Tres Monos Bar Takeover at Novotel Hyderabad HICC

The last bar takeover I wrote about was 1970 Bar's night at Visk, Taj Deccan — Bangkok flying into Hyderabad for one evening. This one came from further away. On Sunday, 23rd August, Tres Monos — ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars — took over The Bar at Novotel Hyderabad HICC, bringing Buenos Aires after-dark energy with them.

Reema with Franco Lopez and Lucila Calachio of Tres Monos at Novotel Hyderabad HICC — With Franco and Lucila behind the bar at Novotel Hyderabad HICC.

Tres Monos bar takeover signage at The Bar, Novotel Hyderabad HICC — Tres Monos, lit up at The Bar, Novotel Hyderabad HICC.

Hyderabad was one stop on a mammoth 8-city India tour — Fairmont Udaipur Palace, Hyatt Regency Delhi, Ritz-Carlton Pune, JW Marriott Bangalore, St. Regis Mumbai, and more, before landing here. Behind the bar all night: Franco Lopez and Lucila Calachio, serving up Tres Monos' signature creations to a packed room.

Tres Monos signature cocktail menu at Novotel Hyderabad HICC bar takeover — The takeover menu — four Argentinian-inspired pours built around Don Julio, Johnnie Walker and Ketel One.

The lineup leaned bold and playful: Chimi Hendrix (Don Julio Reposado, Johnnie Walker Blonde, chimichurri, honey, pineapple, ginger ale), Paloma Porteña (Don Julio Reposado, Tres Monos' own Northern liquor, watermelon vinegar, mint, grapefruit soda), Matetini (Ketel One infused with Suico & Yerba mate, green apple, Sula Sauvignon Blanc, Martini Bianco and Extra Dry), and Plaza One (Johnnie Walker Blonde, Martini Bianco Sweet & Extra Dry, Sula Sauvignon Blanc, Monacal Argentinian liquor, Angostura bitters).

Tres Monos signature cocktails served at Novotel Hyderabad HICC bar takeover — Two of the night's pours, ready to go.

What made the evening, though, was talking to Franco and Lucila directly. This was Franco's first trip outside Argentina, and he had the kind of childlike enthusiasm you can't fake — he sat with me and talked through how he'd worked his way up in hospitality, starting out waiting tables before ever stepping behind a bar. His journey to get here alone was brutal: Buenos Aires to Brazil, then an 18-hour haul to Dubai, then on to Mumbai, then Pune, and so on across eight cities — and he was still buzzing with energy telling me about it.

Bartender pouring a cocktail at the Tres Monos takeover, Novotel Hyderabad HICC — Behind the bar, every pour handled with the precision you'd expect from a World's 50 Best team.

Lucila had been to India once before, three years ago, and out of this tour's eight cities, four were repeats for her — Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur and Udaipur were new additions this time round. Both of them were full of energy all evening, genuinely sweet, and never once said no to a photo.

Franco Lopez and Lucila Calachio of Tres Monos behind the bar at Novotel Hyderabad HICC — Franco and Lucila, mid-shift and still having the time of their lives.

Thanks to Novotel Hyderabad HICC for the invite and for hosting such a well-run night — the food alongside the cocktails held its own too. Filed under Binger Diaries — no verdict needed, just a genuinely fun evening with two bartenders flying the Tres Monos flag a very long way from home.

Tres Monos Takes Over The Bar at Novotel Hyderabad HICC

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