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India's cocktail drinkers are getting more adventurous by the moment and local bars are ready to take up the challenge. SOCIAL, the neighbourhood café-bar that's become a fixture across Indian cities, has just unveiled The Big Drop Peena Edition, a drinks menu that draws heavily from the country's diverse drinking traditions whilst adding the venue's signature playful twist.
The menu isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it takes inspiration from quarter bars, kattas, thekas, and toddy shops the informal drinking spaces that have long been part of India's social fabric, and reimagines them for SOCIAL's audience. The result is a collection of drinks designed around different moods, group sizes, and price points, with presentation playing as big a role as the liquid itself.
Nostalgia Meets Innovation
SOCIAL has built a reputation on drinks that become talking points. The Longest Long Island Iced Tea, affectionately known as the LLIIT, has been a cult favourite for years. Now, it's joined by the Longest Long Island Iced Coffee (LLIIC), a 750ml coffee-spiked serve that's already generating buzz.
Weird Flex Cocktail at SOCIAL
But the real novelty lies in how these drinks arrive at your table. The new SOCIAL Lubes category includes cocktails wrapped like candy (Candy Crush), shots poured from colourful test tubes (SOCIAL Kami Krazy), and drinks served in post-office style envelopes (Lifaafa). There's also SOCIAL Emotions, a range of four cocktails with names like Zen AF, Weird Flex, Delulu, and Aura, each bottling a different mood at an accessible starting price of ₹395.
For groups, the Sangria Pitchers offer shareable serves with variants like Cosmo Berry, Tropical Twist, House Spice, Java, and Rita, layering spirits with coffee, spice, or tropical fruit. High-energy serves include the SOCIAL Bomb, an explosive two-part drink that leans into spectacle.
Listening To The Guest
According to Riyaaz Amlani, founder of Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, which operates SOCIAL, the menu was shaped by paying attention to what guests actually want. "India's drinking culture has always been about community," he says. "People don't just come to us for what's in the glass - they come for how it makes them feel."
That philosophy extends to the classics section, where familiar favourites like the Espresso Martini, Negroni, Daiquiri, Old Fashioned, and Margarita get the SOCIAL treatment, maintaining their essence whilst reflecting the venue's character.
Part Of The Big Picture
The Peena Edition follows the recent launch of SOCIAL's Big Drop Khaana menu, creating what the company describes as a seamless food-and-drinks experience. Both menus aim to reflect how contemporary India socialises. More visually, more boldly, and with an emphasis on shared experiences.
The timing is significant. India's drinking culture is undergoing a transformation, moving beyond the traditional divides between high-end hotel bars and local quarter establishments. Young urban Indians are seeking spaces that acknowledge both worlds, places that understand the communal spirit of sharing a bottle at a katta whilst offering craft and quality.
They want drinks that photograph well, yes, but also ones that taste authentic and don't require a minor fortune to place an order. The ritual of drinking has become more social and less transactional, with the focus shifting from simply consuming alcohol to creating moments worth remembering. SOCIAL's menu taps into this shift, recognising that today's drinkers crave experiences rooted in familiarity yet elevated through creativity.
