Cheers To Me: The Pleasures Of Drinking Alone

Recently, on a trip to Bombay, I met a friend for dinner, who was naturally curious about what all I had done ever since I landed hours ago. The highlight of my rundown included me spending time at Marine Drive. I then went onto tell her about how I stumbled upon a bar in a small lane in Lower Parel and it served the most fabulous margaritas, I spent three hours there, drinking in peace.

"You went to a bar on your own? Wow, that's fabulous," she said with this admiration and awe in her eyes. As if I wasn't getting drunk but receiving the Nobel prize. This observation led to wonder how we all can take solo trips, eat alone, work-out alone but a simple pleasure of having a drink, by yourself at a bar, is considered gutsy.

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For my friend, a 27-year old independent woman, drinking alone felt "pointless". She said, "When I step out drinking, I want to have a good time. Somehow, I feel I would just be a lot more self-conscious, so what's the point?"

And she is not alone. A lot of people do feel for a woman drinking alone in a bar is a big deal? A lot of us live alone, take solo trips, savor meals by ourselves, so why not just get a drink alone too?

"I did go out drinking once alone because I desperately needed a drink. But, I was hit on by men and some even thought of me as a prostitute and that's not okay." says a 31-year-old woman who chose to stay anonymous.

But here's the thing though. Taking yourself out for a drink is one of the greatest and the simplest pleasures of life. Whether it is to meet new people or silently read your book with a chilled glass of beer, it is too much fun to not even try drinking solo just because of what people will think.

"I would never drink alone. I would travel solo, go for gigs alone and even step out for coffee dates by myself. But IF I needed a drink, I would run back to my apartment, pop open a bottle of wine and drink away. But one night, I desperately needed a drink and stumbled inside a hotel bar. I can't even begin to tell you how empowering it was," says 25-year-old, Priyanshi Jain.

Another individual raging abut drinking alone at a bar is 33-year-old, Anirudh Sharma. "If it counts, I met my wife at a bar. The best part about drinking alone is how people just want to hold a conversation. On trips, I have chatted with strangers for hours and have been told of some of the best local spots in a city that no website will tell you and obviously friends for a lifetime."

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Here's how you can sip your drink in peace.

"You just have to do it. It's all okay after the first time." says the head bartender of a top restaurant in New Delhi. He also gave a few simple tips such as choosing to sit at the bar than taking a table as bartenders just know whether you want to chat or just be left alone. Avoid peak hours. And if you are craving privacy, hotel bars are ideal.

Really though, if you want a drink, you should just have one. At a bar, in a garden, just not when you are driving. People will stare regardless because solo drinkers are a rare but exotic breed. Order that fine whiskey and enjoy every sip. And if we ever bump into each other, just know the first round will always be on us.

*Indiatimes doesn't promote or sponsor drinking or the consumption of any alcoholic beverage.