Point of No Return

You visit some bars for their music, some for their quality of drinks, some for the people they attract, and some for their convenient location. You would go to Rubicon for an evening of comfort and elegance along with some good classic drinks. And that would be your rubicon (point of no return).

You can grow used to such elegance and luxury. An unobtrusive alcove in the mesmerisingly glittery lobby of The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon leads you through a tantalising tunnel lit up in rich ruby colour into a welcoming lounge bar. The décor, the lighting, Chesterfield wing chairs, the glitter of crystal and twinkle of amber liquids, all conspire to give an immediate sense of well-being and having arrived.

This is the kind of place where you would automatically reach for the single malts and Scotches, for they belong. Carefully selected wines from the hotel’s state-of-the-art walk-in cellars would be a close second. Cocktails would still seem part of the environs, but beer would seem an insolence!

A low seating bar with a counter introduces a new concept inspired by Japanese bars. This goes quite well with the “Let me be” rather than the “Come see me” ambience of the Rubicon bar. So even if you choose to sit at the bar, you can be comfortably unobtrusive rather than seated uncomfortably on high stools. Alcoves and winged chairs in other places, some near the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Gurgaon highway, also assure privacy. Ornamental details with exquisite metallic lattice work by Japanese designers Design Studio Spin weave a special magic.

The bar boasts an enviable range of single malts and Scotches, while the wine cellar is more than adequate with a range of labels selected more for their uniqueness and importantly, value for money. And so the ubiquitous French wines are picked and chosen and a freer hand allowed to Italian wines, which Kunal Chauhan, the EAM – Food & Beverage, believes are more price friendly.

Kunal has been adventurous with his wine selections, taking full advantage of the open market status of Gurgaon. So Leela Kempinski keeps introducing new wines and replacing old ones with fresher alternatives quite often. Chilean and Argentinean wines are also popular, particularly the latter that go well with Indian cuisine.

The beverage list is very extensive too, with almost everything anyone can offer-rare single malts, 75 labels of whisky, vodkas, flavoured vodkas, cognacs, etc. Japanese whisky such as Nikka and Suntory are already available with other labels poised for entry.

Rubicon also has an extensive selection of cocktails but interestingly, they rarely follow it. Because next door is their 24-hour dining, Spectra, which has fresh ingredients flown in everyday. And so bartender Ankit Sadana reinvents his cocktails list everyday depending on fresh ingredients available. The Cherry Martini he offers today may become a Strawberry Martini tomorrow and so on. We try the Pomegranate with Lemongrass Martini and Elderflower Martini (both passably good at Rs 450 each).

At Ankit’s encouragement we try two drinks – the Maracusa (Rs 450) with Gold Tequila, White Rum, Cointreau, passionfruit and lemon juice; and Fifth Avenue (Rs 650) – Cognac with dark Crème de Cacao and a generous dollop of whipped cream. These are real winners and highly recommended.

Delhiites, in case you are wondering why you would travel to Gurgaon for your tipple, pricing is an attraction. The same Chivas or Absolut peg you get for Rs 550 each in a Delhi hotel, is available for Rs 400 at Rubicon. During Happy Hours (10-midnight), you can avail two pegs for the price of one. So you could get two pegs of the rare Ladyburn 1973 Vintage Single Cask at Rs 4000 (normally you get a single peg at Rs 5000 in Delhi).

Oh yes, an added attraction is the live singing. Few classy bars still have someone sing for you to the strumming of a guitar, most having given way to DJs, though live bands are coming back in a big way now. From 7 to 9 pm is Jazz Blues by a two-piece band, which turns to retro for an hour, before house and progressive to hip hop so the late night happy hours crowd (10 pm and midnight) can shake a leg too!

Reason enough for Delhi to visit Gurgaon?

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