New Delhi, September 2026 – Kamei, Delhi, the contemporary Asian restaurant and bar, presents Indigenous Asia Volume 2, a new cocktail menu that continues the brand’s exploration of Asian ingredients, flavours and traditions through a contemporary lens. Inspired by recent travels across East Asia, particularly Korea, the menu pairs familiar ingredients in unexpected combinations while keeping the drinking experience simple, balanced and enjoyable. From miso, shoyu and bonito to pandan, black rice, jackfruit, white tea, makrut, hinoki and Sichuan pepper, the menu explores what these ingredients can become beyond their usual culinary context.
At the heart of Indigenous Asia: Volume 2 is a simple idea: bringing back the joy of drinking. Rather than adding complexity for the sake of innovation, Kamei’s approach focuses on creating cocktails with depth and character that remain approachable and make you want to take another sip.
Vanshika Wadhwa, Founder, Kamei, says, “With Indigenous Asia: Volume 2, we wanted to go deeper into what makes an ingredient interesting and what happens when you take something familiar and look at it from a different perspective. Our travels across East Asia gave us new flavours, references and memories to work with, but the idea was never to make the drinks complicated for the sake of innovation. While we have experimented a bit, we primarily wanted to focus on creating cocktails that make you want to take another sip.”
The menu features 12 cocktails, eight new creations and four returning favourites, moving across bright, citrus-led, tropical, savoury, aromatic and deeper profiles. At its core is a playful meeting of familiar Asian ingredients and unexpected cocktail combinations.
Sake Cha pairs vodka and mirin sake with apricot and white tea, with shiro miso and lime adding savoury depth and brightness. The Island Sour takes the aromatic character of pandan and combines it with pandan whiskey, black rice, coconut, jackfruit and lime, bringing together earthy, tropical and citrus notes in a layered sour. For something brighter and more refreshing, Midori Highball combines whisky with Mikiamo Limoncello, Green Chartreuse, celery pickle, yuzu and makrut soda, creating a drink that moves between herbal, citrus and lightly savoury notes. Crimson Geisha brings together tequila, mezcal and Aperol with rambutan, acids and amaro. The soft, fragrant sweetness of rambutan meets smoky agave, citrus and bitterness, creating a more complex expression of the tropical fruit.
The menu also leans into savoury flavours that are more commonly associated with the kitchen. In Bonito Bay, bonito flakes give tequila a subtle umami character, layered with Davana Bianco, hinoki and aromatic bitters. Shoyu Martini takes the familiar salinity of soy sauce and places it alongside gin, watermelon, tomato, sherry vinegar and citric, creating a martini that moves between fresh, savoury and bright flavours. Awa-Guava combines tequila and dry vermouth with juicy guava, basil soda and Sichuan pepper, using the spice’s distinctive lingering warmth to cut through the fruit. Hāmonī brings together gin, Palo Santo, Soulmate Soju, wasabi, grape and lemongrass, balancing earthy and botanical notes with fruit and a clean, sharp finish.
Across the menu, the ingredients are treated as more than flavour accents. They are the starting points for each drink, allowing Kamei to explore their aroma, texture, salinity, acidity and depth in a new context.
Ankur Adhana, Head of Bar & Mixology, Kamei, leads the menu with an ingredient-first approach, starting with an ingredient and exploring its possibilities before building the cocktail around it. Ankur says, “I’ve always preferred to start with the ingredient and let it lead the process. With this menu, we looked at familiar Asian flavours and asked what else they could become in a cocktail. My travels across East Asia, particularly Korea, also gave me a deeper appreciation for the way savoury, fermented and aromatic flavours are part of everyday food and drinking culture. The idea was not to use ingredients simply because they are unusual in cocktails, but to understand their character and find combinations that allow them to work naturally. The final drink should have depth and nuance, but still feel effortless to drink.”
Techniques including clarification, pickling, fermentation and infusion are used selectively to bring out the character of individual ingredients. House-made fruit and herb cordials help control sweetness, while ingredients such as wasabi, miso and bonito are balanced with familiar elements like citrus, fruit, gin and soda to keep the drinks approachable.
The menu also reflects the natural connection between Kamei’s kitchen and bar. Several ingredients are shared between the two, while garnishes have been developed alongside the culinary team. Rather than creating a forced food and beverage pairing, the overlap comes from a shared understanding of ingredients and how they can be interpreted differently.
The concept extends beyond the cocktails to the physical menu itself. Housed in a box, the menu brings together fragments of travel, aromas, regional references, and visual memories that inspired the drinks. Inspired by the feeling of collecting small objects and memories while travelling, the menu experience is an extract of the larger journey behind Indigenous Asia: Volume 2.
With Indigenous Asia Volume 2, Kamei continues to build a beverage programme that is rooted in Asia, contemporary in its interpretation and ingredient-led in its approach, while keeping the focus where it belongs: on making a great cocktail that guests simply want to drink again.
Fact Sheet:
Address: Kamei, Eldeco Centre, Saket, Delhi, India 110017
Operating hours: Lunch – 12:30 PM to 4 PM; Dinner – 7 PM to 12 AM
Price for 2: cocktails starting at INR 995; INR 6000 + (with alcohol)
Reservations: +91 93194 96374
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamei.asian/?hl=en
About Kamei:
Kamei is a premium luxury ‘Modern Asian Restaurant & Cocktail Bar’ in the heart of South Delhi. From the House of Fio, guided by 15 years of training, we are proud to bring minimalism with an inspired stroke of understated luxury- the world of Kamei. Kamei is a storyteller’s journey across East Asia, like a graceful dance of longevity, wisdom, and good fortune; the restaurant embodies the spirit of the resolute turtle. Coupled with the Ethos of the House of Fio, where quality, consistency, and hospitality remain paramount, Kamei is an alluring insight into a diverse continent and its nuanced food. A tale of fresh, seasonal ingredients, rich flavors, and heritage recipes.
