CT Review: I Tried Mead, Mezcal & Rasam-Inspired Cocktails In One Evening At Cavity Inside Barbet & Pals

What happens when one of the most exciting bars in Delhi NCR decides to create something more intimate, more exclusive, and far more immersive? You get Cavity. Hidden inside Barbet & Pals, Cavity isn’t just a tasting menu or a chef’s table. It’s an experience where cocktails lead the story, food elevates every sip, and the evening feels more like a beautifully choreographed performance than a dinner.

Created by mixologists Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal along with chef partner Amninder Sandhu, this nine-course tasting experience proves that cocktails can be just as layered, thoughtful, and exciting as any fine-dining dish. You don’t just sit there and eat; you’re entertained the entire evening.

The Secret Space Beneath The Blue Door

As soon as you walk into Barbet & Pals, the experience starts. You enter through the blue door, anticipating the lively energy for which the bar is known. But instead of settling into the main area, you are quietly escorted downstairs to Cavity.

Tucked beneath the bar, this intimate area hosts a limited number of guests for a nine-course tasting session. The setting feels cosy, almost secretive, like a private dinner club where something exciting is about to happen. The moment you sit down, you realise this is not going to be a regular tasting menu.

Because here, the cocktails are the stars of the show. The tasting session here includes nine courses, but unlike traditional tasting menus, this one flips the script: the cocktails are the stars. Each drink is carefully designed by Jeet Rana and Chirag Pal, while Chef Amninder Sandhu’s food pairings complement the drinks and amplify their flavours. The food is fantastic. But here, it exists to lift the cocktails higher.

More Than Hosts — They’re Entertainers

Before we even get to the food and drinks, there’s something else that defines the experience here: the people. Jeet, Chirag, and Chef Amninder don’t just host you, they entertain you. They chat, joke, tell stories, explain flavours, and interact constantly. The experience feels less like a formal tasting menu and more like an evening spent with incredibly talented friends who just happen to make phenomenal food and cocktails.

Even if you walk in alone, you never feel alone. Throughout the evening, they become your table companions, storytellers, and guides. The experience is unforgettable because of that warm, captivating, and contagious energy.

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The Nine-Course Experience

Every course brought something unexpected to the table. Some were playful, some nostalgic, and some just completely mind-blowing.

A sweet and savoury beginning

The evening started with a Sunderban Honey Mead, light, zesty, and slightly floral. It arrived with the most whimsical bite: cotton candy misted with cherry and hiding a tiny liver pâté heart inside. Alongside it came local fish (bedu) served on toast with fig and cultured cheese. Sweet, savoury, delicate, it was the perfect way to start the night.

Chai and pakora, but not as you know them

At Cavity, even something as simple as chai and pakora gets a creative twist. The “chai” arrived as Amazake, a warm fermented drink made from aromatic Assamese Joha rice. It was comforting, slightly sweet, and unlike anything I’ve tasted before. The “pakora” was a crisp pumpkin blossom fritter stuffed with spicy prawn balchao, crunchy outside, packed with bold flavours inside.

Rasam and rice in liquid form

This course was one of the most surprising. Imagine the flavours of rasam and rice turned into a cocktail. Called Hot and Cold, the drink was a light rasam-inspired whisky broth topped with airy foam made from Tamil Nadu’s Tooyamalli rice. The pairing was just as exciting, with gunpowder idli stuffed with pepper crab and topped with caviar.

The famous Ramos with a twist

This course was pure theatre. Their take on the classic Ramos Gin Fizz uses Queen pineapple from Tripura, cream, and egg white. The result is a sip that feels like dessert in a glass. With it came a bheja custard tart topped with sour cherry jam and generous truffle shavings. This bite was rich, indulgent, and unforgettable.

Hydrate Motherflocker

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a playful break appears. Called Hydrate Motherflocker, this little creation looks like a jelly droplet. Inside is coconut water and electrolytes. You swallow it in one bite, and it bursts open in your mouth, refreshing your palate instantly. It’s fun, surprising, and oddly satisfying.

A cocktail you’ll remember

The fifth course introduced what quickly became my favourite drink of the evening: Guntur Chilli Chicken. This savoury mezcal cocktail had a chicken-salt rim and tiny tomato pearls that popped in your mouth. It was paired with a bone marrow Zarai cheese gougère, soft and deeply savoury. The flavours were bold and unforgettable.

A Gibson with Indian soul

Next came a twist on the classic Gibson cocktail. In this version, pickle brine, gin, vermouth, and macerated apricot were combined to create a tart and bright drink. The combination of melt-in-your-mouth seekh kebab, burnt tomato chutney ice cream, and flaky spiced Amritsari kulcha felt like comfort on a plate.

A nostalgic gola moment

Then came a nostalgic throwback. Cavity recreated the gola, the iconic Indian ice treat, using Bhimkol, an Assamese banana. The banana juice was frozen into a gola and then dipped in tequila. It was fun, refreshing, and instantly brought back childhood memories.

Whisky meets Nihari

One of the most traditional combinations of the evening came next. A clear whisky cocktail sweetened with black cardamom from Sikkim arrived with slow-braised nihari and soft saffron-cardamom bread. It was rich, comforting, and beautifully balanced.

A sweet ending with a story

Dessert featured a soft Nolen Gur rosogulla with a sprinkle of sea salt and crisp meringue. The cocktail alongside was called Baba Budan, made with coffee beans from Coorg and named after the legendary Sufi saint. It was a sweet and thoughtful way to end the tasting.

The cutest goodbye

Just when you think the night is over, Cavity sends you off with something adorable: A tiny brown butter softie with a chocolate bottom arrives with a delicate cup of Malta and chrysanthemum zero-proof drink. You’re asked to hold the cup with your pinkie raised, a charming little ritual to end the night.

The most interesting part of the experience isn’t just the food or the cocktails. It’s the feeling you leave with. Even a minute before walking out, you start feeling a little FOMO. You suddenly realise the night is ending and you have to go back to your regular routine. And that’s when the thought hits you: When will I come back here again?

Cavity captures the lively spirit of Barbet & Pals but elevates it into something more intimate, more exclusive, and more immersive. It’s an evening of storytelling, laughter, incredible cocktails, and unforgettable hospitality.

And once you experience it, you’ll definitely want to go back for more.

Cover Image Courtesy: Mallika Khurana