Popcorn and vodka don't seem like the most likely pairing, but Smoke Lab Vodka is going down that route with its latest release. The Indian premium rice vodka brand has teamed up with Jairaj Singh Solanki, also known as Joy, founder of New Delhi's AABBCC, to launch a Smoke Lab Popcorn flavored vodka. The limited-edition expression is inspired by the buttery, toasty notes of popcorn and takes the classic movie snack and turns it into a spirit.
Launched on November 4, 2026, the new vodka debuted exclusively at AABBCC in New Delhi. It's a collaboration between Smoke Lab founder and CEO Varun Jain and Solanki, combining Varun's experience in spirits with Solanki's approach to experimental cocktails. As India's first popcorn vodka and another entry into the increasingly popular category of flavored spirits in the country.
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Smoke Lab Popcorn Flavored Vodka is a limited-edition expression inspired by the sweet, buttery, and caramelized character of popcorn. Rather than being another fruit-flavored vodka, it's crafted from a very familiar product that we all associate with the cinema, childhood, and a certain kind of casual indulgence. It's a vodka created to bring that popcorn character into cocktails and other mixed drinks.
The new expression is very much in keeping with Smoke Lab's positioning as a premium Indian rice vodka. It's a clean, smooth vodka with the popcorn flavor really coming through. It can be served chilled over ice or used in cocktails, opening up a whole range of possibilities for bartenders to play around with in the way of sweet, savory, and dessert-type cocktails.
The Smoke Lab popcorn flavored vodka was born out of a signature cocktail that was originally developed at AABBCC. Keen on exploring how the popcorn flavor could be 'translated' into a spirit rather than just being used as an ingredient in a cocktail. That evolved into a collaboration with Smoke Lab, with Varun Jain providing the spirits know-how and Solanki doing the flavor work.
Solanki is also linked to Lair, the New Delhi cocktail bar which features in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 listed at eighth. AABBCC has been recognized on Asia's Top 100 Bars list and was included in TIME's World's Greatest Places for 2026 in the launch announcement. The partnership is between a vodka producer and a bartender known for working with very unusual ingredients, which is a clear indication of the direction that the spirits world is moving in.
On the collaboration, Varun Jain noted that popcorn initially looked like it had real potential as a flavor but required a lot of work to get it right for vodka. Solanki was similarly keen on the idea of taking the well-known buttery sweetness of popcorn and turning it into a spirit. The aim in both cases was to create a product that would work on its own rather than just be a variation of an existing cocktail.
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Smoke Lab has also given their popcorn flavored vodka a distinctive package. Taking inspiration from the classic red and white striped popcorn box, the bottle is a bright red with a large black outlined white S. It's a package that's very much in keeping with the Smoke Lab look, but does nod to the cinema theme that underpins the new expression.
The brand has launched a cinematic campaign to go with the launch. The film is in deep red and gold and focuses on the bottle and the bottle at AABBCC. It's a film that takes the very familiar experience of eating popcorn in the cinema and repositions it as the experience of enjoying the same flavors in a modern cocktail.
As for serving suggestions, Smoke Lab recommends serving the vodka chilled over ice or in a cocktail. The caramel buttery character could be very well suited to a dessert-type cocktail. The launch is really aimed at the consumer and the bartender who is interested in playing around with some unusual flavor combinations.
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Smoke Lab's Popcorn flavored vodka was launched exclusively at AABBCC in New Delhi on November 4, 2026. The company has confirmed it will be available only at the event initially, with a future plan to roll it out to other Indian cities. They haven't yet confirmed which cities will get it next or when the wider rollout will occur.
The official announcement makes no mention of the vodka's retail price, bottle size, or whether it will be available through liquor stores. At the moment, AABBCC is the only place where the new expression is available. Further details on pricing and distribution are to be announced as Smoke Lab lays out its expansion plans.
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All the information in this article has come from the official press release issued by Smoke Lab Vodka and NV Group on November 4, 2026, the brand's official launch video, the brand's website, and company communications. That's where the details on the popcorn vodka launch, the collaboration with AABBCC, the flavor, the bottle, and the initial availability in New Delhi have come from.
Smoke Lab Popcorn flavored vodka is a very interesting entry into India's premium vodka market. It's been developed in conjunction with Jairaj Singh Solanki (founder of AABBCC) and takes the well-known caramel buttery character of popcorn and turns it into a spirit that is clearly intended for use in cocktails and for some very unusual drinking.
With the cinema package and the exclusive New Delhi launch, Smoke Lab is clearly interested in going beyond the traditional vodka offering. Pricing and wider retail availability are yet to be confirmed, but the collaboration does bring a very unusual new option to the table for those looking to try out the range of flavors in the Indian flavored vodka space.
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