Ashim Gurung

Afriend introduced Ashim to bartending as a career option on a night out in 2010. Since then, he has worked hard to establish himself and enjoys making guests smile by making excellent cocktails and cracking sidesplitting jokes.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY. I’m from Nepal, I moved to Hong Kong in 2010. Early on I tried my hands at various jobs and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. One evening I was with friends on a night out in Lan Kwai Fong, where one of them was bartending. I fell in love with watching him flair, talking to people and enjoying what he was doing.

TELL US ABOUT THE LIQUID USED IN YOUR COCKTAIL AND THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR DRINK. Stolichnaya elit Vodka is made with a selected blend of grains, winter, wheat, spring wheat, rye and filtered at - 18 degrees Celsius. It’s a perfect vodka for all Martini drinkers. With such a pristine profile, I decided to make a Dirty Martini, or I call it ‘Dirty Harry,’ inspired by Clint Eastwood (aka Harry Callahan aka Spirit of the West).

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN THE INDUSTRY? There are many people who have influenced me in this industry especially people from Maximal Concepts. Lokendra Gurung is my mentor who has always been there for me, whether it’s teaching me the basics of bartending or guiding me through my professional and personal life, motivating and pushing me forward to learn more. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT BEHIND THE BAR? Anytime when I can bring a smile to someone’s face by cracking some jokes or creating a cocktail, they are my proudest moments.

AND YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING BAR STORY? Actually, there are a lot in early days of my career like dropping cocktails all over tables and customers while carrying a tray. The most embarrassing one was when I used work at a private club as a bar back, and one night our DJ came to me asked for two blowjobs. I was just shocked and shy but later found out it was a shooter. That was a very embarrassing moment. But taking it all positively, I have learned a lot from those incidents.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS. Happy, curious, and passionate.

Dirty Harry

INGREDIENTS: • 60ml Stolichnaya elit Vodka • 22.5ml Chamomile brine • 10ml Manzanilla sherry

METHOD: Build and stir

GARNISH: Chamomile brine infused green grapes

GLASSWARE: Coupe