Foxie Brings Nine-Tail Cocktails, Art and Tapas to Hyderabad

There is a fox somewhere in Foxie. Look closely at the walls, the artwork, the uniforms, the cushions and the details around the bar and you will find versions of the animal in different forms. Some are playful, some are unusual, some are almost surreal. The idea, according to co-founders Naveen Krishna and Navyatha Reddy, is simple: everyone has a fox in them, and different sides of that personality emerge as the evening progresses.

“There are different characteristics associated with fox—It is smart, cunning among other traits. So, we thought, we all have a fox in us,” says Naveen Krishna, co-founder.

That idea runs through Foxie, the new intimate art and cocktail bar from the team behind Lili, now open a floor below it in Jubilee Hills. Rather than creating a conventional cocktail bar, the founders wanted the space to feel personal, with art, cocktails, food and enough room for people to actually communicate.

“Cocktail bars were always concentrating on the cocktails and the vibes. So, we wanted it to be more medium-lighting. We didn’t want to go too dark, too dingy or too bright,” says Krishna.

The concept extends to the menu, where the nine tails of the fox become nine cocktails, each with its own flavour profile and identity. The menu takes its cue from the nine-tailed fox folklore associated with Japan, Korea and China, with the team choosing the Japanese version as its inspiration.

For brand mixologist Gaurav Dhyani, the idea offered room to look at cocktails differently. “When you go out for drinks, you just don’t want to try a drink which you have already tasted. You want to try something unique.”

That thinking is visible from the first drink. ‘Shapeshifter’ combines gin with a mustard distillate made in-house. The mustard is experienced through the aroma, while the sip itself brings together the gin and water-like quality of the drink. ‘Mirror Trick’ uses tea microgreens to create a pea shoot saccharum, paired with gin and an acid mix, resulting in a cocktail that Dhyani describes along the lines of a dry martini but with a pronounced pea character.

‘Dreamweaver’ moves into umami, using mung bean-infused vodka, rice sherry, puffed rice and sour papaya. ‘Foxfire’ works with tequila, tomatillos, walnut and grapefruit verjuice, with spices adding another layer. ‘Velvet Charm’ brings strawberry together with oat and honey milk, while ‘Mind’s Eye’ uses tequila, seaweed cordial and citrus and arrives in seashell-shaped glassware.

“Not for everyone but if someone likes it, they are bound to love it,” Dhyani says of Mind’s Eye, which he describes as particularly photogenic.

The nine cock-tails continue through ‘Enchanter’, with bitter gourd cordial and bitter gourd soda; ‘Eternal Flame’, one of the bar’s bestsellers, built around tequila, citrus and avocado yoghurt clarification; and ‘Godspell’, a whisky-based drink with baileys that sits on the sweeter side.

The menu is not limited to the nine tails. Foxie also has a Picante section, classics and a zero-proof selection. ‘Problematic’, ‘DND’ and ‘Private Joke’ form the Picante offering, while the classics include ‘Paper Planes’, ‘Espresso Martini’, ‘20th Century’, ‘Monkey’s Gland’, The ‘Scofflaw’, ‘Tommy’s Margarita’, ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’, ‘Negroni’ and ‘Clover Club’. The zero-proof section includes ‘Happy Ending’, ‘Main Squeeze’, ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ and ‘Hot Gossip’ among others.

Dhyani says the menu was deliberately built to move away from the familiar. “There are few cocktails which are everywhere. You go to 90% of the bars, you get the same kind of menu. You get the same kind of cocktails. I wanted a departure from the routine offerings.”

The founders also see Foxie as part of a larger ambition for Hyderabad’s cocktail culture. They point to the city’s limited presence in conversations around India’s leading bars and want the new space to make a stronger case for what Hyderabad can offer.

“We wanted to tell the world, we do exist. We do good food and cocktails and aspire to be featured in the global list,” says Krishna.

The food follows the same willingness to move between influences. Brand Chef Tarun Bhatia says the absence of strict culinary borders gives him room to build a menu around the experience of eating and drinking together.

“I have my freedom to play around with food here. Also keeping in mind that I want to create that stimulating experience, to eat and drink at the same time, which I really believe in.”

The menu moves through amuse plates and small plates, with dishes spanning different culinary influences rather than following one particular cuisine. Truffle mushroom galouti, miso corn cones, avocado sev pop, Kutchi dabeli pav and grilled yaki jack sit alongside podi kodi pop, keema pav, bacon mirchi pakodi and boneless chicken wings.

Among the larger plates are bean chilli quesadillas, artichoke a la plancha, chicken and leek ravioli, calamari a la plancha and a seafood slider. A cheese board, charcuterie board and mezze board add options for sharing.

Bhatia’s approach is particularly suited to the format of the bar. “I like to munch and drink. And I want everyone to do that.”

Even the desserts continue the playful approach. Baba au Rhum sits alongside yeasty brioche, vanilla Chantilly, pistachio praline and bonbon, while the chef’s earlier description of the dessert menu reflects the same willingness to experiment.

The visual language of Foxie comes from artist and designer Siddharth Kerkar, who has created the interiors around the fox motif. Krishna says there are 100 different kinds of foxes across the artworks, each with different shapes and characteristics. The design extends beyond the walls to the uniforms and other elements of the bar.

The result is a space where the art is not simply a backdrop to the cocktails. The cocktails themselves carry the story, the food is designed around the act of drinking and sharing, and the fox becomes a recurring character through the experience.

Foxie is not just about choosing between art, food and cocktails but about allowing all three to occupy the same space. The nine tails provide the narrative for the drinks, the artworks give the room its personality, and the food keeps the experience moving between small plates, larger dishes and conversation. In the middle of it all is the fox, appearing in a hundred different forms and, as the founders see it, perhaps revealing a different side of everyone who walks in.