, and the Cinnamon came from Sri Lanka. Break the Cardamom’s slightly to release the flavour.

Whole Garam Masala with onion

Add Onions soon after

Garam Masala + Onion + Green Chillies

Add Green Chillies, and some Ginger + Garlic paste. You must add the ginger garlic at the end so that it does not over oxidise.

Garam Masala + Onion + Green Chilies + Ginger Paste + Garlic paste + Kashmir Red Chilly powder

Add some Kashmir Red chilly powder, this is not very hot, but has a good colour. If you can’t find it, Spanish Paprika works well.

Add Yoghurt

Add Yoghurt to this mixture, the yoghurt if hung the previous night, will yield better results. This one is not, I had to cook it longer. Also, good time to add salt.

Chopped Portobellos

Stir that in, and stop the heat in five or until the mushrooms are 75% cooked

Add the Mushrooms, You must stop the flame as soon as the mushrooms are about 3/4th done. If they get fully cooked, they will lose their flavour. You can add the salt in this step as well if you didn’t add it before.

Get Ready to Assemble Masala + Rice (75% cooked) + empty handi

This is the best part. 3/4th cooked Basmati rice, I have added enough salt for the rice itself. The Masala is ready, and another saucepan for the actual dish.

Apply ghee generously

Fresh Mint

Layer 1 – Rice – Masala – Mint

Layer 2 – Rice – Saffron mix

Make as many layers as you can

I made three layers of masala, so four layers of rice. I make sure the vessel is shut tight, and the air vent is blocked with a clove.

You can serve it with Raita, but this time I had it on it’s own.

Make sure you garnish it with the fried onions and Cashews. look at those layers!

This serves four, open the pot only when and where you want to serve it, when all your guests are already seated. I tend to overeat when I make this. If you cook this dish with my recipe, please leave a little message to let me know how you like it, and if you have any suggestions, I will try them and add them here. Biryani and Pizza are two of my favourite dishes, and I often cringe when I eat either poorly made, I will put up some other recipes sometime. Everything else I make is much easier than this.