Smoke Lab and AABBCC unveil India's first popcorn-flavored vodka, blending nostalgia with innovation. Crafted by Varun Jain and Jairaj Singh Solanki, this unique spirit reimagines cinema's favorite snack into a premium drink, debuting exclusively at AABBCC in New Delhi.
Like Pavlov's dog, we begin to salivate for some mandatory popcorn as soon as we enter the velvety foyer of a cinema. The rubbery crispiness of buttered kernels, the sweetness of caramel and the rustle of a striped box being passed along in a row is the image we have. These descriptions are as much images as they are flavours. On the night of November 4, in a dimly lit room of a New Delhi bar, the same flavour managed to be poured into a glass.
Smoke Lab Vodka, India's pioneering premium rice vodka brand, launched Smoke Lab Popcorn Flavoured Vodka in collaboration with Jairaj Singh Solanki, known as Joy, founder of the acclaimed cocktail bar AABBCC. Billed as a global first, the expression debuted exclusively at AABBCC, turning a much-loved flavour memory into a uniquely inventive spirit.
The idea began with memory. “Popcorn has a strong sense of nostalgia,” said Varun Jain, Founder and CEO of Smoke Lab. “We wanted to take something so familiar and give it a new expression through vodka.” The aim was to capture its buttery, toasted character, with hints of soft caramel, “while retaining the smoothness and quality of Smoke Lab.”
The partnership brings together two people who have long worked against convention. Varun Jain, Founder and CEO of Smoke Lab, has been instrumental in building India's flavoured vodka category and carrying Indian vodka to the international stage. He treats vodka as a canvas for creativity. Solanki, for his part, has an instinct for turning familiar ingredients and experiences into something extraordinary.
The vodka is the result of each doing what he does best. Jain brought the spirits expertise, building the smooth, clean base that carries the flavour. Solanki brought the flavour craft, shaping a popcorn profile that began life as a signature cocktail at his bar. He also leads the team behind Lair, ranked No. 8 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025. AABBCC is one of only five Indian bars on Asia's Top 100 Bars list and a TIME World's Greatest Places 2026 pick.
Jain says popcorn "immediately felt like an evergreen flavour," though turning it into vodka took considerable refinement. "Working with Joy made that possible," he said. "Together we turned a cocktail experiment into an expression that deserves its own place in India."
That refinement was not hurried. “For us, experimentation has to be backed by great taste,” Jain said. “We didn’t want to create something unusual just for attention.” The process took over a year and one month of trials and tastings, with the focus on getting the balance right “so the popcorn notes stood out without overpowering the vodka.”
The bottle carries the idea on its surface. Inspired by the original red-and-white striped popcorn box, it is a vibrant red, marked with a bold white 'S' outlined in black. It nods to the classic Smoke Lab identity while keeping a personality of its own.
A cinematic campaign film, directed by Digital Palmy, takes the same thought further. It follows a familiar movie-time indulgence out of the cinema and into contemporary cocktail culture, with glimpses of the bottle and of the spirit being served at AABBCC. Shot in deep reds and golden hues, it draws on nostalgia and the ethos of flavour evolution.
The vodka is made for seekers of unconventional flavours. It can be taken chilled over ice or used as a base for inventive cocktails, giving bartenders a new playground in which to reinterpret familiar serves through a popcorn-led lens. More than a product, it celebrates the emotional connection people share with food, flavour and memory: the magic of cinema-going, childhood indulgences, and the simple pleasure of a box of popcorn.
For Solanki, the choice of launch city mattered. "Popcorn is hands down one of the most loved snacks in the world, and I have always been a personal fan," he said. He could not stop thinking about how to bring real innovation to it, and the idea of turning that buttery, caramelised warmth into a spirit kept pulling him back. Smoke Lab, he said, was the right partner. "Varun brought the spirits' expertise and the rigour, and together we created a flavour unlike anything India has tasted before, and we're proud that it's launching at home, in Delhi, at AABBCC."
The launch reflects a growing appetite for experimental, flavour-forward drinking, with consumers looking beyond conventional spirit profiles for novelty, storytelling and discovery. As a limited-edition expression, Smoke Lab Popcorn Flavoured Vodka will initially be available only at AABBCC in New Delhi, with more cities to follow soon.
With it, Smoke Lab and AABBCC invite drinkers to rethink what vodka can taste like, and to consider that the most unexpected collaborations can make the biggest impression.