Dewar's Discoveries x Kabootarbazi: When Four Finalists Discovered A Centuries-Old Sport In Delhi

In the fifth episode of Dewar’s Discoveries, four mixologists explore and draw inspiration from kabootarbazi, the centuries-old sport of pigeon flying in Old Delhi.

Published on:

01 Oct 2026, 12:15 pm

2 min read

Summary

Four mixologists explored Old Delhi’s rooftops, discovering kabootarbazi, a centuries-old sport of pigeon flying. Inspired by the cultural history and complexity of Kabootarbazi, they reimagined storytelling through cocktails, blending sensory elements like color, texture, and movement to craft unique drinking experiences.

In Delhi, some of the city’s most enduring stories take place above its crowded streets. On the rooftops of Old Delhi, where minarets punctuate the skyline and the sounds of the bazaar below travel between ancient buildings leaning against each other, pigeons take flight at the call of their handlers. Known as kabootarbazi, the centuries-old sport of breeding, training and flying pigeons is an inseparable part of the city’s cultural memory, offering a glimpse into a world shared between humans and birds alike.

For the fifth episode of Dewar’s Discoveries, four mixologists from across the country headed to the storied alleys of Old Delhi, where they found inspiration in kabootarbazi. The experience invited them to look beyond the familiar landmarks of the national capital and draw inspiration from the inherited knowledge systems, rituals, and creative practices that shape life in Shahjahanabad, once Mughal India’s seat of power.

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Kabootarbazi has deep historical roots in the Persianate cultural world, including the Mughal courts. Emperor Babur’s Tuzk-e-Babri refers to kabootarbazi as a favourite pastime of the emperor. Over time, pigeon keeping and flying developed as leisure among rulers and nobility, and found a home across North Indian cities, particularly in the densely populated neighbourhoods of Old Delhi and Agra. Here, generations of kabootarbaz, or pigeon handlers, developed specialised techniques for breeding birds, training them to respond to specific calls, and guiding their movements through the sky. Distinct whistles, vocal commands and colourful cloths become part of a shared vocabulary between handlers and their flock.

This relationship became a starting point for mixologists including Sandesh Sebastian Thalang and Ankur Verma to reconsider how stories can be told through cocktails. The visual language of kabootarbazi inspired them to look beyond flavour alone and explore how colour, texture, movement, and presentation can shape a drinking experience. In Old Delhi, they realised how a cocktail, like a trained bird responding to a call, can invite curiosity before the first sip, communicating an idea through sensory details and leaving room for interpretation.

Watch the episode here: