Picture this: You’re in Mumbai, sipping a cocktail that stares back at you. On the rim of your glass? Not salt, not lime, but bugs. Dehydrated, Thai, and surprisingly crunchy ants. This isn’t a prank or a dare; it’s the now-iconic Antz cocktail at Seefah, where tequila meets mezcal and your palate meets panic (followed immediately by intrigue and possibly delight).
But what might seem like a bold Instagram stunt is, for chef-founder Seefah Ketchaiyo, a heartfelt cultural hand-off. “People know Pad Thai and mango sticky rice,” she says. “But not the ant egg salad I grew up eating.” So no, she’s not trolling your taste buds; she’s handing you her culinary heritage one bug at a time.
Beyond the Shock: Why Are We Drinking Insects Now?
Insects in food and drink have existed long before the first influencer cried, “ew!” across Asia, in places like Thailand, India, and the Philippines, eating insects is less a trend and more a Tuesday.
Research shows that India alone consumes over 300 edible species. Why? Bugs pack a serious punch: high protein, low emissions, and a carbon footprint so dainty it could waltz through a minefield of climate guilt. The only real obstacle is the universal “ick,” but perception, as it turns out, is as malleable as melted brown butter, especially when bartenders start spinning magic.
Shaken, Stirred, And Slightly Crawly: Where the Magic Happens
Walk into Tokyo’s Bar BenFiddich, and you might encounter a cocktail brewed like a medieval potion, with herbs, roots, insects, and all. Owner Hiroyasu Kayama has turned “farm to glass” into an art form, nodding to traditional yakushu, medicinal liquors with a side of bugs.
Over in Hong Kong, Coa serves a Spicy Grasshopper cocktail that walks the fine line between subtle brilliance and a piquant punch in the mouth. Founder Jay Khan uses local grasshoppers and fiery bird’s – eye chilli to create a version of sal de gusano, worm salt, that’ll make your lips tingle and your eyebrows question your choices. Yet, it works; so well, in fact, that Coa topped Asia’s 50 Best Bars for three years in a row.
Singapore’s Origin Bar offers the cricket-infused Starbugs, a Japanese whisky and coffee number with salted caramel air. Meanwhile, at Bangkok’s Mahaniyom, the Worm cocktail combines bamboo, silkworm, and sago worm for a symphony of nutty, milky flavours – think Nutella’s wild cousin.
Read More: Gendering Of Drinks: Why Whisky Is Said To Be Masculine While Wine A Lady’s Drink?
The Rise Of The Thoughtful Bug Drink
No, this isn’t all buzz and bravado. Some bars are pushing this movement with quiet precision and genuine intent. Singapore’s Fura, helmed by Noma’s former head forager Christina Rasmussen and Empirical’s Sasha Wijidessa, has been redefining what “sustainable drinking” looks like.
Think Mealworm Margaritas, cricket garum on bar snacks, and Jellyfish Martinis that somehow taste like the sea had a love child with a dry martini. Their strategy? Hide the bug, and reveal the flavour. “We wanted people to taste first and react later,” says Rasmussen. The insects are often caramelised or fat-washed to extract that rich umami base, which means no wings sticking out of your drink, just notes of deep, satisfying flavour.
Tansha Vohra, the founder of Boochi (an Indian platform studying insect consumption), says it’s time we ask the hard questions. Are we putting bugs on menus for the dopamine hit? For clout? Or to respectfully reclaim indigenous, sustainable practices? For centuries, colonisers turned insect-eating into a marker of “uncivilised” behaviour. Now that it’s cool in upscale bars, the irony stings.
Vohra suggests that instead of simply lifting bug traditions for bar menus, we ought to engage with the communities that first embraced them; maybe invite tribal food experts to guest bartend, not just globe-trotting mixologists.
The Buzz Ahead: Not Just A Phase
This isn’t just a passing phase where bartenders sprinkle bugs and call it eco. It’s a slow but sure revolution in taste, sustainability, and storytelling. With countries like Singapore approving edible insects for consumption, a new world of flavours is crawling onto bar menus – ethically, thoughtfully, and deliciously.
So the next time someone hands you a cocktail with ants on the rim, don’t panic. Take a sip. Taste the story. And maybe, just maybe, let the bugs win; after all, what’s life without a little extra crunch?
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Science of Food, BBC, The Telegraph
Find the blogger: Sejal Agarwal
This post is tagged under: bugs, cocktails, booze, bear, gin, coke, gin and coke, bug cocktails, edible insects India, insect infused drinks, Seefah Antz cocktail, sustainable cocktails, entomophagy trends, eco-friendly drinking, insect cuisine Asia, gourmet bugs, Thai food culture, future of food, bug-based beverages, cricket cocktail Singapore, Tokyo bug bars, bar BenFiddich Tokyo, Coa Hong Kong cocktail, sustainable mixology, bugs in fine dining, ant egg salad Thailand, origin bar Singapore, mealworm margarita, insect protein drinks, modern Indigenous cuisine, Christina Rasmussen Fura, Boochi Tansha Vohra, food and climate change, eco mixology movement, alternative proteins bar, bug drinking trend, weird cocktails Asia
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