The profession of bartending has seen a slow but gradual shift in its perception. Once regarded as anything related to alcohol and bars or lounges—where people would drink and smoke—it was not seen in a positive light. However, in the past decade or so, there has been a transformation in this perception to the point where bartenders are now considered a type of artist in their own right.
There is also a growing interest in the profession, as reports have emerged about how the inaugural edition of India Bartender Week had increased attendance from young men and women, often from small towns across the country. It is fascinating to observe how the bartending landscape is changing due to these courageous individuals who simply wish to enter a creative space, even while dealing with the many taboos and prejudices from society at large.
Bartenders from Small Towns
According to reports, the Indian bar and café industry is worth nearly $17.5 billion. While metro cities such as Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore are certainly where most customers are coming from, with experimental cafés, mixology lounges, and more emerging in recent years, the talent creating these drinks seems to be originating from the small towns of India.
A recent report by Hindustan Times pointed out that Santanu Chanda, the current head of the PVR Home (Delhi) bar and a representative of the country at various global bartending competitions, hails from Silchar (Assam). It also revealed that Govind Koranga, from Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, is the head bartender at Americano, Mumbai, while Aashi Bhatnagar, who is the first Indian woman participant at the Diageo World Class competition, comes from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Alemchizung Jamir was also ranked among the top three bartenders in India last year. Jamir, who hails from Mokokchung, is the first member of Nagaland’s Ao tribe to participate in the Diageo Reserve World Class finals.
Jamir said, “The Western Ghats and Nagaland are full of spices and ingredients that you won’t find anywhere else,” and elaborated on the inspiration behind using Semnostachya menglaensis, a herb from Nagaland that smells like sticky rice, because “My mother would make a concoction out of it when I was sick. That’s where my inspiration came from.”
Rohil Kalita, who comes from Shillong (Meghalaya) and is the head bartender at Bangalore’s Bar Spirit Forward, has often added local North-Eastern ingredients to his drinks. During the 2022 Diageo Reserve World Class competition, Kalita, as a finalist, used Khar, an Assamese dish made from filtering water through the ashes of burnt banana peels, as an ingredient in his drink.
Nitin Tewari, bartender and mixologist, said, “But now, interest is emerging from Tier 2 and 3 cities across India. I recently conducted a session in Lucknow, and 90 participants signed up at short notice.”
It has also been noticed that many of these bartenders incorporate cultural and environmental elements into their creations, giving them a unique flavour.
Jishnu AJ, an independent bar consultant who comes from Peramangalam near Thrissur, Kerala, said, “At Ekaa, we had Mountain Pepper, a cocktail made almost entirely of foraged ingredients. Much of that was inspired by meals my grandmother cooked in Kerala. She would gather certain leaves, herbs, and roots from around our home and add…”
Read More: What Is The Difference Between Dry, Regular, Japanese And Craft Beer?
Females in the Bartending Space
Shatbhi Basu was the first female bartender in India around four decades ago when she was working as a restaurant supervisor at Chopsticks, a Chinese restaurant on Linking Road in Mumbai. Although she initially wanted to be a veterinarian and even got admission into a veterinary college, she later discovered that she had allergies that would not allow her to continue on that path. Consequently, she completed a course at Dadar’s Institute of Hotel Management.
Her transition to becoming a bartender was more accidental than deliberate, as her restaurant manager asked her to work at the bar for a day. At the time, male bartenders were themselves an exception, so a woman behind the bar was almost unheard of. However, Basu rose to the challenge and told TOI, “But these proved to be challenges that helped in pushing boundaries and making me better.”
Her chemistry courses from college also helped her to understand the science behind bartending. Basu said, “The behaviour of atoms and molecules, solutions and suspensions, the outcome of friction and heat, and how to suppress it—all the concepts I had studied made my learning of bartending much more intelligent and even more interesting.”
Basu might have been the first female bartender in the country; however, there has been a growth of women in the bartending space over the years. Ami Shroff is known for her flair in bartending, creating drinks in a showy and flashy way that eventually led her to win the Mixologist of the Year at the INCA Awards in 2019.
Explaining her reason for joining this industry, she said, “It felt like women were not wanted in this industry, and that’s why I wanted to take a space in it even more because I felt denied. That’s what attracted me professionally.” Arati Mestry has also been breaking gender norms to become one of India’s most notable female bartenders.
As per reports, she explained how she joined this sector, saying, “It was purely the passion which inspired me to become a bartender – a TV show on Travel and Living and the books I continued to read at Crossword that made me realise I wanted to be a bartender.”
The annual 30BestBars India list also featured almost 10 bartenders who hail from non-metro cities, clearly showing how there is a growing interest in the art of bartending in small towns and that it is no longer limited to only urban cities.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Times Now, Hindustan Times, The Economic Times
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Bartenders, Bartenders India, Bartending, Bartending India, bar, bars India, mixologist, mixologist India
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used; these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly email us.
