It’s Friday night and you don’t want to be without a passcode. Or, a WhatsApp message from Ping’s Cafe Orient. Passcode to party?! What’s that? It’s only when we landed up at the Middleton Row modern Asian hangout one April night that we realised what a fun concept it was. 

You couldn’t just walk into Ping’s. A passcode WhatsApp-ed to you was your ticket to party at the PCO Pop-Up. The party nights were an inspiration from New Delhi’s Pass Code Only, a chill spot that is a sister concern of Ping’s Cafe Orient’s New Delhi outlet.

The concept goes back to the ‘speakeasy bars’ of the Prohibition-era (1920-1933) in the United States, which sold liquor behind closed doors, with a passcode for entry.

The bar was the busiest place what with special guest Vicky Thakur, head mixologist from Pass Code Only in the house. “It was my first time in Calcutta and it was definitely interesting to see what people enjoyed — a simple balance between flavour and liquor. They liked it strong but not stiff. Definitely more easy and quick rather than relaxed. For signature cocktails, I see why a Penicillin would work better here than an Old Fashioned,” said Vicky.  

DJ Sami churned out peppy numbers. “I started with jazz and reggae and played some new-age hip-hop and R&B later,” he said.

Text: Pramita Ghosh. Pictures: Rashbehari Das