The person who said that the only thing constant is change perhaps today lies somewhere, tired of having ever been so right. If it weren’t for change, the history channel could well be the daily news. Sure it takes the whole joy out of spontaneity but events would have been a lot easier to chronologically remember.

Maybe I am ranting, maybe I am making sense, who knows. All I know is that this too is temporary and will soon pass. So, if you care for the rants of a slightly off-the-centre lover of all things potently inebriating, read on.

Of late, change has been fast and furious in the world of spirits and brews. Not just wines, but whisk(e)ys, vodkas, gins and rums are all seeing a major growth in the upper echelons. It’s as if, people have come into money and decided to upgrade every aspect of their life, from the houses they live in to the cars they drive, the places they go to school and the places they visit on vacation, the food they eat and the beverages they drink.

Champagne, that one beverage which epitomises celebration and splendour across the world has begun making its presence felt, and how! Gone are the days when hotels served only one or two variants. Today, any hotel or eatery, worth it’s F&B stars, serves an exhaustive list of at least half a dozen. And then there are brunches with free-flowing champagne all around. All reputed brands have already nested comfortably on Indian shelves and are focusing on secondary markets – from smaller towns to the weddings market. My favourite brands remain Salon, Jacquasson, Pierre Gimonet, and Pol Roger but they may be rare and expensive. For more convenient consumption, trust Mumm’s, VeuveClicquot, or Bollinger.

Wines, which I am approaching as separate form Champagne has the added advantage of finding boost in the local winemakers. They have surely upped the ante and winemakers like Fratelli are making great strides for India, putting us on the respectable wine producer map of the world. I am waiting for their next Bordeaux-style release which promises to be a treat for the most discerning of connoisseurs. Other winemakers too are putting in good effort and turning out respectable results.

Speaking of things respectable and Indian, Amrut comes racing to my mind. This Bangalore-based whisky manufacturer is doing an excellent job of producing some very fine malts. I attended a full-steam, no-variants-left-behind tasting and it was heady not just in an alcoholic sense. The products, after just four years of ageing, display character and depth of others more than twice their age. Thank or blame the Indian weather but it makes for quick maturity, and the price it extracts in return is that we lose more by way of evaporation from the barrels. Scotch remains popular but I was most impressed by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which had some very prized and rare malts in their kitty at unbelievably low prices.

Gin has been one stunner of a beverage that is showing great potential. The arrival of Hendricks was quite a big deal here for Indians had never seen gin in such light. From packaging to taste, it dealt a whole new hand to even the most seasoned of players. T10 arrived shortly thereafter and only furthered the idea of high-end gins.

Vodka, although not a personal favourite, grows too. In fact, it appears that there is a shameless fixation over how many times a particular brand of vodka has been distilled. Almost reeks of male egos and their insatiable and unstable states. I don’t get the kick in consuming pure neutered spirit; I much prefer the stuff that puts hair on your chest.

Speaking of which, rum is another drink that we don’t exploit enough.But I have to allow for the Catch-22 that we don’t enjoy it enough for we don’t quite have the range yet, and so it viciously circles and spirals from there. In cocktails, it makes for a fantastic base, one that can add much body and vigour; tasty as it may be, believe your bartender when he tells you that there are other ways to enjoy rum than just with cola.

While on the subject of cocktails, this is the one part of our drinks 101 that leaves me most saddened. We approach cocktails the same way some chefs approach prime meat; they use spice and sauce to douse the original flavours of a Kobe just like we think of adding juices and all-else to a spirit base to drown out its taste. Sad, sad, and just encore sad! A cocktail is an artist’s expression in liquid. A good mixologist doesn’t just throw some things together with ice and give them a quick shake and stir, he constructs and concocts  recipe in his mind way before we even touches the bar rail. The balances of the flavours, the measures and method, he is closer to a medieval pharmacist working away in his apothecary if anything. The good bars, for me, remain, the bars at both the Taj and Leela properties in Delhi (Blue Bar, Rick’s, Library Bar, Rubicon Bar). Raintree in Chennai too has one gifted bartender. Mumbai offers up a good mix once in a while but again within the confines of a fancy hotel. That apart, cocktails are one category that the rich and famous need to learn to indulge in, even if so to indulge their favourite bars and bartenders so that they graduate to the next level of service.

Luxury in India is fast spreading but few are truly indulging in it for the right reasons. I don’t care what bag you sport, but try and remember that the car you drive and the drink you nurse should be first for yourself. Don’t go acquiring something to please another – they frankly don’t care and you will end up with a lemon. Also, on that note but without dwelling on it, don’t mix the two when you are out partying.

As for me, I thank God for the knowledge as also for the directions to the next heady gastronomic destination. Life should always be one relentless party minus the hangover no matter how idealistic it sounds. This is what passion will do to you: you think you are feeding off it even as it consumes you from within.