Why is everyone drinking Picante
On any given weekend night, walk into a buzzing bar and you’ll spot a familiar sight: servers weaving through crowds with chilli salt-rimmed glasses holding cocktails in a playful orangish-green. Even before you know what it is, you’ve already guessed — it’s the Picante, the drink that has taken over India’s nightlife, usually priced at ₹800 onwards.
It’s a tequila-based cocktail with bold, spicy-tangy notes that hit the Indian palate just right. Made with fresh chilli and coriander, shaken with tequila, lime juice, and agave syrup, the Picante is essentially a boozy, fiery chaat in a glass. And it’s everywhere.
Though India is embracing it like a homegrown invention, the Picante didn’t originate here. Created in 2012 in Los Angeles’ SoHo House, the original Picante de la Casa became a hit before drifting into bars around the world.
Why it works
Yangdup Lama, co-owner of Sidecar, explains: “It has a very desi touch of ingredients which have been at the heart of Indian cuisine. The magic is in the balance. If the chilli is too sharp, it loses charm. If the coriander is too strong, it becomes herbal. When everything lands just right, it’s refreshing, exciting, and comforting all at once.” Sidecar has been part of Asia’s 50 Best Bars list several times. Lama compares the Picante to the Bloody Mary, another savoury cocktail that was introduced here but never fully took root: “It felt too heavy due to the fresh tomato juice. You have two and can’t even eat. That’s why it failed to please many.”
Changing Indian palate
“We’ve moved from sweet, fruit-forward drinks to fresher, cleaner, spice-driven flavours,” says Jeet Rana, co-founder of Barbet & Pals. Some bars estimate that every fifth tequila cocktail ordered today is a Picante.
A competition favourite
The Leela’s signature Picante recently won the Iconic Cocktail of the Year at the 2025 Icons of Whisky Awards. It even featured at a Milan Fashion Week dinner, where Indian chillies replaced jalapeños, marking its growing global footprint.
Is it a classic yet?
Many bar professionals think so. Naveen Rathee, director of Food & Beverage at The Westin Gurgaon, Delhi, says, “I believe it’s on its way to becoming a modern classic. The Margarita and the Picante share the same DNA — simplicity, structure, emotion. The Picante reflects today’s palate: clean, bold, spice-driven. Guests now order it as instinctively as an Old Fashioned or Negroni. That says a lot about its staying power.”
The entry into retail spaces
The cocktail’s rise has moved into retail, too. Non-alcoholic mixers from Bartisans, Tipsy Tiger, and MAY & CO. make it easy to recreate a Picante at home. Ready-to-serve alcoholic options are growing as well, with Mr Jerry’s launching a Guava Picante in markets like Goa.
