The Permit Room
Our Old-Fashioned bottled cocktail takes its name from the Permit Room bar, found in every Dishoom and so named after the official term for all Bombay drinking establishments, in which, according to the Bombay Prohibition Act of 1949, only permit-holders may consume alcohol. Herein, liquor can be sold and imbibed, but only for the goodness of one’s health.
A serving suggestion
Though the doors of the Permit Room are closed for now, you can still enjoy our tipples in bottled form at home. Follow our lead to achieve the perfect pour, and transport yourself back to a cosy corner of the bar.
Our industrious Daru-wallas have readied a most delicious muddle of Woodford Reserve bourbon with bay leaf reduction, green tea and so on. Bottle-aged to perfection.
Per serve, you will need:
- A rocks glass
- Cubed ice
- A bay leaf
- A black olive
The Permit Room Collection
Our first-ever bottled cocktail collection includes three of the Permit Room’s very best tipples – the India Gimlet, Sonia’s Negroni, and the Old-Fashioned – all of which can now be ordered individually, or as a beautifully packaged collection.
Each bottle is carefully hand-batched and bottled in the Permit Room of Dishoom King’s Cross, and makes a delightful and delicious gift, either as a treat for oneself or to bestow upon a loved one.
These 200ml pegs contain two generous serves and are priced at £14 each, or £38 for the set, and are available on the Dishoom Store.
The sun is momentarily out again. Calendars are fast filling up. There’s many a thing to do and many a friend to meet. And if we may kindly add to the excitement and the plan-making, here’s our list of what we’re looking forward to in September.
While we were at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we caught Evening Conversations, an engaging show by Sudha Bhuchar. We caught up with her after the show to talk about her journey and her views on South Asian representation on screen, which you can read below. And for those who didn’t walk down the cobbled streets of the city or stumble into an impromptu performance this year, we highly recommend it for 2024.
Each year as August dawns, the streets and rooms and corners of Edinburgh fill with music, art, laughter and song. Wander into grand halls and pokey pubs, as the morning sun rises or in the dark of night, to see creations of every kind as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In honour of this wonderful celebration of the performing arts (and as a little treat), here’s a special edition Dishoom Loves, covering all the acts we’ve circled on our festival programme.
For anyone looking to learn or read more on Partition, this page holds a series of resources, for all ages, created by people knowledgeable and knowing about such matters. It is by no means definitive – we have simply found them to be useful, inspiring and accessible.