China’s Hope & Sesame brings award-winning cocktails to Chennai
Something exciting is happening to the drinking culture in Chennai. The city is beginning to find its place among metros now brimming with pop-ups, cocktail lounges, and speakeasies. This evolving landscape makes bartenders from around the world curious about what Chennai has to offer, and what the city is ready for next.
One such bar is Guangzhou-based Hope & Sesame, ranked seventh on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list and at 29 on the World’s 50 Best Bars. Since opening in 2016 in southern China, it has helped shape the region’s cocktail culture. This weekend will be their first-ever visit to Chennai for a bar takeover at Park Hyatt Chennai’s The Flying Elephant.
Passionfruit Martini
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“I think the drinking culture, as well as the general palate, is quite different from what we are used to in China. The flavours in India feel more pronounced, whether it’s sweetness, acidity, or spice. There’s a clarity and boldness to the flavours, which I find very engaging,” says Amy Yu, project and event manager, and spirits architect, Hope & Sesame.
Coordinated by Tulleeho, a beverage education and experiences academy, Hope & Sesame is in India for a three-city tour with their first and second pitstops being Goa and Jaipur before they land in Chennai. “We’ve been receiving increasing interest from different cities across India, and we’ve also witnessed the rapid growth of the cocktail culture here. It will be very interesting to continue exploring this market, using cocktails as a way to understand different cities and their unique drinking cultures,” she says.
Amy Yu from Hope & Sesame
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
For their Chennai takeover, the team has put together a focussed line-up of five cocktails. These include a milk-washed passion fruit martini, a coconut Old Fashioned to echo the city’s coastal mood, and their take on a Bloody Mary, layered with a house-made Wingman sauce. Also on the menu is the Gentle Irish, which brings together floral and herbal notes. The standout, however, is the Sha Cha High, a highball-style cocktail with umami so it remains light and refreshing. “It’s currently one of our best-selling cocktails, and it represents what we enjoy doing — creating something that is innovative in flavour, umami-forward, and highly drinkable,” she says.
Though Hope & Sesame is a cocktail bar known for its far-reaching techniques like centrifugal clarification, sous vide infusions, slow cooking and rotary distillation, they believe in highlighting flavour over technique. The cocktails on the takeover menu uses techniques like milk washing and oil washing, to give space for the ingredients to shine.
Hope & Sesame
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Ershad Mullick, director, food and beverage, Park Hyatt Chennai, and his team are approaching the takeover as both a showcase and a learning experience. “We do a lot of bar takeovers, domestic and international. It’s not just to feature, but to exchange ideas and understand how cocktail trends are evolving,” he says, adding that for the evening the chefs at The Flying Elephant have curated six small plates with flavours from the Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines. The team is also aiding Hope & Sesame source ingredients for the cocktails.
“We have brought a few key components from Guangzhou, including our homemade shacha bitters, vinegar sauce, coconut oil, and creamy cocoa. These are either difficult to source here or very specific to our recipes,” says Amy.
If travelling to China is not on your 2026 bucket list, this takeover is your chance to meet the flavours halfway.
Hope & Sesame will takeover the bar at Park Hyatt Chennai’s The Flying Elephant, Guindy on April 5. For reservations, call 8939871128.
Published – April 01, 2026 12:13 pm IST
