Barfly India Inaugural Issue

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY

Digital Edition 1, 2022

CELEBRATING THE CRAFT CELEBRATING YOU

India

Inside front Cover

NEERAJ KUMAR

MANAGING DIRECTOR, INDIA Dear All, On behalf of Beam Suntory India, I extend my warm greetings to you and your families. I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe.

On the occasion of World Bartender Day, we wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your immense dedication and passion that you bring to the fore. This day is a celebration of you and your craft, and rightly so. On this note, with immense pride and pleasure, I wanted to introduce you to our first digital magazine - BarFly - the bartender’s magazine by The Blend. As an exclusive property of The Blend, BarFly is yet another example of the collaboration and agility that you continue to demonstrate in an ever-evolving environment. Our digital magazine which is also the first in the industry is dedicated to bringing the best of the global bar trends, inspiring brand stories as well as inputs from industry experts across the globe. This also gives us an opportunity to showcase to you our premium portfolio in the India market At Beam Suntory India, we have always been at the forefront to support the bartender community through various initiatives one of them being ‘The Blend’ which has been gaining immense scale and credibility since its launch in 2019. The Blend is a strong testament to our Growing for Good values that provides an inclusive platform as well as resources for the community to come together as one. It is a platform that supports and celebrates the bartender at every stage of their career through various initiatives to share, care, uplift, upskill and be there for each other.

The last two years have been extremely challenging for the community with many obstacles on the way but your resilience in these tough times has only been an inspiration to us all. While we are certain that we will recover from this as we progress, Beam Suntory India will always stand strong in your support, like we always have. During the global pandemic, The Blend allowed us to directly reach out to the Indian bartender community through a ‘Learn and Earn’ program that encouraged bartenders to utilize their time at home by taking up online training modules. This was spread across 80 sessions. We further built on the support to the F&B community through a vaccination roll-out last year, including a previous donation to the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to support hospitality industry staff in 2020.

We hope that with the launch of BarFly, our ties with you only get stronger as we delve deeper into the world of bartending through interesting as well as innovative brand stories from the Beam Suntory portfolio and story-tellers and experts from across the industry. Just like the occasion of World Bartender Day today, this magazine is yet another extension to celebration of dedicated professionals like you who have been contributing passionately to the industry. Thank you once again.

Warm Regards, Neeraj Kumar

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FEATURE

EDITOR’S NOTE It gives us great pleasure on the eve of World Bartender Day 2022 to launch digitally the first India edition of Bar Fly. Bar Fly India is a magazine brought to you by The Blend, which is Beam Suntory’s pioneering global advocacy and bar community building initiative. Beam Suntory has been championing World Bartender Day since 2018 as a signature day to enthuse and celebrate the global bartending community. The past two years have been nothing short of life altering at a world scale. The industry has been through one of its toughest phases and we’ve witnessed the pandemic taking a toll on our health, businesses and opportunities. But the resilience with which the hospitality business has bounced back after every lockdown or wave has left us with a deep sense of awe and appreciation of the tenacity of everyone within it. It has left us with the utmost respect for YOU.

Vikram Achanta

As we pick up our plans for The Blend in India and globally for 2022, we started the celebration of World Bartender Day with a series of workshops under the WBD Roadshow. This gave us an opportunity to bring some articles from this issue of Barfly to life, namely The New Age of the Cocktail Garnish and Growing Drinks in the Modern Bar. These along with a few other articles have been drawn from the global edition of Barfly, and we will in subsequent editions, continue to share with you the best of global content.

In the Blends of the Virtual World last year, Blend India program manager Rohan Jelkie (and an editor of Barfly) had conversations with some of India’s leading bar and beverage gurus, that were broadcast on The Blend’s website. This issue brings you snippets of conversations with them. We also share with you conversations with 3 leading voices of the bar community who have been working hard to build an inclusive industry and explore life beyond the bar with leading Indian bar voices.

The events of the last 2 years, and the tremendous pressure it has brought on us as a community, has brought into sharp focus the need for us to focus on our mental and physical health. Tim Etherington-Judge, founder of Healthy Hospo talks about his inspiring plan to complete 42 marathons in 42 days.

The finale of 30 Best Bars India is around the corner, and Teacher’s is the Associate Sponsor of the same. In the run up to the finale, Rohan Jelkie conducted masterclasses for the bartending community in Mumbai and Hyderabad on Whisky and its Terroir. If you missed out, catch snippets of the same in this issue.

Annu Kumar aka Captain Just.Ice shares his insights on building an ice program for your bar. This year’s World’s 50 Best Bars, saw Sidecar enter the list at # 47. Yangdup Lama, co-founder, travelled to Moscow last year to host a bar takeover sponsored by Roku Gin at The Insider Bar (#13 in World’s 50 Best Bars). He shares his experiences and learnings from the same. All this and much more in our inaugural edition.

We hope that you will enjoy diving into every bit of what we’ve put together for you in our inaugural edition. For us at The Blend, supporting and celebrating your journey at every stage of your career is at the core of all we do. And all that we will continue to do.

Happy reading!

Vikram Achanta

Rohan Jelkie

Rohan Jelkie SPECIAL THANKS AND CREDIT TO: Narelle McDonald, Director On Trade & Advocacy, International Region Mandeep Thukral, National On Premise Manager, India Archita Khanna, India Events & Communications Senior Specialist, Meimi Sanchez, Senior Manager, The Blend, Global Hayley Morison, Trade Advocacy Manager, Australia Robin Nance, Senior Trade Engagement manager, USA Viktorija Lileiko, Senior Manager On Trade Engagement, Germany Valentine Maguire, Design Manager, Australia Miguel Penarrocha, Digital Community Executive, The Blend EDITORS Vikram Achanta Rohan Jelkie CONTRIBUTORS Vidit Mantri Rohit Arora Madhu Rajigani DESIGN P Vel Kumar

FEATURE

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THE NEW GENERATION BLEND Toki means “time” in Japanese.

A vivid blend of whiskies from Suntory’s Hakushu, Yamazaki, and Chita distilleries, Suntory Whisky Toki™ features the quintessential characteristics of a Suntory Whisky blend: exquisite balance, harmony, and oneness.

At the same time, its unique pairing of Hakushu® American white oak cask malt whisky with Chita heavy-type grain whisky overturns the traditional hierarchy between malt and grain.

Tasting Notes COLOR Clear gold NOSE Basil, green apple, honey PALATE Grapefruit, green grapes, peppermint, thyme FINISH Subtly sweet and spicy finish with a hint of vanilla oak, white pepper and ginger The Toki™ Highball To begin a highball recipe, fill the glass to the brim with ice. Add one measure of whisky. Stir to cool the whisky and glass.

Again add ice to the brim. Pour three measures of chilled sparkling water along the side of the glass to avoid melting the ice or bursting the bubbles. Add a twist of lemon. Enjoy.

CONTENT

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12 30

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36 38

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30 BEST BARS INDIA – TEACHER’S MASTERCLASSES

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ASIA’S 50 BEST BARS 2021 ROKU INDUSTRY ICON

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BLENDS OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD

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BAR TAKEOVER WITH YANGDUP LAMA @ INSIDER BAR, MOSCOW (WITH ROKU GIN)

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BLENDS OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD BYRDI TAKES FLIGHT WITH LUKE WHEARTY

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BLENDS OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD GROWING DRINKS IN THE MODERN BAR WITH SAM EGERTON

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THE NEW AGE OF COCKTAIL GARNISHES

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HOSTING WITH PRIDE

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JUST ICE WITH ANNU KUMAR

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WORLD BARTENDER DAY 2020 AND 2021 HIGHLIGHTS

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LIFE BEYOND THE BAR

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42 MARATHONS

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TALES OF THE COCKTAIL 2020 SPIRITED AWARDS – BEST AMERICAN BRAND AMBASSADOR

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OAKSMITH GOLD – PRODUCT PROFILE

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WORLD BARTENDER DAY 2022 – GLOBAL CELEBRATIONS

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WORLD BARTENDER DAY 2022 – INDIA ROAD SHOW

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OMOTENASHI – SENSEI

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TEACHER’S 50 – 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

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FEATURE

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MUMBAI

30

BEST BARS INDIA

Masterclass with Teacher’s

The Effects of Terroir on Whiskey

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n a run up to 30 Best Bars India 2021, a series of fun and immersive workshops were organized in association with our sponsors to give a chance to bartenders, bar and beverage managers to engage with some of the brightest minds in the Indian industry through demos, tastings, and cocktail knowledge sharing.

Hosted by Rohan Jelkie, Programme Manager the Blend, India, the concept of the Hyderabad and Mumbai masterclasses was ‘The Effects of Terroir on Whisky’.

HYDERABAD

While talking about wine, sommeliers and bartenders obsess over the word “terroir” and how it influences the world of wine. The master classes delved deep into the concept of how this similar concepts affects the whisky, whether it be blended Scotch, Bourbon or Japanese.

Rohan Jelkie described the factors both from nature (water, peat, weather and wood) as well as man-made, that influence the final blend.

The Hyderabad Masterclass

was conducted at The Glass Onion on the 14th of December and was attended by 25 bartenders from Voila, Block 22, Hyatt Place, the Trident, Ten Downing Street, Rika and Sanctuary Bar and Kitchen, amongst others.

The Mumbai Masterclass was organized at Providore, The Quorum on the 15th of December and was attended by 23 bartenders from Americano, Perch, The Four Seasons, JW Marriott, Jolie’s and Ministry of Crab amongst others.

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FEATURE

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SHINGO GOKAN

INTRODUCING ASIA’S 50 BEST BARS ROKU GIN INDUSTRY ICON 2021

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ith no less than six bars under his belt and more in the pipeline, Shingo has cemented himself as an integral part of the bartending community in Japan, China, and the U.S.A. A prodigal son of Asia’s bar scene, Shingo honed his craft at NYC’s Angel’s Share before returning home to set up shop in Tokyo and later, Shanghai, creating some of the most successful bars the continent has ever seen.

A lover of classic cocktails, Shingo combines American influences with traditional Japanese techniques to create a style that is uniquely and unequivocally his. A stalwart of both the World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists, Shingo’s latest accolade makes him one of the most awarded bartenders in history.

Characteristically humble, Shingo stresses that despite being officially named an icon, his journey is just beginning.

We asked him what it means to be truly iconic, how he defines Japanese bartending, and why ROKU GIN stands out in his bars.

How do you feel about being awarded as an icon, and what do you think it BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

means to be truly iconic?

It is truly a great honour to be selected as this year’s ROKU Industry Icon. However, I also believe that I am still in the midst of my journey as a bartender. I aspire to keep growing both as a bartender and as a person so that I can proudly represent the bartending community as a true icon.

How do you feel about

winning this award, and representing the Japanese bartending community?

There are many legendary bartenders in Japan. I believe that I was more recognised by the international community because my activities are focused on the international platform. I would like to cherish and treasure the Japanese bartending style that my seniors have built and passed onto me.

How do you define Japanese bartending?

What makes it stand out?

I wouldn’t give ‘Japanese bartending’ an exact definition.

‘Japanese bartending’ is constructed from ideas taken from Japan’s traditional cultural practices, such as Sado (traditional Japanese tea ceremony), and “Budo” (Japanese martial arts.) The culture and ideology that places value in detail, precision, and elegance are reflected in techniques such as ice carving and shaking, which has then gained international recognition as the ‘Japanese bartending’ style. Other countries do not focus on incorporating their culture and tradition into their bartending style and technique, which makes Japanese bartending like no other.

In what ways does ROKU GIN stand out to you?

ROKU GIN expresses various aspects of Japanese culture through its taste, ingredients, and bottle design. The subtle and delicate flavours found in ROKU GIN makes it suitable for any cocktail recipe, which makes it appealing for bartenders. I have noticed that when I serve cocktails

where the flavour of ROKU GIN is more prominent (such as in a Martini), there is a clear difference in their initial reaction and drinking speed.

What is your favourite way to drink or serve ROKU GIN?

In a classic Martini, or a Gin & Sonic with Yuzu.

How do you recommend drinking ROKU using Shun (ingredients at the peak of its flavour)? Can you tell us more about your ROKU GIN cocktail, made using

summer tomatoes?

We have been serving cocktails with gin and tomato water for a while, but when we opened The SG Club in Tokyo, we decided to upgrade the drink using ROKU GIN, creating a more intricate and colourful flavour palette.

Do you have any messages for future icons? バー業界をこれから共に盛り 上げていきましょう！ Let’s continue to boost the bar industry together!

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FEATURE

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BLENDS OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD: INDIA EDITION The Blend brings you the world’s best in the industry to inspire you to be creative in your craft.

What follows are interview excerpts with them. For the full interview, refer the linked QR code.

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THE BOWMORE SERIES

In the world’s largest whisky market, scores of Indians have discovered the joys of Scottish whisky. But if there is a regional style that they are partial to – it must be the peaty whiskies from Islay! Islay’s first distillery and the one with the oldest scotch whisky cellars in the world, Bowmore, crafts its liquid over years with meticulous precision resulting in one of the most loved and awarded whisky portfolios in the world.

MEET KARINA AGGARWAL

Karina Aggarwal, a.k.a, ‘Giggle Water 411’ is one of India’s leading beverage experts. She is an accomplished writer, show host, beverage consultant, part time distiller…and the list continues. She has travel extensively to distilleries and bars across the world and has a soft corner for good drinks made with flair. Karina, also happens to be one of the few Indian women in the drinks business who frequently judges in international wines & spirits competitions.

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Karina you had a very successful career of the past decade in training and tasting through your journey in the spirit world. What drew you to it ? Basically you took this as a career at a time when women were not taking it. What inspired you? How did you get into this?

The whole thing happened organically. I have a background in journalism, and I was working with a publishing house and one of their magazines incidentally covered beverages. So suddenly I was thrown into a world where I have to interview distillers and winemakers and I knew nothing about it. So to do it efficiently I needed to educate myself and gradually I fell in love with the entire process of learning about beverages, tasting it with them and piecing it together and it really fit beautifully. One thing lead to another, from writing I grew to doing few master classes and then I started consulting with brands and being a member of the jury in international awards. I am really glad that it worked out this way. Also, when I started there were not many women in this kind of format although we had successful women bartenders but no one in this space.

A lot is spoken about the role water plays in whiskey making and how it can make and break a whiskey.

Can you tell us why?

A lot of importance is given to water because it is 60% of your whiskey in most cases.

However, the water can be conditioned as required. It is still lovely to hear brands promoting romantic stories related to origins of water in their bottled products. In certain aspects it does influence the whiskey but, on the flipside, the constant and clean source of water is more important.

For consumers Scotch is a massive aspirational category.

And I think consumers always look at Scotch as one category that has always led with age.

We know that this is not true.

Things have changed so much and we see many popular non age statement whiskies in the market. How have you seen consumers taking to this? How do you read this?

The first thing is how Scotch or the individual brand has been marketed and positioned and how the consumers have been educated about it. As soon we started seeing new world whisky countries that came on to the map a lot of those notations of age changed considerably because you were dealing with new process, climate, and things like that change the final outcome of the whiskey. And as soon you take out the age structure that says it has to be aged for 10,12, 15 or so on, it allows the distiller to showcase expressions in a very varied style. The technology has grown that there is so much precision to the final distillate that you do not need necessarily age it in casks to mellow it just as you did say a hundred years ago. That has really changed our perception of whether age is critical to whiskey. Also millennials are well travelled and they have been exposed to various cultures and flavour that with every new product they are looking forward to a new taste and experience.

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THE BOWMORE SERIES Vaibhav you have seen the industry evolve over the past two decades and specially in the past 5 years. How have you seen bartending as craft and bartenders in India grow and what do you think has contributed to this?

Firstly the Internet has led to easy accessibility of content and knowledge. Liquor brands specially in the last 5 years have been promoting bartenders like never before and giving them a platform to participate in bartending competitions and also hiring them as brand ambassadors.

MEET VAIBHAV SINGH

Vaibhav is a veteran of the Indian F&B industry. For over two decades he has played host to the who’s who of the country and has opened some of the country’s most iconic nightlife spots. Today as an entrepreneur he runs one of the country’s most popular wine & coffee bar chains and at the same time nurtures teams that deliver some of the finest drinks experience to be had in India. He was also responsible for kick starting the gin movement in India by crafting India’s first domestic craft gin brand. In all, Mr. Singh is ‘The King of Hospitality’ in India’s industry.

What is your take on all that is being done by bar chains, hotel chains, beverage managers and F&B managers to growing the ilk of the bartender today. Do you think enough is being done or there’s still a way to go?

I was talking about competitions and right till then you don’t value your own talent which is working with you and as soon as they win a competition all of a sudden they become a very valuable

asset to you. So somewhere I see there is a big gap we need to understand that bartending is not all about winning competitions, it has to be something you feel for your bar and that you are an integral part of that business. So you need to make the bartenders feel slightly more part of that identity. It goes hand in hand, no bar would be successful without those same familiar faces where the guest is coming for the drinks for sure but for the person who’s standing behind the bar.

Where and how does a bartender take on true hospitality versus just being about technical bartending and fancy equipment and techniques?

At the core we are in the business of hospitality.

Running a bar is part of that business so the larger umbrella we are under is the hospitality industry and not a bar industry. Somewhere yes bartending is an integral part of our profession but at end of the day people are coming for hospitality, people are

coming for a certain experience and that experience has to be something which comes from a bit of warmth we don’t call our customers ‘customers’ but guests. We are not even a service industry we are way above that. We are not just looking for a efficiency of service delivery it’s something way beyond that which is which is how our guest is made to feel. So that experience has to come in through the warmth and through certain bit of generosity. You’re in a business

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which is commercial but you make that person feel extra.

Beyond that how we are dealing with our colleagues and how we are dealing in our personal space. So that generosity, that warmth has to be across the board and it can’t be just for your guests and you have to change your mindset towards your colleagues and towards your subordinates.

Yes it has to be in a certain way consistent and that’s how it would look genuine in case you keep it consistent.

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THE TOKI WHISKEY SERIES

good Japanese whiskey. Now this came in I think when the diaspora came in from Japan to set up the Hondas, the Konicas, the Minoltas etc. Now there is rarely a bar that does not have a Japanese whiskey now in any good part of the country or the city or even private bars. So, consumers have really accepted and as a person who’s behind the bar both as a server or as somebody who’s throwing a party or a gig is not just happy because he knows his guest list or his party will not be happy by just seeing Scotch so that’s the way forward.

In the past decade India’s whisky market has seen the arrival of multi brand portfolios that go beyond whiskies from Scotland and the United States.

The newest addition to Suntory’s whisky portfolio – Toki – makes its debut in India and for many who like their Japanese malts and blends, Bill Murray’s iconic quote holds good for the drams in their glass – ‘For relaxing times, make it Suntory time’!

MEET ANAND CHINTAMANI

Anand Chintamani is one of India’s leading whisky experts with over two decades of experience in working with some of the best brands in the business and is a much sought after speakers and presenters at whisky tasting events. Be it presenting about the world of whiskies to consumer and trade audiences or presenting about the Indian market to the whisky world, very few in the country can rival his experience or expertise in the matter.

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You’ve had a great ringside view of how the global whiskey industry and the Indian whiskey industry consumers have evolved in the past two decades.

What have you seen as say the top three trends in this period for the whiskey industry ?

I think you rightly put it that the consumer has probably evolved a little more than the whiskey and that’s a very good point. People are trying micro distilleries and small batches, but I think by far the greatest effect has been on the consumer especially in India that I monitor very closely and I’ve been a part of for over two decades. Like you rightly said the first and most foremost thing and I say thanks to marketeers like you and all of us as a community, the consumer’s knowledge base has grown vastly, so a consumer coming to a bar or an off trade is not asking what is there but rather is demanding a specific style. That change is very important because you can keep growing the market by

getting more and more brands in but unless the consumer evolves the blender and the distiller will never get the true taste of what is available. The second thing that I feel is that especially in India we were a very stuck to one brand kind of person and the way malts came in by saying that you have to have a bit of this and a bit of that and this way the Indian the consumer has opened up to becoming a non-single brand consumer and that’s very important because you want the whole portfolio of whiskies to go and you just don’t want one particular brand. The third point I think and that’s increasingly happening now and thanks to lighter whiskey especially Jim Beam from your stable, it’s graduated from being just a late evening drink to also becoming a trendier daytime drink. So that gives whiskey so much more breadth for people in India. Especially while globally, I think people were experimenting with mixers cocktails etc. We haven’t gone that far but I think it’s easier for somebody to go to a

bar in the afternoon and still ask for a Beam and coke or even a Boulevardier which was too difficult to do some time back. These I think are very good changes for the market.

2) When you look at how whiskeys have become popular, I think the world over Scotch has always led the charge but in the past decade or so there are a lot of other styles of whiskies from different countries, be it Taiwan, India, Japan and so many others and central Europe for that matter have become popular. How do you think consumers have taken to drinking non-Scotch styles of whiskey?

We must note that scotch whiskey is growing in every format on its own but definitely the uptake on other whiskeys I think introduced by the trend to move beyond just one single blended whiskey.

In your cupboard you have various whiskeys and obviously the big daddy of them all is the American whiskeys , Jim beam and so many more from your stable whichever and the way they’ve rocketed to world fame. Also, the introduction of

3) What do you think of consumers as well as the trade and the average bartender taken to Japanese whiskies.

What have been your observations in this regard?

There was never any doubt that anything Japanese would not do well. Right now, most products that they do are world class. The interesting part is that there is Japanese product available for every consumer set. So, if you’re in the highend luxury there is a Toyota, Land cruiser and there is an equivalent of award-winning Yamazaki and for the lower end consumers there are blends that are coming in. So that was wonderfully placed maybe it was not how it was positioned but that’s how that’s become excellent in the country which has many many steps in hierarchy of economic affordability but the other thing is there was never going to be in my mind that there was never a chance that Japanese whiskeys don’t do well. They’re so harmonious that they blend it perfectly right from the bottle and the detailing is so beautiful, the script, the font and there’s no reason for anybody not to be in love with Japanese whiskeys and no wonder they’ve taken the world and Indian stage by storm.

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FEATURE

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THE ROKU GIN SERIES

There is no doubting the fact that Gin is IN! And HOW! In a country that has had a long drawn love affair with its drams of whisky, Gin has been a disruptor.

It is back on everyone’s list of favourites and is in everyone’s glass. Through this series, we will have two bar owners, a chef, a business owner amongst others talk about how consumers are ordering more gin based drinks, the growing craft gin industry and even about how a gin festival has become one of the country’s most talked about events. Kanpai!

ROHAN CARVALHO Bar Square India: Founder & Partner Indian Flair Bartenders Association (IFBA): President

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I know you guys have been very busy behind the scenes helping the community in these difficult times, so tell us a bit more about how you brought the community together through initiatives.

To cut things short the entire objective of forming the Indian Flair Bartenders Association (IFBA) was 100% a passion driven initiative. So the main motive for us to start off with like-minded members for this association. Early last year in Goa when there was a lot of flair bartending competitions happening and it used to be organized by Sachin Gowda and others. Well I was not a part of it but I used to see that there was some kind of activities that these guys were initiating.

It was a nice positive thing because there’s a lot of bartenders across the country who look forward to certain platforms where they can showcase their skills because they are very passionate about the craft and eventually last year I was invited to judge one of the competitions and I was surprised to see the talent and I could put myself in the shoes of the participants who competed then.

One of the factors that we thought would help was to build a community of like-minded people who are very passionate about something. It’s very easy for us to kind of get them all together and that is when the IFBA initiative started. We managed to organize a couple of competitions in Goa and one of the competitions we organized was a hit. It was a trial run and we had done a bit of marketing, not too much and the day when the competition arrived we found more than 40 bartenders from different parts of the country coming to Goa on their own.

We were overwhelmed by the response and the level of skills that these people had.

So the thought got into action and it became more stronger eventually and then we got our eight members on board from different backgrounds with each having 20 years of experience. And most of the members have a background of flair so flair has contributed to their journey in their career to where they are today.

You’ve seen a lot of competitions happen and you’ve judged at many competitions. You run a lot of competitions also. How important do you think competitions are as a stage that allows the skill of the bartender to come to the forefront and for a lot of aspiring bartenders? What is your advice to young bartenders who look at competitions as a platform to succeed and what’s the right time in their career to enter such a competition and how should they prepare for it?

When a person enters a competition, it sends out a message that this person is talented and confident to showcase his skills and it’s a very good self-learning. When I talk to young bartenders who are looking forward to kind of make it big in the industry, the first thing that I always tell them don’t be afraid of entering any competition as it gives you your own reflection, it’s like you’re looking at the mirror and seeing how good or bad you are at least in that particular competition and eventually if you win it or if you make it on the top three, the kind of motivation that comes along with it when you go home is immense. It gives you kind of the push to do better and better and this is how I was successful in most of the times.

So my advice to all the bartenders that before participating in a competition it is very important to understand the rules and

background. Winning a bartending competition is not dependent on one factor, it is mix of all the factors including, how you carry yourself, right ingredients, balance of the drink, presentation, story and social media. It’s not about the drink itself. And to put every element together to impress the judges takes a lot of homework and that might take several years of practise to do so.

You’ve spent close to two decades now in the industry and you’ve had such a glittering career and probably been in a position where you’ve seen how in the past time there were a lot of misconceptions about gin as a category that led to it stagnating at bars.

There used to be a point in time where bars would complain about how gin would never move. Cut to today and gin is the hottest spirit at the bar, everyone loves it, consumers love it and bartenders are working with it. We are seeing a whole lot of new brands coming into the country. What do you think are the factors that have led to an explosion to this affinity and love for gin as a beverage, as a spirit category?

You talk about gin in the past

where you know it was looked down upon and not many people considered gin in their straight drinks or with tonic or in cocktails. And today it’s vice versa and according to me what I feel one of the major reasons for this would be the kind of exposure and the kind of training that many companies are giving to bartenders to educate the consumers. Twenty years back I would just see two or three gin brands in my bar and one would be a domestic and other two would be imported. It was hard to push gin as it was considered as a ladies drink and not many ladies also would feel comfortable to come out and party during those days so gin was not moving at all.

Fast forward today and look at the kind of development that has happened in terms of consumers being aware of what is good and what is bad and today if you talk about a gin today, nobody says I want to have a gin and tonic but they would say that they like to have a Roku and Tonic and for that matter they would also like to have a Roku with X tonic water and most of this is because the consumers know the difference between a good and a bad gin and all of this comes basically by absorbing knowledge from social media and traveling.

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FEATURE

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MINAKSHI SINGH GIN THROUGH THE EYES OF A BAR OWNER

In the opening episode of the Roku series, Minakshi talks about her experience in the industry over a decade and a half and how she has seen Gin make a comeback onto back bars and the well for bars across India. As an owner of two popular drinking spaces she is in a unique position to lead the charge for the gin revolution sweeping the country.

Minakshi I can’t think of too many women behind bars and more so entrepreneurs who run such bars. So tell us about the journey that got you here and as a lady leading the charge in India’s bar industry and especially working towards diversity and inclusion that’s something that you’ve done incredibly well with you and with people like Shatbhi Basu. Tell us about your journey what got you here and why the bar ?

So it’s been an exciting journey.

I did my hotel management and while I was doing my hotel management I in fact

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met Yangdup Lama, now my business partner and he was an up and coming private party bartender. He was doing a few of these mobile bartending parties and he was looking for people to work and I ended up working for a little bit extra pocket money. Actually when I started bartending I got really excited and I saw that this is something that I had no idea about. Hotel management is pretty tailor-made to make a manager and a general manager and an executive chef at the best. So it’s that’s how it’s always been seen and this is also 16 years ago when bartending as such was looked at upon something that at least graduates won’t do and only do it as something to pass the time maybe or maybe as a stepping stone to something which is a larger career option.

I did that and right after hotel management I realized this is something I really want to do. Unfortunately at that time women weren’t allowed to bartend in India and legally it was a complete dead end for me and that’s when I met Vikram Achanta from Tulleeho and I realized that their work was something which is interesting and it’s part of the beverage industry but maybe it’s not bartending but I’ll still be a part of the industry. And I think my drive was so strong that I wanted to be there and my parents weren’t very happy with my decisions but now they’d probably be happy. I mean now of course they’ve been behind my entire journey. At that time when I met Vikram I started working as an intern, I was actually their first employee and I started with data sheets entry and I began interacting with a lot of liquor brands.

I realized there is sales, marketing, training, brand advocacy and plethora of things one can do and still be very much part of the industry and that’s what kept me going and super excited. I got a little break

with Diageo which was a big thing because from there on I moved to Pernod Ricard and it’s been a learning curve like anything and I think I’ve learned so much about the industry.

My role was pretty much trade focused during this entire time.

I was talking to Yangdup and we were always talking about let’s have a bar someday.

We made our first project plan in the excel sheet in 2007 and we kept revisiting it and sometime around 2011 is when we kind of sat down and we just decided we have to do this and then in 2012 I resigned and put in all our savings and started our first bar. This was in a Gurgaon market. We worked really hard and we were there all the time literally spending 12-14 hours at the bar from beginning to closing.

We couldn’t afford a manager and a good bartender and so Yangdup was bartending and I was serving and we had twothree more people to help out in our team. It really paid off over the years. Guests we met back in 2013 are still very good friends and we’ve attended their weddings and we’re part of their baby showers. I think that’s the biggest earning when you’re running a bar.

And then over a period of time we kept going back to the fact that we need to have a bar in South Delhi and this is how you make your mark and the world will notice us because we felt ignored in Gurgaon. So yeah we worked really hard and around about 2016-17 is when we decided to start looking for locations in Delhi and we created our dream bar named Sidecar in 2018.

The Gin category is going through this massive revolution across the world and that arrived in India and now it’s booming and exploding. So how do you think the consumer has taken this whole gin growth and what do you think are the factors contributing to this growth in Gin Category? Is this something that’s going to sustain itself? Do we see it going out in a bit?

I think overall we as a country have grown up to cocktails.

I think it took us about ten years to really start realizing that there is more to a Gin than a straight up drink and bars like ours, bartenders and the industry itself, I think everybody has gotten together to really contribute to where we are now. So I would not say there was one particular factor but of course it’s a global movement like you can see

you know this is it’s called the second golden age of cocktails for a reason and it started in the west. The gin revolution started early in the 2010 and it has trickled down to India and brands like yours (Roku and Sipsmith) and a lot of brands have contributed to that and I would say that it was an overall effort by a lot of us to actually get people talking and recognizing this as a way of drinking and it’s not just a way of ordering a drink anymore it’s a way of life actually.

I know you’re fond of Gin, so is there a particular style of Gin that you like drinking. What’s your favourite style and could you for our viewers define the gin category in your own words?

My favourite part about gin is that it’s not in a box and I’m an explorer so I love the fact that there’s so much out there.

Every day is a new gin that you can explore which is super exciting. Traditionally I like to go for the classic gin which is a London dry gin which is a little bit lemony & citrusy and that works great for a martini or even with tonic. But when it comes to traveling or getting to know new category of Gins I would love to know more about where the category is going. It’s really like a clear blue sky, so I think it’s super exciting time for the category to actually be explored by everyone be alike.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

FEATURE

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THE JIM BEAM BLACK SERIES

In a country with an ever-increasing fan base for Bourbon Whiskey, four of India’s top industry mentors and bartenders come together to talk about their love for the category – all over a great dram of Jim Beam Black Extra Aged Bourbon Whiskey.

MEET YANGDUP LAMA

For anyone aware of India’s burgeoning cocktail industry, Yangdup Lama is a name that needs no introduction. With a journey spanning over two decades, he is best known for his relentless efforts in shaping the spirits and cocktail culture in India as a trainer, ambassador, and mentor. We are delighted to launch our first episode of The Blends of The Virtual World – The India Edition with Yangdup talking to us about his love for Bourbon whiskey and Jim Beam Black!

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Mr. Lama you had the rare privilege of being the American whiskey ambassador to India in 2017, appointed by DISCUS, (The Distilled Spirits Council Of America). Firstly how was that experience and can you define American whiskey to us for our members at The Blend ?

It was a great experience even as a bartender and also as a whiskey consumer. I was always inclined towards American whiskey, and I used to also drink American whiskey whenever I had a glass of whiskey in the evening. As far as defining American whiskey is concerned you know when you look at American whiskey you need to understand that it does not only comprise of one or two types of whiskey, it has a decent variety of whiskey that they produce and amongst the same the most popular is Bourbon whiskey. Then there’s Tennessee whiskey and also American rye whiskey. You also have small batch whiskies and there are wheat whiskeys but the most popular is Bourbon and also outside of America it is doing wonders. It’s also very popular with bartenders across the globe and it’s mostly corn based. So, a technical definition would mean that it needs to have at least 51 percent corn.

Second most important thing especially about American whiskey and most American whiskey is that it has to be matured in absolutely fresh white oak barrels right which also goes on to signify that there is a lot of colour and the flavour that comes into the whiskey purely comes from the wood and that is one of the clear-cut definition in terms of aroma as well as taste as far as the American whiskey is concerned.

And when you look at Tennessee, it’s very similar except for the fact that they

use an additional process of charcoal filtration which makes it much smoother and then wheat whiskey would comprise of at least 51 percent of wheat.

Similarly if it is Rye whiskey then it would come from at least 51 percent of rye.

In terms of maturation there isn’t a specific number that is given as far as how long the whiskey needs to be matured but in most cases especially for Bourbon they’re matured for at least two years and that gives a fairly good amount of flavour character and colour to the whiskey.

There’s always been this talk about how you know bourbon doesn’t get filtered and Tennessee whiskey gets filtered does it really make a difference to the product and for the consumer or the bartender?

I think it is purely about how you want to define your whiskey and what you want in the final product. If you want something which is very light on the palate and very

light on your nose, then you can go for a filtration process because the moment you say filtration it also takes away a lot of character from the whiskey.

Whereas when you just do a Bourbon, you know it is sweet on the nose and it’s got most of the flavour that comes from the corn, it is very prominently present in the whiskey and it also works brilliantly for cocktails.

American whiskeys have been consistently ranked as amongst the best in the world. What do you think are the factors that are really helping American whiskey’s achieve these heights ?

I think there are a couple of factors, the first and the foremost especially for the revival of American whiskey has purely been the revival of the cocktail culture.

Globally I think that’s been going on for almost two decades and that has also been instrumental in helping American whiskey get back to the global whiskey industry

and make a mark for itself.

Secondly, I think they’re also moving away from traditional whisky production. So it’s getting more experimental. Another thing is that also as brands of American whiskey which actually thought of going outside of America and propagating their whiskey to the rest of the world which was not happening for a long time because I think America as a whole has decent amount of consumers that they had within their own country and they would not really look to the rest of the world as a consumer but now I think there is a lot of interest also with the global consumers.

The other important factor that I also feel which has helped American whiskey is you know when we were making cocktails in the 90s it was mostly with lighter spirits and that was the time when vodka came to the fore. You will see that today cocktail is more towards using spirits with character and American whiskey has worked really well for them In the last 20 years.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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MEET VIKRAM ACHANTA

Vikram has had a unique ringside view of the Indian drinks industry having seen it evolve over the past two decades while contributing to its growth at the same time. In this episode he analyses what has made the Indian alcobev and bar industry grow to what it is today and its way forward, who sets the trends in the modern Indian drinks industry and what made him work on creating the first bar specific awards platform in India.

Vikram you and the team at Tulleeho have been around for two decades now and I think Tulleeho has really seen the industry grow, as also the consumer base and the brands space. So who do you think sets the trends in India when it comes to bars, drinks and the whole culture around it?

That’s an interesting question Rohan, and I don’t think we can pinpoint any one person or body which kind of sets trends because the market is large and diverse in India. And there are so many different drinks trends, varieties, cocktails etc that all play a role in the drinking universe in India.

I’d say probably when it comes to cocktails and cocktail culture it’s there where bartenders and bars have played a pretty strong role in shaping trends or creating trends especially over the past two to three years and consumers are increasingly becoming reliant on their favourite bars and the bartenders behind those bars to follow the suggestions and possibly pick up those cocktails and come back for them even more.

So, I give credit to bartenders and bars when it comes to say cocktails. I also think the consumer also plays a strong role in setting trends because the consumer today in the Indian environment is far more well-travelled and courtesy social media is far more aware of what’s happening so they might also request a similar kind of experience or spirit or cocktail which they’re getting when they travel as opposed to the Indian market. So hats off to the consumer I think they’re helping pushing the envelope from a bar perspective and bartending perspective which is beneficial.

We’ve always had a trend of having a restaurant and a bar together in a place

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with a very strong burger menu for example that’s in a possibly a nice positioning point for bourbon to make an entry there with bourbon and burgers as an example.

where you’d walk to grab a drink, order food. So food and drink normally go hand in hand in such cases. In that context, popularity of a certain type of cuisine can also lead to the demand of an alcoholic beverage from that country or region. Do you think so and what’s your take on that?

Well I agree with the general proposition that there is a linkage between cuisine and the beverage popularity from that particular country. I think in the Indian context how the most popular international cuisines if I can call them that are said Chinese cuisine and Italian food and we haven’t really seen any say Asian beverages or Chinese origin beverages or say even Italian wines etc. take off from the

popularity of those food category. Although I would be interested in seeing now with brands of Amaro coming into the country if they can take advantage of the increase in the popularity of Italian food in India.

Having said that, American food is quite amorphous in nature. We talk about bourbon as a category, but how do we connect that to American food, it’s a kind of a melting pot in some sense. The only examples we possibly had of American cuisine or Tex-Mex cuisine. Places like say TGIF or Chillies for example. So it’s maybe it’s better to cherry pick some parts of the menu from existing restaurants which have a strong American association which could be, say burgers, and pick a place

It’s very interesting you said creativity and I think you know overall we’ve seen the ilk of the Indian bartender and for that matter even chefs across the country the levels of creativity that we see today are so enhanced. There’s so much exposure, people in the F&B industry generally have nowadays and I think Vikram you’ve also had a ringside view of how the Indian bartending scene has evolved over time.

What do you think are the changes that you’ve observed in a bartender’s role over the years and how do you think you would like to see this evolve in the times to come?

Well I think companies such as yourselves can take a lot of credit for that especially for the evolution of the Indian bartender to where they are today and what we’ve seen definitely possibly in the last three to five years is the evolution of a bartender as a professional so they’re honing their craft, they’re reading up on their knowledge and they’re perfecting their skills and they’re getting that the technical part of their wizardry and their excellence is all coming into place.

The kind of platforms that they’ve got, the global platforms, competitions, training, and exposure has been tremendous for them so they now have global platforms, global exposure and global networks which have all helped them kind of grow and flourish so in my view the bartender today has progressed to the position of being a very fine craftsman shall I say.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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MEET NITIN TEWARI

Nitin Tewari represents a growing breed of young bar entrepreneurs in India who have given us some of our most loved cocktails and hospitality experiences behind the best bars in India and abroad. In this episode, Nitin (or ‘Mr. Bar Trender)’ as he is also affectionately called in India’s bar industry) talks about the importance of building a strong team in order to deliver brilliant guest experiences. Nitin also discusses the importance of training, and some simple, yet often overlooked qualities every aspiring bartender must strive for.

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We love the ethos of what you do and what the team did at “Together at 12th” and since it celebrates everyone coming together to deliver that whole idea of the space that you run keeping this in mind how do you think this resonates or finds a parallel with a blended Japanese whiskey like Toki?

To create a unique thing, you need to bring some good things together. When we were sitting down and planning to open a restaurant a few things that we wrote down was a restaurant and a bar can never be standing by itself. You need a few core things and that’s great food, great drinks, great service, beautiful location and many other things. If you have all of these things together, you create a great a restaurant and a bar where people will come and experience the best service or the best food or best drinks.

This is just like a whiskey or any other blend. What you exactly do is you blend some of the best whiskeys that you have at hand and there’s a job of a master blender to create one unique drink just like how Toki is and it takes three different whiskeys from Japan to put them together in a bottle and bring such a beautiful whiskey for all of us.

2) Over the past five years we’ve observed a massive change in how consumers in India drink whiskey and a lot of these consumers are setting trends. You think it’s the more affluent consumer today who’s setting whiskey drinking trends or is it the millennial consumer who’s more experimental with the kind of whiskey he or she drinks.

We’ve also seen whiskey moving away from being a gender-bound drink. There was the time when it was a man’s drink only but I think it’s so wrong to call or stereotype any spirit for that matter into a certain gender category. I think all spirits are unisexual. So, what is your take on this?

It is important to understand that there is no stereotype for anything in this world but it’s an open world and people have their own preferences. I might like drinking whiskey or someone else might like drinking gin. In the current times I see whiskey growing and I interact a lot with the people who come to our restaurant to order drinks.

The millennials who are going out and drinking these are the people who are actually setting different trends now. They are highly active on social media

and they are really open to experiment. They really want to talk and interact about it with the bartender and above all they want to go back and share it with their friends. And you know these four five things put together make any trend go viral. Lately what we have seen people when they come to bar, they just don’t want to stick to the standard that has been there for ages in this country they come and they look at the bar and just keep looking and normally this is what where the training comes into action.

I train my bar staff that as soon as you see a guest looking little interested towards seeing the bottle just jump in and

offer help to them in selecting the kind of spirit that they are looking for and that’s where interactions start. That’s where the suggestion of a bartender starts and 90 out of 100 times if the person starts talking to you because they want to learn about whiskey and then they experiment it and that has changed dramatically how people actually drink whiskeys in India and it’s been such a wonderful change. I think you know overall as a consumer in India, they have upgraded themselves in the way they not only approach drinks cocktails but the bar and food experience that they’re looking for. Overall, it’s no longer just a meal outdoors with the family but it’s an experience that they’re looking at us. The people who are part of the industry to push ourselves to create new things. I remember when I started my career in Hyatt and then Rick’s in the Taj, Delhi we used to have one Japanese whiskey and I used to tell our guests that we have a bottle of Japanese whiskey and it’s great and then two days later it was finished because we only had 2-3 bottles of it. But now if you see we have a whole display and thanks to Beam Suntory to make it a reality for us. What is happening is as a bar owner or as a bartender what I can say is we try to keep all those unique things and we need talking points and when we are standing behind a bar or talking to a guest, we need something to talk about. Now we can’t talk about the same thing like the same story for like we need something to talk about now we can’t talk about the same thing like the same story for like another five more years we need new things to come in and bring a new story out. And that’s how all these new brands new and trends is helping us a lot.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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I BAR TAKEOVER WITH YANGDUP LAMA AND ROKU GIN INSIDER BAR, MOSCOW

t was a chance meeting at the St. Petersburg Cocktail Week between Arina Nikolskaya. Academy Chair of World’s 50 Best Bars for Russia and Eastern Europe with Priyanka Blah, Academy Chair for South Asia that led to Arina picking up the phone and calling Yangdup. That phone call set in chain a set of events that eventually led to Yangdup, getting on a flight to Moscow to anchor a guest shift at Insider Bar Lab. Insider Bar Lab is just a year old, but with a clear vision to put Moscow (and Russia) on the global bar map, with inviting heavyweights like Yangdup, from around the world for guest shifts and bar talks in Moscow. The creators are owner Galaktion Tabidze, head bartender Andrey Bolshakov and bar manager Vladimir Mayakov.

As Yangdup describes the space, he tells us that there is no separate bar counter, but a hexagonal island bar, that places the bartender and the guest on the same side, with 3 bar stations, and 2 bar stools per station. Two big community tables accommodating 15 guests per table, help account for the balance 36 seats, that makes it a 36 cover sit down only bar. At the back of the bar is the Lab, where the magic happens, a fully kitted out technological paradise to take cocktails and the bar screaming into the future. It has a Roto Vap, a Centrifuge and Sous

or a highball with soda, and perhaps a delicate flavouring like lavender. When Sidecar launched their gin menu, then Roku and its signature serve found a special place of prominence there.

Clearly the team at Insider’s efforts have paid fruit as in this year’s World’s 50 Best Bars, they clocked in the list at #13 and were also named London Essence Best New Opening of 2021.

Vide equipment amongst other gadgets.

There are 18 cocktails on the menu, and you can’t expect to walk into Insider and ask for a G&T or a Whisky Soda. The brands it stocks also are very selective, and their solitary gin is Roku, from the Beam Suntory portfolio. Roku was also the sponsor of Yangdup’s guest shift at Insider. Apart from his guest shift, he also anchored a bar talk for Moscow’s bartending community, and attended a dinner where senior bartenders from Moscow were in attendance, all underwritten

by Roku. As Yangdup says, the brand manager for Roku in Russia, was very clear about the focus of running a series of initiatives for supporting the bar community.

Yangdup’s guest shift was part of a 2-day activity, with the 2nd day anchored by the bar manager from Paradiso in Barcelona (#3 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list 2021) and Danil Nevsky (@cocktailman).

The encounter with Danil in fact, led to Danil later visiting India, to run guest shifts at Sidecar and the Library Bar at the Leela Palace.

With a recent collab with Makaibari tea under Sidecar’s belt, Yangdup included 1 of the tea cocktails from that menu, along with 3 more cocktails from the Sidecar menu for his guest

shift, with 2 of the 4 cocktails containing Roku. As Yangdup says, the flavour components required for all his cocktails were created using the equipment in the lab, with the equipment and the process finely tuned to the nature of the flavours required to be extracted.

A month later after his guest shift at Insider, Yangdup also travelled to El Copitas (#6 in the World’s 50 Best Bars) in St. Petersburg for a similar activity.

The key learning that Yangdup took away from both the guest shifts was that there are no parameters or limitations to cocktail making in the present day.

All that matters is your bar philosophy and staying true to it. While Insider demonstrates a futuristic vision of the cocktail, El Copitas relies on the classical methods but every member of each bar team is fully aligned with what they do. For Yangdup, a bartender moulded in the classical sense, the visit to Insider helped him understand and grasp these modern techniques, and perhaps inspiring him to create a bar in the same mould down the line.

Yangdup finds Roku to be a subtle and classy gin, that he would not use to make a G&T, but instead choose to serve it in a Classic Martini

INSIDER BAR GUEST SHIFT COCKTAILS Yangs Old Fashioned Brugal 1888 with Sweet Betel Nut Cordial, Orange Bitters stirred and served over ice.

Garnish with three fresh slices of red apple Himalayan G&Tea Roku with Darjeeing Second Flush Tea, Pedro Ximenez Sherry finished with orange oils over a block of clear ice.

Orange peel Sutra Roku with edible camphor, citric acid water, touch of hibiscus nectar, topped with London Essence Co tonic over ice, served tall. Garnish with a Kaffir lime leaf Moongaphalee Sour Roasted Peanut washed Makers Mark, Fresh Lime juice, Palm Candy Syrup, Ginger Bitters, pasteurized egg white shaken and double strained over ice. Garnish with toasted peanut flakes BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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You are one of the online hosts for the blends of the virtual world platform that has launched as a result of covid-19. What is your role with botvw and why did you partner with the blend?

The Blend and I share many mutual values, but the biggest is a focus on community and sharing knowledge. Partnering with The Blend enabled me to share my experiences and knowledge with the bartending community. It’s initiatives like this that I think the bartending community needs right now.

What is ‘byrdi at home’ in a snapshot, and whyshould bartenders watch your content?

It’s an insight into what we do in the venue day-to-day and what makes us a unique bar in Australia. We have always aimed to have an allencompassing and holistic approach at BYRDI, and these videos show that. The online series allows people to dive into a variety of topics and thought processes that can be adapted into their venues or at home.

BYRDI TAKES FLIGHT with The Blends of the Virtual World

WHEN LUKE WHEARTY QUIT HIS FIRST JOB AS A PIZZA DELIVERY DRIVER, HE DIDN’T IMAGINE IT WAS A JOB HE WOULD DO AGAIN IN HIS LATER YEARS, AND CERTAINLY NOT AFTER THE SUCCESS OF OPENING BYRDI, MELBOURNE. HOWEVER, COCKTAIL DELIVERIES WERE WHAT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA NEEDED TO GET THROUGH AN UNPRECEDENTED PANDEMIC, AND WHAT BYRDI BAR IN MELBOURNE NEEDED TO SURVIVE THE LOCKDOWN. AS WELL AS CREATING AN ONLINE SHOP AND RUNNING ONLINE COCKTAIL WORKSHOPS, LUKE THREW OPEN THE DOORS OF BYRDI TO THE BLENDS OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD AUDIENCE. BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

What can bartenders learn from your education syllabus, and why did you choose those topics?

I tried to choose a range of topics that people will find useful, but also to showcase the various elements we look at when creating everything for BYRDI. Whether it’s fermentation, seasonality or texture, these are the elements that come into consideration when we are developing new concepts and ideas for our menus.

Fermentation is a topic within your syllabus. How do you use fermentation in your venue, and why is it such a trend in recipes and menu practices globally?

Fermentation is a great way to add terroir or a sense of place to your venue. The apples I ferment at BYRDI taste different to the apples that someone else might ferment in, say Queensland, because of the difference in apple variety, where the apple was grown, airborne yeast, the time of year etc.

Byrdi is located in melbourne. How has the bar been operating during the covid-19 lockdown?

We built an online store when we first went into lockdown, and now we are delivering cocktails around Melbourne and shipping cocktails Australia-wide.

How have you kept the team engaged and maintained education as a focus at byrdi during the lockdown?

One example was the online cocktail classes we ran with The Blend and Beam Suntory.

They were an excuse to come together to prepare for the classes and work on several ideas creatively as a team for when we reopen.

pandemic is that it’s given me the time to execute a quality online offering that will add another layer to the venue moving forward. Something else that has been a recent addition are the online cocktail workshops. It was also a lot of fun tailoring a cocktail kit, with everything from shakers to spirits, produce and ice, and delivering them in advance.

Do you feel your role as owner-operator has changed during covid-19?

For sure, the pandemic has forced me to adapt. I’ve always thought of myself as a fairly dynamic business owner, but how COVID-19 has forced me to adapt and evolve my business has not only strengthened the business, but give me more confidence.

What does being nominated for tales of the cocktail’s top four for best new international cocktail bar mean, this year especially?

Grateful. Especially in a year when everyone is just trying to survive. To be nominated by your peers as one of the top venues in the world when we have been closed for longer than we have been open, is very humbling.

Have there been any benefits to the venue operation or structure as an outcome of covid-19 and any you might maintain?

The silver lining of the

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EPISODE: FATS & OILS

BYRDI at Home BYRDI LAMINGTON INGREDIENTS: 50ml Cacao & Coconut Jim Beam Black Label 25ml Raspberry Sweet Vermouth* 5ml 2:1 Sugar Syrup METHOD: Stir over ice and strain into frozen cocktail glass. *RASPBERRY VERMOUTH: 500g Raspberries 1L Sweet Vermouth Combine all ingredients in a jar and leave to rest at room temperature for 25 hours before straining.

EPISODE: TEXTURE BYRDI at Home

PINEAPPLE OLD TOM GIN INGREDIENTS: 700ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin 1kg Fresh Pineapple 250ml Gomme METHOD: Add all ingredients to mason jar and leave to rest in warm place (can leave in sun to speed up infusion) for 24 hours. Once infused, strain and bottle for future use.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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How it began?

I was lucky to work with The Blend in 2016 when we opened Charlie Parker’s in Paddington, Sydney. Sustainability had become a cornerstone of industry conversation, and so we opened Charlie Parker’s with a focus on seasonally-driven produce and addressing the waste stream associated with bars. We and venue manager Tony Marshall were fortunate enough to go to Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney to meet bartenders and share a little about our process.

around us, you just need to know where to look for them and where to find them.

Gardening using the available space at the bars and restaurants and have integrated the produce grown in the garden to drive the cocktail menu. As well as reducing the produce brought into the venue daily, the garden provides another layer of connection between the venue team and the product served to our guests. You can’t replicate the flavour of something you have grown and just pulled from the soil.

Learning for bartenders from your content?

How easy it can be to integrate your local environment into your bar program. Some inspiration to get to know their environment and use it in future drink creations!

The Blends Of The Virtual World

GROWING DRINKS IN THE MODERN BAR With SAM EGERTON & FRIENDS. EXPLORE THE WORLD OF CREATIVE, SUSTAINABLE, COCKTAIL MAKING FROM THE GROUND UP GROWING DRINKS IN THE MODERN BAR, IS A NEW ONLINE SERIES CREATED FOR BARTENDERS, TO EXPLORE THEIR CRAFT, CREATING SUSTAINABLE COCKTAILS FROM THEIR OWN COCKTAIL GARDENS, AS WELL AS FORAGING AND ALL ABOUT BEES AND BEEHIVE MANAGEMENT. HERE HE EXPLAINS WHY YOU SHOULD TUNE IN. MERIVALE’S GROUP BARS MANAGER, SAM EGERTON CAN’T HELP BUT FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES DESPITE THE CURRENT PANDEMIC THE WORLD IS FACING. DURING THIS TIME, SAM IS TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY.

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Your Syllabus content breakdown?

Gardening and foraging; I think these are two counterpoints in an environment-focused approach to flavour. We breakdown the dos and don’ts in both areas and provide some easily digestible information that can be applied anywhere in the world.

Foraging Foraging connects you to nature, slows you down and helps you to appreciate the effects that the environment, weather, and seasons have on produce and flavour. As we move away from the massproduction of things we eat, I believe we are turning back to the things in nature that we can live on sustainably, the things.

Nutrition and flavour are all

“I THINK FORAGING IS THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS RETURNING TO ‘LOCAL’, WHICH WE’VE SEEN HAPPEN GLOBALLY IN THE PAST DECADE.”

Any positives for the venue operations and structure as an outcome of covid-19?

I think that the teams are a lot smaller than they were pre-COVID-19, so people are working tighter and more cohesively than before. I think the pandemic was a great equaliser. No one was isolated from its impact, and I think that helped to galvanise teams; everyone was in the same boat and everyone was looking out for each other. I think that was always the intention in hospitality, but the chaotic nature of our industry has meant that looking after our guests has occasionally come at the expense of our teams.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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The New Age of

COCKTAIL GARNISHES Shirley Leung GARNISHES RANGE FROM EDIBLE TO ELABORATE, AND CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS A DUSTING OF CINNAMON, TO A FANCY SMOKED INFUSED COCKTAIL OR THE MORE REFINED OLIVE ON A SKEWER. WHATEVER THE STYLE OF GARNISH, THEY NEED TO SERVE A PURPOSE AND ELEVATE THE DRINKING EXPERIENCE. HERE, SHIRLEY LEUNG DELVES INTO THE HISTORY OF GARNISH TRENDS AND THE LATEST TREND OF THE NAKED GARNISH. WORDS BY SHIRLEY LEUNG

Let’s start with the simple question of, what is a garnish?

Is it a physical thing? Or a tangible thing that offers intangibility of experiences?

More importantly, what are the limits to garnishing a drink? I would love to say goodbye to the days of overgarnishing, but let’s be honest with ourselves, those Bloody Marys with chicken wings, mini cheeseburgers and candied bacon still exist somewhere, and let’s not start on the fairy floss and bubble smoke gun gadgets. Gimmicks only remain as gimmicks for a short run.

They’re never intended to be long-lasting.

For much of history, cocktail garnishes only served within two categories. The first is known as the ‘worker’ garnish, finishing touches that serve to complete a drink: the BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

olives in a Martini; a cherry in a Manhattan; the pickled onion for a Gibson. The other category is the ‘fancy’ garnish.

Its sole purpose is to be a decoration for a drink.

However, as social media platforms have become one of the easiest ways for bars across the country to get recognised and used as a marketing tool to raise brand awareness, we’ve seen a huge shift in the past few years from over-thetop garnishes to ones that are aesthetically simpler and serve a bigger purpose than a gimmick.

As the world became more aware of their environmental impact, so did bartenders.

We’ve seen a huge push in the community to reduce waste and promote the cycle of reusing and repurposing ingredients from the bar and kitchen.

Initiatives like Trash Tiki were born to build a community of knowledge for bars to have access to and discuss issues of sustainability in the industry, and great bars such as the former Dandelyan have taken strides to promote zero wastage bars.

Several years later, we’ve arrived at a new age for cocktail garnishes. Enter the naked garnish. Simple, subtle, softer, and serves a bigger purpose.

To the eye, it may be just a repurposed sugar-coated rim or paint on a Highball; a few drops of oils in a Martini; a dehydrated leather candy; a mist of fragrance. The purpose is still theatrical at its core,

but the thought process and intentions have changed.

The golden rule of design has always been ‘form follows function’, and so it seems the world of cocktail creations and the bartenders that follow have also adopted this rule.

Not only does recycling, reusing and repurposing already used bar ingredients help reduce wastage, it becomes more cost-efficient for businesses. It also allows for more creativity and pushes the boundaries of creation for bartenders. It is creating new challenges and new flavours.

Like most trends that come and go, let’s hope for this one to stick around a little longer.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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Building an inclusive Industry - Conversations with 3 LGBTQ + F&B professionals

What inspired you to choose bartending as a profession and name that one bartender or mixologist, who has influenced your art of mixing?

When I started my career, it was the passion what made me choose bartending as a profession, I used to sit in crossroads bookstore and read about cocktails and the recipes.

But as I progressed in my life, career and especially when I got familiar with the social world through Instagram, Amanda aka Bad Birdy inspired me a lot.

Were there any challenges you faced while paving your path towards becoming a bartender?

There were many but they made me what I am today.

From knowing the industry to getting known in the industry it’s a self-made journey.

The rainbow flag today is a symbol of LGBTQ pride.

If you were to create a cocktail using colours from the pride palette, which hues would you have picked, and what would be the reasoning behind it?

And don’t forget to name your cocktail!

I would like to use the hues of yellow, orange and red for my cocktail mix. And the name for this drink would would be androgyny.

What is the most BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

EESHAAN KASHYAP ARATI MESTRY TAKE A PEEK ON THE INSPIRATION AND CREATIVITY OF THE VERY VERSATILE INDIAN BARTENDER- ARATI MESTRY AKA THE NEGRONI MORON, WHO IS THE BAR MANAGER AT 7 RIVERS BREWING CO. AT TAJ MG ROAD, BANGALORE. memorable or interesting thing a customer has ever done for you at your workplace? Or what was that one compliment from a customer you’ll never forget?

During a conversation with a guest, I once expressed about my love for a particular kind of coffee and collecting coffee mugs. So, the next time the customer visited the bar, he gifted me the same.

Do you have any message that you would like to

share with our community, with our people?

Do what you love, people are here to talk about it. So why not rather just do it and not regret about why didn’t you. Be yourself. Be you!

Are there any more hidden talents that we may not know about?

Hahahaha. Few of them, I do have. But I don’t know whether to call them as talents because my indulgence is completely based on the passion and love for what I do.

HERE’S AN INCLUSIVE AND OPEN CONVERSATION WITH EESHAAN KASHYAP, THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE CURATOR & NON-EXCLUSIVE PARTNER AT PASS CODE HOSPITALITY PVT LTD. NEW DELHI. The first thing that comes to your mind. Be Quick! ●You would probably quit bartending if this ingredient went extinct. *Touchwood* – I don’t think so – I am going to do that ever ●If not a bartender, then what?

– Owning a café. Serving and curating is what I do, out of passion ●The weirdest Garnish a customer has ever asked for.

– Chopped chillies and chili flakes ●Your favourite House of Suntory spirit?

– Roku

A positive impact that helped you push behind the challenges and made you reach where you are today?

I am a perfectionist and I keep pushing myself to excel. This along with the desire to learn new things has propelled me forward professionally. Also believing in my own ability and hard work, gives me strength to achieve more. I prefer to be more self-motivated and look inwards for pushing myself, than relying on others for support, but positive people have also definitely helped along the way - such as my family who is my biggest cheerleader.

What is the most memorable or interesting thing a customer has ever done for you at your workplace? Or what was that one compliment from a customer that you’ll never forget?

I will never forget the time when one of my consumers made an announcement exclusively for me on a stage in front of 1500 people. The guest thanked me for creating magic with the bar and the curation at his wedding.

The one secret mantra that keeps you get going with your creativity at your workplace?

Creativity is in my DNA, and I am inspired by everything around me. The one thing which keeps me going is never being shy to try out new ideas and making my work exciting each day. I believe in pushing my own boundaries.

Do you have any message that you would like to share with our community, with our people?

Believe in yourself, put in the hard work and the result will follow. Be kind to one another and be inclusive. Demand respect from others and don’t let anyone take you or your identity for granted.

Are there any more hidden talents that we may not know about you?

Abstract Painting The first thing that comes to your mind. Be Quick!

• If you were not managing a restaurant then what? – Designing shoes • The weirdest request made by a customer ever – Paneer Sushi (#hellNO) • What does it mean for youworld-class experience? – Quality, Innovation & Newness • Western culinary or Indian coastal cuisine -choose one? – Both for sure • Your favourite House of Suntory spirit? - Hibiki BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

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because no matter who came in or whether they had water or two glasses of beer, he has always been inviting and warm just like a good friend you would have come to meet.

Another one was a bartender who would ask me to make a Gin cocktail every day and surprise her! She came to the bar regularly for 30 days and I think that is really memorable for me. It was in fact an experience - Getting to craft 29 variety of gin cocktails during a month.

Do you have any message that you would like to share with our community, with our people?

Work is the only way out, does not matter how you look, what you wear, whom you pray to or what your sexual orientation is.

Identify with your values and identify with your passion is what counts.

What inspired you to choose bartending as a profession and name that one bartender or mixologist, who has influenced your art of mixing?

It happened in 2010, when my friend asked me to pen down 5 things which I love the most and I wrote alcohol. That was the moment I realised my inclination to explore the liquid portfolio.

Post this incident, in the same year, I started pursuing my course on beverages.

There is not one bartender or mixologist but quite a few of them like- Elini Bock, Santosh Kukreti, Abhishek George and Alex (Mahe).

Were there any challenges you faced while paving your path towards becoming a bartender?

Things are way better now!

Women or alternate people did not represent bars back then, but today it’s opening up.

The rainbow flag today is a symbol of LGBTQ pride.

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FAY BARRETTO WE INDULGED IN AN UP-CLOSE AND CANDID CHAT WITH THE TRAVELLING BARTENDER FAY BARRETTO, WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF MR. BARTENDER & CREW. BE IT MIXING COCKTAILS AND JUGGLING FROM ONE CITY TO ANOTHER, THIS BEVERAGE CONNOISSEUR IS ALWAYS ON THE GO. If you were to create a cocktail using colours from the pride palette, which hues would you have picked, and what would be the reasoning behind it?

And don’t forget to name your cocktail!

Actually, Ami Shroff and I are working on something called ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and for the cocktail I would choose - Red (Life of Why), Indigo Violette (Spirit of Harmony), Yellow (Here comes the sun) & Green (Grass of home)- All these colours together symbolise an ideal life for me.

What is the most memorable or interesting thing a customer has ever done for you at your workplace? Or what was that one compliment from a customer you’ll never forget?

At one of my workplaces, there used to one regular customer who would order one beer every time he visited the bar and bounce off, nobody spoke to him, and so, I would always make sure to greet him.

But, one day he bought his family and left me a tip while mentioning to the team that, “I know you guys share your tips but this specially for Fay

Jim Beam Classic Highball Jim Beam Classic Highball Jim Beam White Label: 30 ml Soda 120 ml Lemon Wedge Chill the glass, soda and Jim Beam.

Squeeze a wedge of lemon and drop it in the glass Fill the glass with ice Add 1 part Jim Beam Pour soda gently filling the glass Stir once and enjoy

Are there any more hidden talents that we may not know about?

I sing and play the guitar a lot.

In fact, I will be recording my second album very soon.

The first thing that comes to your mind. Be quick! ● You’d probably quit bartending if this ingredient went extinct. *Touchwood* Jalapenos ● If not a bartender, then what?

Professional Cuddler! Actually, work with Crypto so maybe formulate my own coin/token. ● The weirdest Garnish a customer has ever asked for.

Parmesan Cheese to complete the cocktail because they felt it looked like a salad. ● Your favourite House of Suntory spirit?

Toki and Roku.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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JUST ICE WITH ANNU KUMAR

ICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN IMPORTANT INGREDIENT WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT BEVERAGES AND BARTENDERS WILL TELL YOU THAT THE QUALITY OF IT MATTERS AS MUCH AS THE OTHER INGREDIENTS GOING INTO THE COCKTAIL OR EVEN IF YOU’RE SIPPING A SPIRIT OVER IT. BARS HAVE ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM TO SOURCE GOOD QUALITY ICE TO DO JUSTICE TO THEIR WELL THOUGHT OF COCKTAILS. STEP IN JUSTICE, ONE OF THE FEW BRANDS TO EXPLORE THIS FIELD JUST LIKE A PUZZLE MISSING THE LAST PIECE. I GOT IN CONVERSATION WITH ANNU KUMAR, PROUD FOUNDER OF JUSTICE TO GET HIS THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT AND HIS JOURNEY SO FAR.

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What inspired you to venture into Ice? I was at a point in 2016 where I had been in the industry for quite some time, I had the opportunity to learn and work with some of the best bartenders in some of the best bars in the country.

A few bars were now featuring in International Top-ranking lists and the bartenders in the country were as good if not better than the well-recognized international bartenders. We were missing something, but a conversation with a fellow bartender and friend made me realize that these international bars and bartenders were paying a lot of respect to Ice and that probably got me thinking into looking for solutions.

I knew this is something I wanted to look into and with the help of my friend I pitched to a few investors only to be turned down. They did not think India was ready for it yet. I had to look at a way to make this more economical for bars and to not make a big dent in beverage costs as all the investors I spoke to thought the market was very price sensitive. So, I bought a machine that made ice, with the help of a few friends for some R&D but that failed too. Other work started coming up and my Ice project took a backseat, but it was always at the back of my head and I knew given the opportunity there is a scope to do big things with it.

Fast forward to 2020 and we were in a situation no one saw coming. While the world came to a standstill with the lockdown, I knew I had to take this opportunity with all the time on my hands and focus on Ice. I knew the problems I faced the last time I took this up so I thought to myself, why not build the machine from scratch to cut down on the cost. This took me about a year and a half to complete but it was all worth it at the end.

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We’re now making Ice at a very affordable price that helps bars do what they do best, which was the goal to begin with.

I STARTED ENTERING COCKTAIL COMPETITIONS AND I MANAGED TO REACH THE FINALS ON MY FIRST TWO ATTEMPTS WHICH HELPED ME STAY MOTIVATED FOR THE OTHERS.

What products / services are rendered by JustIce? What is their unique selling proposition?

We offer ice in different shapes and sizes to fit the right glassware for all kinds of drinks. These are carefully packed in individual zip-lock bags to avoid the ice sticking together and is delivered in an Ice box so it maintains its form. A new variation we’ve introduced is adding different ingredients like flowers and cinnamon sticks to name a few, at the centre to make it more visually appealing.

Our main USP is the price that we offer it at. The quality we offer is unquestionably top tier, something that our clients have reiterated now and again. Even though the machines are made in India, they’re made to the international standard making our product economical. We supply to different states and our distribution partners have helped us make this a very efficient operation.

What is the back-end infrastructure that they have for the same? What all states do they supply to?

Names of some clients We started with 1 machine but now we have 7 that make ice in 70kg, 100kg and 120kg blocks. That’s the easy part but when it comes to cutting these out into smaller shapes it takes a lot of time and patience.

As demand increased, we moved from a small room to a relatively bigger facility to fit all our machines. We have machines that make ice, some that will cut it and, on some occasions, we use a chainsaw and then a bandsaw to cut down bigger blocks into smaller sizes. We also have a hoist that

helps us take out the huge ice blocks from the machine which otherwise would be a manual task. We make sure everyone working on site has the proper gear, goes through proper training and is aware of all security protocols.

We supply to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Gurgaon and Chandigarh with Goa and Bengaluru next in line. We’re at a level where I’m confident that we could deliver at any place in India.

A few of our prestigious clients include The Leela, Le Meridien, Novotel, PCO, Sidecar, The Olive group, Saz and the list goes on. We’re really proud of our association with the partners and we’re excited to get more bars and restaurants from different parts of the country on our journey.

What is the size of your team?

We are a team of 5 right now including me. 4 of us work in production and 1 working in delivery.

Critical factors to ensure quality of ice The topmost xfactor is the quality of water you use to make your ice. One cannot expect to have good quality product with sub-standard raw ingredients and that’s something we firmly believe in and that’s one reason why we use water that is filtered twice.

Making good quality ice is a long process and it takes about 3 days for the water to freeze in our machine. The pumps and water circulators in the tank play an important role and placement is of utmost importance. If done incorrectly you’ll more likely end up with hazy and aired iced.

The third factor that we focus on is temping. The temperature of the ice is very critical after its ready and on occasions a sudden change in temperature could leave it vulnerable with the

possibility of breaking which scares me just talking about it because you’ve invested a lot of time and effort in it. We try and work in a temperaturecontrolled environment making sure the ice doesn’t come in contact with anything else that could hamper its quality.

Tips on sustainability when it comes to ice - how to reuse the run-off water, etc.

As a part of giving back to the environment we plan on investing 50 paisa for every block that we sell into planting trees. Also, we usually end up with a lot of left-over ice after cutting, which we melt and store in a tank to use for other things. We realise that water is a limited resource and practice minimal wastage.

We reuse our Ice boxes and zip lock bags and every time we deliver a shipment to the outlet, we take back the empty box and bags from the previous delivery. We’re also looking at new ways of packaging so we can store multiple products in the same bag making sure it doesn’t stick together.

What does he feel with regards to Ice programs at Bars & Hotels in India?

I’ve not been very happy with it if I’m being honest. bars & hotels do have programs to train staff by asking them to make 10 blocks and 20 blocks everyday which to me is very time consuming, leaving them with very little time to work on the other elements of the cocktails and eventually these programs fade away. The whole idea behind JustIce was to give them the time to work on the cocktails and let us take care of their ice requirements.

How has his journey been from a bartender / bar manager to entrepreneur?

I started off as a bartender with no academic background in

Food and Beverage working in weddings from time to time where I met a few established bartenders in the Indian industry, learning from them, getting inspired seeing how they carried themselves with such flair and confidence, I knew this is something I wanted to pursue further.

Subsequently, I started entering cocktail competitions and I managed to reach the finals on my first two attempts which helped me stay motivated for the others.

I kept learning and wanted to work in a top tier bar to polish my skills even further, and managed to land my first job with ATM in Delhi where I realized how important it is to pay attention to minute details when working with beverages.

My next project was at Perch that gave me the chance to showcase my creativity and help the brand build its cocktail menu.

Eventually the opportunity came calling with ice and everything fell into place. All in all, it has been a great learning experience and I continue to grow everyday with the help of JustIce and from interacting with peers and experts in the industry.

Being one among the initial ventures into Ice, how did the market respond to him?

The response has been overwhelming. The timing played a pivotal role, we had great beverage brands, great bartenders and to compliment them we now have good quality ice. We got calls from a lot of outlets who wanted to source ice from us given the price we offered it at and it has been all downhill from there on.

We want to grow organically along with our partners and I’m extremely excited to see what the future holds and I’m confident that we’re here for the long run.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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WORLD BARTENDER DAY 2020 AND 2021 HIGHLIGHTS

THE BLEND BY BEAM SUNTORY CELEBRATED WORLD BARTENDER DAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2018 AS A PART OF THAT YEAR’S EDITION OF THE PERFECT BLEND COCKTAIL COMPETITION WEEK. TODAY, WBD IS THE FIRST PROPERTY WE BRING TO THE COMMUNITY RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY YEAR, TO CELEBRATE THE CRAFT AND THE COMMUNITY. WHEN WE SAY THAT THE BLEND SUPPORTS AND CELEBRATES BARTENDERS AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR CAREER, WE REALLY MEAN IT!

2020 The Blend launched in India in September 2019 and in February of 2020, we celebrated the first edition of WBD on Indian shores. With a peak attendance of 80+ bartenders from Delhi & NCR, the event was held at Unlocked Café in Gurugram. Everyone walking in that evening was greeted with a refreshing Jim beam Highball and they had a variety of exciting & fun options to partake of. From being grouped into teams and being sent into the escape room at the outlet premises, where they had to work as a team to break out of the locked room to gleefully laughing at the host’s (Raghav Mandava, an ex-bartender turned standup comic) open mic gig.

To make the evening more special, we had a 10min bar takeover at the turn of every hour where senior industry mentors like Yangdup Lama, Minakshi Singh, Sandeep Verma and Vikram Achanta took over BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

the bar to make drinks for the young guns. All in all, a fun evening that truly resonated with the theme of that year’s WBD celebrations – Come as a friend, leave as family.

2021

Like all things in the past one year that was affected by the pandemic, our WBD celebrations in 2021 went virtual. In the week leading up to the 24th of Feb, 2021, we

reached out to senior mentors within the Indian bar fraternity to send in their wishes to the community via recorded messages and more than 100 top bartenders across the country, all members of The Blend, were sent Jim Beam Highball Kits containing a complete bar kit, JB highball mug, apron and a bottle of Jim Beam Bourbon whiskey.

On the day of the 24th, we hosted a live event that was attended by more than 150+ bartenders online and the hour long programme had the host unboxing the Jim Beam Highball Kit and passing the show onto three bartenders from Mumbai who showed the audience their take on the highball and gin & tonic using, Jim Beam, Roku & Suntory Whisky Toki. There were messages from leaders within the Beam Suntory India universe wishing the community on the special day and the show ended with a virtual pub quiz for bartenders hosted by Vikram Achanta.

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THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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LIFE BEYOND THE BAR: CELEBRATING OUR LOCAL HEROS CHAPAY ANAND, BEVERAGE MANAGER, SANCTUARY BAR AND KITCHEN, HYDERABAD Chapay’s journey so far I wanted to be a veterinarian but as luck would have it, I took a Job at Pizza hut and later at McDonald’s and in 2010 I took a job as a Barback at “News Café” in Hyderabad and I learnt a lot of things over there under an expat head bartender. I then joined Hard Rock Café although the place does not focus much on drinks and I did not get a chance to explore the cocktail culture. I then took a job at Chili’s and here as well I did not get to do much with cocktails. All this took 7 years of my career, but I was still motivated to explore myself and cocktail culture and back in 2017 I took a job at Zero 40 as operations manager but here I was also totally out of the bar operations, and I got a chance to take the charge of the bar when the bar manager unexpectedly left the job and I was back in my form. I started a new project called Room Two, it is a Speakeasy Bar and it is amongst the best bars in Hyderabad. Here I made a cocktail and drinks menu, and it came out well. And then I started participating in bartending competitions and that me connected to the entire bartending community.

As you said, you were working for 7 years in non-cocktail places and then later you made it big behind the bar. What kept you motivated?

I took my inspiration and motivation from industry people like Yangdup Lama, Arijit, Pankaj Balachandran, Rohan Jelkie (yourself!) and many others. And that kept me going.

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Now you are working as The Beverage Head at The Sanctuary Bar & Kitchen. What is approach in mentoring the young bartender team at Sanctuary?

Firstly, at the time of hiring them, I do not give much value to their Hotel Management degree and if they have any bartending course under their belt that is more than enough for my bar requirements. To me their passion and learning attitude is more important. This is how I select people for the roles behind the bar. I conduct two training sessions for my team in a month. I am not a boss to them; I am a friend to my team members. This is how I keep their motivation levels high on the floor.

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LIFE BEYOND THE BAR: CELEBRATING OUR LOCAL HEROS MANISH ACHARYA, SHAKE AND FLIP, RAJASTHAN Manish’s journey so far I started my journey in 2013 in my college days by working in events followed by a six-month internship at Grand Hyatt Goa. I later learnt bartending at FNBA in Mumbai. Soon after this I started working at Vanyavilas, Oberoi and during my three years tenure with Oberois I had an opportunity to work at many properties across India. I then worked as a head mixologist for more than a year with Townhall restaurants in Mumbai. On my return to Rajasthan, I took the charge as a freelance mixologist consultant.

What is your reading on how the cocktail culture has grown in Rajasthan? What does consumers like there; what do you think works and what you think does not work?

Earlier people in Rajasthan were hard core whiskey drinkers. It is the bartender’s job to help the client and consumer gradually discover the cocktail spectrum and help them move over from simple to more better and complex tasting drinks. Then comes the ingredients focused strategy and when guest or clients are given a chance to taste the unique ingredients in cocktails and then guests pick the cocktails as per their taste preferences. That said, the whiskey lover guest is open to an Old Fashioned may be with a twist in it.

Is there a flavour or set of flavours that works for consumers in Rajasthan?

Is there something that they are fond of?

The palate over here is inclined towards sweet & sour drinks. And then a lot of guests upfront ask for customized drinks.

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LIFE BEYOND THE BAR: CELEBRATING OUR LOCAL HEROS SANCHAYAN JANA BITTER SWEET HOSPITALITY Sanchyan’s journey so far Your last role with ITC involved you as a part of this the team that was setting bars across the chain , working on beverage lists, menu, cocktails and kind of redoing the approach on how ITC looked at the cocktails and the bars. You were almost like a corporate mixologist with ITC, so tell us how a new bartender would be able to do what you did and be able to go from being a bartender to a senior role within the company where you have been actively working with some of the most senior management people of the company where you have been working on different projects across the Chain. So what is important to achieve such a feat?

Throughout this journey I have learned that it is important to be very grounded and humble. Then comes your knowledge & presentation. The world outside takes notice of all your actions whether it is online and offline, so the next key factor is how the world perceives you. As a matter of fact, I am very active on social media in showcasing my work and that landed me the job offer at ITC Maratha through my Instagram handle.

Roku Gin TASTE PROFILE: Yuzu top note NOSE: Cherry blossom and green tea provide a sweet, floral aroma TASTE: Complex, multi-layered yet harmonious flavor of various botanicals Traditional gin taste at its base, plus characteristic Japanese botanical notes with Yuzu (Japanese citrus

fruit) as the top note Smooth and silky texture FINISH: The crisp Japanese Sansho pepper brings a little spiciness to the finish THE PERFECT SERVE In tune with the spirit of Omotenashi, we have created the ROKU perfect serve. This is more than a simple Gin & Tonic, it is a ritual.

Steps Slice the peeled ginger

into equal long sticks. Each serve should include six slices of ginger.

Place the filled ROKU gin cup beside the glass.

Add the six slices of ginger to the highball glass.

As a mark of respect, bow and invite the guest to pour the ROKU from the ROKU gin cup into the high ball glass.

Fill the glass with ice and top up with tonic Once ROKU has been poured into the glass, it is very important to stir carefully to blend the ingredients.

Tell us more about the Luxury cocktail program which ITC has?

We started as a small team and created a sustainable cocktail program for entire ITC hotels and then we travelled to all the hotels to train the bartenders over there. It was a 2-3 month long program which was conducted in ITC Royal Bengal. It was an interesting and fun experience. So each hotel has their own sustainable program which centers around the locally sourced ingredients. For example, in Kolkata we came with a cocktail with Mishti Doi, it is a fat washed

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the streets of New Orleans on day 1 about 10km from the end. I hadn’t expected the same to happen on day 2. I hadn’t expected New York to be subject to flash flooding and thunderstorms for the 2 days I was running there. All in, over the first 6 marathons I ran, 5 of them were during extreme weather warning conditions.

Running the summer rain is wonderfully refreshing yet when your shoes become waterlogged and heavy it adds an additional strain on all your joints. On marathon #3, around Central Park in torrential rain, I felt that something was up with my left foot and hoped that, like many aches and pains when running, it was temporary, and I could just run it off.

14 marathons in I had to stop running. However, I didn’t stop the marathons. I decided to carry on doing marathons by whatever vehicle necessary

and hope that my leg healed itself so that I could get back to running. I cycled marathons, until a 1c disposable plastic bag got caught up in the gears of my very expensive bike and destroyed it. I did a rowing marathon which literally put a hole in my bottom and I even did 42km on the amazing Elliptigo elliptical bike.

That got me to 22 marathons complete and the leg was feeling ok. We had arranged a run around Victoria Park in London so that people could come along and join for a lap or two to support me.

This was a target I set myself to get back running so all the stretching, ice packs and hot baths with Epsom salts was dedicated towards this marathon. From the first few hundred metres however I knew it was going to be tough.

At 21km in (half marathon distance) I couldn’t go on. I

hobbled back to my brother’s apartment and the next day took myself off to hospital to find out what was wrong.

The first couple of days I was frustrated, annoyed with myself and disappointed that I’d failed in the challenge I’d spent so long preparing for and feeling that I’d somehow let everyone down by not completing it. Whilst I was running through the pain, one of the things that got me to the end each day was remembering that however much pain I was in, it was miniscule compared to the pain suffered by those with mental health problems that I was trying to help. My pain was temporary and would ease once I stopped running, it was a tolerable reminder of why I was doing this. It was only when I applied this thinking whilst feeling sorry for myself on the sofa that things not only got better, but I can say that I’m

happy the injury happened.

As they say, there’s a silver lining to every cloud and the response to my injury has been amazing. From the outpouring of support from people all over the world to a call to arms started by La Factoria in Puerto Rico to challenge bar teams around the world to step up and complete the marathons that I couldn’t complete (yet).

I’ve been truly humbled, almost to tears at points, when reading the messages, checking out the Instagram posts of people so inspired they’ve taken up their own fitness challenges and people coming together to fill in the marathons I’ve missed.

I’m not done with this challenge though. I still have 141 days (from time of writing) to go until I’m 43. I managed to complete 14 full marathons so I’m 1/3 of the way there. I have 113 days of recovery and 28 marathons to go.

42 MARATHONS

RUNNING 42 MARATHONS IN 42 CONSECUTIVE DAYS AT 42 YEARS OLD

BY TIM ETHERINGTON-JUDGE

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im is the founder of Healthy Hospo and has dedicated his life to changing the industry for the better with his passion for helping people. You can usually find him cycling, ultra-endurance running and enjoying a good night’s sleep.

It’s 22nd August 2019 and I’m supposed to be 8 days away BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO

from completing the biggest physical challenge of my life: 8 days away from running around the streets of East London celebrating not only a personal challenge completed, but a huge amount of awareness and money raised for better mental health in our industry.

Instead I’m sitting here typing this article with my left

leg in an Ossur fracture boot with a pair of crutches leaning up against my desk. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

I’ve been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the left shin with a 4-6-week recovery period. Doctors’ orders are to rest as much as possible, keep my leg up and do absolutely no running at all. None.

Things were difficult right from the start. I knew that completing 42 marathons in consecutive days was going to be tough. I knew that starting in sweaty sauna of New Orleans in July wasn’t idea and I knew that injury and weather would be my biggest challenges. I hadn’t expected for a downpour of biblical proportions to flood

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ROBIN NANCE

SENIOR NATIONAL PORTFOLIO BRAND AMBASSADOR, BEAM SUNTORY USA BEST AMERICAN BRAND AMBASSADOR - SPIRITED AWARDS 2020

Congratulations on being named best American brand ambassador at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail’s spirited awards. what does the award mean to you?

Thank you so much! It’s honestly still so overwhelming.

I am good friends with so many ambassadors who are all doing great work. It’s incredibly special to win an award that is voted on by your peers. I am supported by, in my opinion, the greatest team of ambassadors in the world who push me to do and be better every day.

ROBIN NANCE DOESN’T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH. SHE ADMITS HER CAREER IN HOSPITALITY BEGAN WHEN HER MODELLING CAREER EXPIRED. SHE NEVER LIED ABOUT NOT MAKING IT TO COLLEGE WHEN SHE ENTERED THE CORPORATE WORLD. SHE DIDN’T PRETEND WINNING BEST AMERICAN BRAND AMBASSADOR CAME FROM HER WORK ALONE. AND SHE OPENLY SHARES HER STRUGGLES ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHOW OTHERS THEY’RE NOT ALONE. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE ROBIN WHO SHE IS AND SHE CAN STAND PROUD AS THE SENIOR NATIONAL PORTFOLIO AMBASSADOR AT BEAM SUNTORY IN THE USA, WHERE SHE IS ALSO AN INSPIRATION TO THE TRADE. IN THIS INTERVIEW, ROBIN SHARES HER THOUGHTS ON THE TABOO SUBJECT OF AWARDS, WHY THE PANDEMIC FORCED A CHANGE THAT WAS NEEDED IN THE AMERICAN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AND WHY YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE IT ALL TO RISE TO THE TOP. You are based in Chicago.

Tell us a little about yourself, your background and role at Beam Suntory.

I started modelling in high school and as soon as I graduated, I was off to New York. It’s not all the glitz and glamour you imagine for most

models and to make ends meet, I got a job as a host in an Italian restaurant. By the ripe old age of 26 (haha), I was ‘too old’ to continue modelling, so I went back to my hospitality roots and rose from server to bartender, to manager and finally, Director of Operations

for 12 restaurants in Los Angeles. In 2012, I moved to Chicago and not long after, I was approached about a job as an ambassador for a whisky company. In 2014, when Suntory purchased Jim Beam; I went to work as the National Auchentoshan Ambassador

at Beam Suntory. In 2017, I wrote a proposal for my current role (which didn’t exist at the time) and I’ve been doing that ever since. Now I represent the entire portfolio through trade events, The Blend, USA and our partnership with the USA Bartenders’ Guild.

What do you think awards do for the industry and how do you feel they benefit a venue, brand or individual?

Awards have become such a taboo subject. I think it’s important to embrace joy wherever you can find it.

Awards - especially those voted for by peers - are a reminder of the amazing results of yours and your team’s hard work and dedication. They are something you can share with your community as a way of saying ‘thank you’. For an individual, it can be a powerful addition to your resume that opens new doors to your future.

For venues and brands, it shows how much you put into providing a quality product, experience and talented team to your audience. No award is an

individual award; no one gets to the level of winning awards alone.

You recently launched The Blend, USA. At such a critical time in the industry with Covid-19, how has it been received?

The feedback so far has been great! We haven’t done a big push outside of social media, so it’s building slowly until the USA industry returns to a more stable place. Our goal is to provide the tools our trade members need right now and to be there to support them during their rebuild.

This year has come with its challenges. how are you inspiring and connecting with bartenders in your market during this time?

It’s important to be available to listen. I try to ask questions around our trade members’ needs and then really listen to what they say. Then I can use that to build tools within our programs that fit their needs.

I’m also known for being quite open on social media and sharing my struggles openly helps others to know they’re not alone and hopefully normalises difficult feelings. I realise this isn’t for everyone, but it’s a big part of who I am. I don’t have a brand profile and a personal profile; what you see is what you get.

Do you believe the pandemic will change the industry for the long-term and what can the industry take away from the pandemic so we all come back stronger?

I hope so. The pandemic shone a spotlight on issues in the industry. We had an opportunity to take a step back, look at where change was needed and move forward to a more sustainable business model.

I hope that we embrace this opportunity and don’t revert to a flawed system because it’s comfortable. The hospitality industry employs a massive number of people and we can enact real change, such as getting more involved with our communities and government.

You’re an inspiration to many in the industry. what advice can you offer to those starting their career with the vision to get to where you are today?

My favourite quote is: “The answer is always ‘no’ if you don’t ask.” It’s okay to ask `questions; it’s okay not to know the answers. That’s how we grow. My current role didn’t exist, but I saw a need in the business and asked for it. If there’s a job you want but you don’t know if you’re qualified, apply anyway. Then take that list of qualifications and seek out mentors who can help you

to build confidence in the areas you feel you need it in. If you get the interview, don’t focus on saying the ‘right’ thing. Ask questions that you can learn from. So often we dismiss the skills we bring to the table because they aren’t on some arbitrary list. Finally, you’ll be great at anything you’re passionate about. Skills and jobs can be taught. but passion can’t. If it doesn’t build fire in your gut, move on.

If you could share a career highlight with us, what would it be?

I never went to college and for a while, I was ashamed and worried that would prevent me from growing my career in a corporate world. About three years ago, Beam Suntory was approached to build a beverage management pathway in cooperation with our city colleges. It was a project brought to us by our mayor to support and ensure the growth of hospitality in Chicago.

Somehow, I ended up leading the project and I’m proud to say that it will be launching in the autumn of 2021 and is the first of its kind in America.

Not only that, but I now sit on an advisory board of a college, despite being someone who never stepped foot in one.

Anything is possible.

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his rare, high-quality and world-class blend of Oaksmith® Gold International Blended Whisky, delicately blends 100% Aged Scotch Whisky Malts from the lush highlands of Scotland, Aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from The United States of America, with the finest spirit, grains can produce, using the impeccable craftsmanship of Japan. As a result, the taste is rich, smooth and uniquely international.

Oaksmith® Gold International Blended Whisky is a first of its kind, truly international whisky blending the best of 3 continents, with essence of Scotland, The United States of America and Japan.

The exceptional recipe of Oaksmith® Gold International Blended Whisky is crafted by one of the world’s most revered and renowned blenders – Shinji Fukuyo. Shinji Fukuyo is from Japan, and the Chief Blender at Suntory - The Founding House of Japanese Whisky.

With over 30 years of experience in creating some of the world’s most award-winning whiskies, Shinji is also the creator of some of the world’s most coveted Japanese spirits – Yamazaki, Hibiki and Ao. The blends of Oaksmith® Gold & Oaksmith®

®

International contain no artificial flavors, as purity and authenticity continue to be cornerstones of the brand and Japanese blending techniques.

“I travelled across the country to understand the

different food cultures and flavours. Eventually what I saw, heard and tasted, helped me explore a variety of flavour profiles and finalise this harmonious blend which has the best of America, Scotland

and Japanese craftsmanship. I am extremely proud as the final product completely reimagines what the future of Indian whisky can be.”

– SHINJI FUKUYO

The Perfect Serve

A standard pour of Oaksmith® Gold is recommended as 45ml. To be poured in a pre-chilled, wide mouthed whisky rock glass.

Add signature Oaksmith® Gold spherical ice for this Takumi ritual. If not, 4 big ice cubes or 6 small, will also go well.

Add water to taste, but no more than the pour size (45ml in this case).

Tasting Notes – Oaksmith® Gold

OAKSMITH® GOLD INDIA’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL BLENDED WHISKY

APPEARANCE Intense Rich Gold ON THE PALATE Mild but full-body with woodiness originated from oak cask ON THE NOSE Rich fruity and sweet top note followed by a hint of smoke (peat) ON THE FINISH Clean and smooth

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World

BARTENDER Day 2022 #CHEERSTOUS

It takes a lot to be a good bartender. It takes patience, care, positivity and determination.

It takes skill and knowledge. And countless late nights, getting the craft just right. It takes experimenting with new things. And accepting that you’ll fail… more than once.

Being a bartender is not just a side job. It’s a career. A vocation. A unique combination of skills that very few can finesse.

CREATING AN ICE PROGRAMME FOR YOUR BAR ICE, ICE BABY If you’ve always wanted to explore the secrets of ice, then this is your chance. Annu Kumar (@capt.just.ice), founder of Just Ice, is one of India’s bar stars and the perfect person to take you through how you can build an ice programme in your own bar.

This workshop is part of the World Bartender Day Celebrations 2022, and is brought to you by The Blend India.

So, this World Bartender Day, we’re celebrating the hard work, determination and knowledge it takes to be a bartender. And raising a glass to success, failure and progress – as a community. #CHEERSTOUS is a 24 hour series of live events across the globe – exploring what it takes to make it in the profession.

Creating a wave of cheers on Instagram Live and hosted in collaboration with The Blend selected mentors, we’ll have ENGAGING content to INSPIRE bartenders & LIVE INTERACTION in the cheers.

This World Bartender Day, The Blend will launch a brand-new global mentoring programme in which we will pair industry-renowned bartenders with the next generation of forward-thinking professionals.

This World Bartender Day, The Blend is going to help forge connections across the bartending industry to allow bartenders to develop, evolve and grow.

A mentorship by bartenders, for bartenders.

Every mentor will create a bespoke programme in partnership with The Blend for their mentee based on their own expertise, their passions, and the unique area of the industry they want to carve for themselves

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GROW YOUR COCKTAIL GARDEN BE A BAR FARMER Join us on a journey into the new age of the cocktail menu. Learn to craft a menu that’s in tune with the seasons and your customers. Ensure that “Go Local” goes beyond a catch phrase to something that lives on in your bar menu.

This workshop is part of the World Bartender Day Celebrations 2022 and is brought to you by The Blend India.

DRINK PHOTOGRAPHY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

Your host is Nitin Tewari, or @mr.bartrender himself.

#DRINKSTAGRAM A bartender today is expected to not just make drinks but also click and share them, either to build their personal brand or to give them the edge in a cocktail contest.

Join us for a fun, interactive, and practical-oriented workshop with Mentor Kshitij Goel @thecocktailtimes on how to take Instagram-worthy cocktail pictures with your mobile phone on 23rd Feb 2022.

The workshop is part of the on-going WBD celebration.

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SENSEI

THROUGH THE UNDERLYING THEME OF OMOTENASHI, WE’LL BE EXPLORING THE JAPANESE CONCEPTS OF IKIGAI, SENSEI, KODAWARI, AND SHOKUNIN, PICKING UP TIPS, TECHNIQUES, AND A FEW COCKTAILS ON THE WAY.

NEW AGE OF COCKTAIL GARNISHES VANISHING GARNISH In an age of sustainability, learn how the garnish is being re-invented by cocktail bars around the world from Navjot Singh, a master practitioner who brings this to life every day at a new-age cocktail bar in New Delhi.

M

asa Urushido began his career in hospitality on a bike, delivering pizza through the streets of Tokyo and later opened his own bar, Katana Kitten, in New York’s Greenwich Village two decades later.

Opened in 2018, Katana Kitten was listed as 16th Best Bar in the World 2020, and named America’s Best New Bar 2019

by Tales of The Cocktail.The drinks are simple but innovative and the dishes are inspired by Masa’s grandmother’s recipes.

The overall theme speaks for itself of Japanese and American culture fusion.

Let us explore the art of Japanese hospitality with House of Suntory as we chart Masa’s rise to success, from his humble beginnings to his home in Brooklyn.

SENSEI

In chapter two of Masa’s life story, we explore the importance of Sensei and mentorship. As Masa explains, “mentorship is very important because all these people came before me, brought me up to where I am today, everything is kind of traced back to what they told me. I got so much from them.” Masa’s first bartending sensei, Antonio Suzuki, in Cigar bar at Shibuya’s Tableaux.Today, he’s created the Tokubetsu Martini in celebration of the man who taught him how to make cocktails, his first sensei - Antonio Suzuki. Tokubetsu in Japanese means special and it is created with Roku Gin combined with extra dry vermouth and the Japanese rice beverage Amazake, bottled, stored in the freezer, garnished with fresh yuzu zest and cucumber bitters.

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TEACHER’S 50 25 GLORIOUS YEARS Teacher’s 50 is set to celebrate 25 glorious years in India with a celebratory campaign led by an Anniversary Edition Pack in India which is a perfect centrepiece for cherished times with your loved ones. This pack puts Teacher’s 50 is placed at the heart of celebrations, by elevating the opening experience to present and glorify the bottle. A significant milestone worth marking, for our perfectly balanced smooth & smokey Scottish blend!

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The Blend Australia – WBD Celebrations 2022 ‘’A day of celebration, community, and craft.

The Blend Australia is working with the brand that prides itself in bringing everyone together: collaborating with Jim Beam for this year’s WBD activity in a bid to connect in a heart-felt (but upbeat!) global movement to ‘CHEERS’ and make the community “ALWAYS WELCOME”, as COVID continues to impact everyday livelihood across hospitality.

Hospitality professionals can join in the global movement as Australia connect and collaborate in person or online* . Join us at the Bar ( in your respective state) for some refreshing Bourbon and soda’s, or come prepared for some interactive fun and the chance to WIN exclusive prizes! Attendees will have the chance to not only be part of a World Record attempt**, but unveil your personal ‘CHEERS’ to those in the industry you want to mention! You’re Always Welcome… to attend both!’’

BARFLY MAGAZINE NEW LOGO THE B MONOGRAM IS EASILY RECOGNISABLE. SINCE USED IN ALL PROGRAM LOGOS, MERCH AND GENERAL VISUAL ASSETS I THOUGHT IT MADE SENSE TO USE IT IN THE BARFLY LOGO TOO.

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