Tryst brings India’s regional flavours to a new cocktail bar beneath Trèsind in Mayfair
Tryst, a 30-seat cocktail bar focused on the regional ingredients and drinking cultures of India, has opened in Mayfair beneath the modern Indian restaurant Trèsind on Hanover Street. The bar comes from the team behind the restaurant, part of the Passion F&B group that also operates restaurants in Dubai and Mumbai. The concept and drinks programme have been developed by Marina Juszcyk, former head bartender at SOMA. The venue aims to give “Indian drinking culture a dedicated space in London, applying contemporary cocktail techniques to Indian produce.”
The approach centres on applying the technical methods common to high-end cocktail bars to Indian regional ingredients. Techniques used include fermentation, clarification, milk washing, carbonation and sous-vide infusion.
The debut selection, titled Volume One, is organised region by region across India, with each libation built around a single defining ingredient or culinary tradition. These include kokum from the Konkan coast, jasmine from Madurai, Assam tea, Alphonso mango from Ratnagiri and Gondhoraj lime from Bengal.
Future volumes will move beyond geography to address India’s rituals, artistic traditions and everyday culture, with the menu changing edition by edition.
Among the signature serves is the Konkan, which combines kokum, Chopin vodka, chaat masala, apricot, fino sherry and toasted coconut into a highball finished with a dehydrated toasted coconut crisp. The Bikaner, described as a slow-clarified sour drawing on Rajasthan’s preserved fruits and dry spices, features kumquat, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, aamchoor, cognac, Amaro Montenegro, peppercorn and buttermilk, and is served with a hand-cut mandala grain sheet. The Tanjaur, inspired by South Indian rasam, is built on centrifuged clarified tomato water with Don Julio Blanco, pisco, curry leaf, cumin, coriander and hing.
The space is built around a Tayer Station from Behind Bars and takes a minimalist approach to the hidden-bar format, using plaster, natural stone and brushed metals. Lighting has been arranged to focus attention on the bar, which is positioned at the centre of the room.
Suyash Nath, chief executive of Passion F&B in the UK and US, said: “As a group, we’ve always been passionate about showcasing the incredible depth and diversity of Indian cuisine through a contemporary lens. With Tryst, we wanted to extend that same philosophy to the world of drinks. India’s regional ingredients and flavour profiles offer an extraordinary palette for cocktails, and our ambition has been to treat them with the same creativity, technical precision and respect that define our kitchens. We hope every guest discovers a flavour they didn’t expect, but if I had to recommend just one drink, it would be our take on the Tomato Rasam. It’s familiar, savoury, a little unexpected and perfectly captures what Tryst is all about.”
Author: George Shaw
Former BBC journalist and founder and CEO of an award-winning London advertising and PR company for 20 years, providing restaurant consultancy services. Spent a decade as the director of communications of the Asian Catering Federation in the UK and lead judge for its various restaurant and chef awards programmes. Now returned to journalism, specialising in food and travel and currently the Editor-in-Chief for Taste London, Taste Asia, the Good Curry Guide and CEO of International Culinary Guides.