Imagine landing in a bustling city with crowded corners and brightly lit restaurants, only to crave a humble yet familiar place that makes the pace outside seem slow. Nutcase, nestled in the bylanes of Kolkata, is exactly that – a cosy thirty-five seater bar that offers a rather immersive cocktail experience.
An Ambience Apart
An oblong bar stretches out at the centre as you enter that pulls people together. Founders, Rituparna and Avinandan Banerjee along with Munir Mohanty who owns the old-Calcutta-style building say, “It wasn’t planned in the conventional sense, but it wasn’t random either.” Described as “A teeny tiny cocktail parlour” on their official website, Nutcase offers a vibe that embraces the quiet but savours the chaos. “There are no walls between the guest and the bartender. The idea was, ‘Let’s make the bartender the host, the friend, the storyteller. That’s when we knew, this isn’t a bar. It’s a room where stories are passed around with martini,” expresses Avinandan.
The co-founder also says – “Kolkata has many good bars, but none that truly celebrates cocktails as the main show, not a supporting act” – to which Rituparna adds, “It was a napkin sketch, many late-night debates, and a strong sense that we didn’t want to build just another bar. We wanted to build a place where people connect, not just drink. From day one, we weren’t chasing scale. We were chasing soul. We wanted to create something special and deeply personal, something that felt like a love letter to the city we grew up in.”
Probably amongst the very rare bars in the city with a fermentation lab, Nutcase’s menu is thoughtfully curated by Rituparna, who is also a chef, along with head bartenders Rahul Banerjee and Swanan Sarkar by her side. Although Rituparna asserts that going viral was never the focus, the bar’s offerings have garnered genuine attention from cocktail connoisseurs. “We wanted to create a fresh and fun menu with the first edition. One that surprised people, challenged palates, made them curious. You’ll find a beautifully balanced cacao-cherry Negroni next to a Tangra Town cocktail. And they both deserve their place. It’s not about showing-off ingredients, but it’s about balance and technique. It’s about pushing people out of their comfort zone, gently.”
What To Try?
When the menu consists of cocktails like Rare Steak, Carrot Cake and Sushi, it might be daunting to place an order at first but be assured that you’re in for a ride of flavours! An evening here is well-started with the house signature, Nutcase Negroni, made with crème de cacao and cherry bitters. Garnished with a gold-dusted maraschino cherry, its bittersweet notes celebrate glocal ingredients with velvety, decadent consistency. When you are ready for the second drink, order the Kalo Jire Penicillin, reminiscent of Kolkata’s most-used local ingredient, black Nigella seeds. A split base of blended scotch and smoky Islay whisky is paired with ginger, nigella honey, finished with nigella tincture. Its earthy, bold flavours give it an eclectic yet unforgettable character.
While most of the places make drinks, quite literally made to drink, at Nutcase you can eat your cocktails! Think sipping into your glass and being pleasantly surprised by umami flavours of a quintessential sushi. “If a drink can make you pause mid-conversation and go – ‘wait, what is this?’ We’ve done our job,” shares Avinanadan. This exceptional quality of Nutcase’s cocktails is proudly spearheaded by Rituparna, who says, “One of the biggest advantages of having a Chef in the bar team was to expand the horizon to include culinary ingredients in the mix. Balance is very important to me and I think as a team we do a good job at balancing flavours, textures, mouthfeel, one sip at a time. I really pushed everyone to work on multiple savoury cocktails on the menu. That’s why the team always say you can drink your way through a four-course menu here.” As a new wave of cohorts turn to experiential drinking in spaces that offer more than loud music, Nutcase truly stands out as that friendly neighbourhood bar where you come in for the drinks but stay for the vibe.