India, June 30 -- In a speed-obsessed world, the joy of savouring food and drink is often lost. Enter the era of slow bars - where drinks are crafted with intention, ingredients respected, and conversations unhurried. These spots invite you to pause, sip, and truly taste. "Slow bars are like the chef's table of the coffee world - deliberate, personal, and rooted in care. Watching coffee being brewed invites stillness, curiosity, and connection, much like mindful eating. It's about being present, savouring each sip, and honouring where itallcomesfrom," says Chef Radhika Khandelwal. Delhi's Hinoki, a Japanese-inspired cafe, was founded by college friends Urvi Singh and Deepanshu Saini. What started as a commitment to transparency - crafting every drink from scratch in front of customers - naturally evolved into a slow bar, where the process matters as much as the pour. "This put the concept of a slow bar in action for us. At first, we were sceptical, but slowly, customers were drawn to the process and appreciated it," says Deepanshu, adding, "Even our ingredients are well thought out and researched. We use those ingredients in our matcha that do not overpower but rather complement it, hence we decide on ingredients very precisely." At Blondie Mumbai, co-founder Natasha Hemani says the slow bar was born to prioritise flavour over volume. "The slow bar is our way of carving out space for better coffee, brewed without urgency. We work with beans that have undergone natural, anaerobic, or honey processing. On our end, we stick to manual brews: pour-over, AeroPress. Everything is dialled in by hand, from grind size to water temperature," she adds. Cocktails deserve the same care as coffee and matcha. At Muro Bengaluru, co-founder Niharika Raval says great bars focus as much on the experience as the drink. "We wanted to create an experience that's deliberate and thoughtful rather than rushed. And something that excites me most is that we're not afraid to be playful. Whether it's a highball that tastes like a Dorito or a cocktail that shifts temperature on your palate, the goal is to make people feel something, surprise, nostalgia, curiosity," she adds....