2020 onwards, we all seem to have made choices to get our home bars lit - be it aesthetics, exploring new, home grown brands, or going beyond the usual for the mixers. In my search to ditch the fizz, sugar, and unsustainable packaging and processing, I found Bartisans. Okay, actually because of social media it found me! Regardless, it was serendipitous.
Run by a mother and son duo, Bartisans specialises in handcrafting high-quality mixers in the form of syrups in small batches. Once you open the package, everything is an experience. The packaging is sustainable (made of recycled materials, and optimised to prevent breaking and spilling we might add!) and the recyclable, BPA-free glass bottles are made of tinted glass to keep the mixer fresh. The scraps from the ingredients are composted. Full marks for being sustainable. The real stars are the ingredients; Flowers, fruit, spices and herbs - they’re delicate and balanced. We’re talking ingredients like Blue Pea, Mint, Lavender, Rose Petals, Smoked Pineapple, Tamarind, among others.
Keeping in mind varied flavour profiles, the mixes available make interesting Whisky Sours, a Martini, a Margarita, and a Gin Fizz. The instructions, ingredients, and other suggestions are mentioned on the bottle and on a cute card that comes with the syrup. Each can make 6-8 drinks and cost INR 540. I loved what I tried (as did the fam) - from opening the box to drinking the last drop and will be ordering more in the future.