India’s bar scene is no longer catching up with the West—it’s at par. Cocktail enthusiasts are now curious about what goes into the drink, whether it needs to be stirred or shaken, and are excited to sample different spirits. This curiosity has only made India Cocktail Week (ICW) bigger, year after year. It’s a time when enthusiasts and the alco-bev industry folks could come under one roof for what one could call India’s biggest cocktail festival.

When it first launched, “ICW felt like an exhibition of spirit brands. But the growing demand for cocktails, and bartenders upping their game—it has all contributed to the cocktail week becoming bigger,” says Sharan Behl co-founder of ICW and director of WMS Entertainment. In many ways, ICW has grown to become a community format that brings together spirits industry professionals, brand representatives, tastemakers, music enthusiasts, and patrons who love sipping on creative cocktails.