At the onset of the November chill in Delhi NCR every year, cocktail and music enthusiasts look forward to a spirited weekend at Gurugram’s India Cocktail Week. This year, the 2-day festivities were held
on the 8th and 9th, promising an indulgent experience. A highlight this year was the X Series from McDowell’s & Co’s Flavour Studio. They didn’t just serve cocktails, but also reinvented how they can be experienced.
The first-ever X-Flavour Studio was an immersive, future-forward tasting zone where mixology broke out of the glass and into unexpected flavour and format territories. Designed as a sensorial playground in collaboration with Arnold Hou from Dali & Gala, Bangalore, the studio showcased how X Series is redefining flavour, mixology, and social experiences.
The experience began with an AI-powered aura check where one could pick an adjective best suited to their personality. They would then be assigned a flavour profile based on their traits. A “curious” person could try the “fruity” drinks, and an “adventurous” person would be suggested the “spicy” options.
Inside the X-Flavour Studio, guests didn’t just sip — they experimented. Every serve was designed to be customised, mixed, and played with. Visitors got to build drinks that matched their mood, not a menu. The experience celebrated a new kind of cocktail culture: one that’s hands-on, personal, and rooted in self-expression — not just what’s in the glass.
But the experimentation didn’t just stop at the cocktail bar. McDowell’s & Co also took a spin on the classic Jell-O shots by turning them into alcohol-infused, fruit-flavour pops. The pops offered a unique sensory experience by combining flavours and textures of mango, honey, pineapple and coconut, among others. Interestingly, the X-Flavour Studio was among the only pop-ups to take the experimentation to a notch higher than the others.
Elaborating on the fresh setup, Vikram Damodaram, Chief Innovation Officer, Diageo India, said, “With X Series from McDowell’s & Co., we’re not just making spirits — we’re tapping into a new wave of how India wants to drink. Today, it’s not just about what’s in the glass, but the format, flavour, and feeling behind it.”
“The X-Flavour Studio was built on that insight: people want play, personalisation, and experiences that go beyond a standard pour. Whether you sip, freeze, or chew — we’re celebrating a culture where curiosity leads the way. Because for this generation, drinking isn’t just social; it’s experimental,” he also mentioned.
With its bold portfolio and boundary-pushing formats, X Series from McDowell’s & Co. is redefining social drinking in India — moving it from “what’s in the glass” to “what you can do with it.” The X-Flavour Studio at India Cocktail Week 2025 showcased this thought well, turning cocktails into playful, sensory experiences that leave a lasting impact.
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