New Delhi, Feb. 22 -- In December, bartender and entrepreneur Yangdup Lama made a whirlwind trip to Nagaland. He came back with his mind and notebook filled with ideas. "We brought back bountiful ingredients," he shares. Wild Naga tomato and the fermented rice drink zutho now feature in the limited-edition cocktail menu at three of his bars-Sidecar in Delhi, and Cocktails & Dreams and The Brook in Gurugram.

Mountain-inspired bar menus have come into their own, led by teams hailing from the hills. Kashmiri chef Prateek Sadhu started the restaurant Naar in Himachal Pradesh, while the husband-wife duo chef Viraf Patel and Prakriti Lama Patel run Across in Mumbai with food and drinks shaped by the Himalayan belt. Shad Skye in Shillong is fro...