Inside HighSpirits

High On Smirnoff’s Bartender Roadshow Success, Organisers Contemplate Another Edition

EH&C Staff - Mumbai

The excellent response to the Smirnoff sponsored Stir-Tulleeho roadshow for professional bartenders held in April and May, have compelled the organisers to consider another event in the near future.

Said Shatbhi Basu of Stir, India’s first professional bartending academy and widely acknowledged as India’s best bartender and consultant, “We kept a ceiling of 30 for each of our two-day workshops so that each one gets the full benefit. There are already 16 more sign-ups which we could not accommodate. So I guess, there may be another pro-bartender workshop in the near future.”

To which Vikram Achanta of Tulleeho, the facilitator of many professional bartender events, programmes and promotions, said, “The quality of those who attended the workshops in both the cities have been just phenomenal. There may have been some who have tried such workshops, but were not successful because those imparting the information may not have had the correct credentials. It shows their need for top-notch and authoritative information. Given this response, we may look at holding these events more often.”

The venues for the workshops in Mumbai and New Delhi were chosen for their excellent bar set-ups. Enigma, the discotheque at JW Marriott in Mumbai and Ssteel in New Delhi were the venues. In both the cities, the attendance was restricted to 30 participants. The Mumbai event was attended by a number of top names from the bar services sector such as the hosts JW Marriott and other Marriott brands in the city, Taj, Best Western, Hotel Diplomat and Fariyas as well as many nightclubs and restaurants. Similarly, the New Delhi event was attended by the leading services there such as Bristol, Senso, hosts Ssteel, Radisson, Taj Palace, Taj Man Singh and Ambassador among many others. Basu attributes the success of her workshops to the topics discussed, with the emphasis on the word discussed. He said, “They already know a lot, so telling them how to make a Bloody Mary is bloody stupid. My aim is to enhance their capabilities by building upon their experience. We discuss mixology (the science of blending drinks) and dissect the latest Indian and international trends so they can stay ahead in the game. We also incorporate a lot of machinery into our discussions. The idea is that not everyone has the latest machinery like a smoothie maker, so we discuss ways on how to make the best of the equipment he has.

“An important topic for us at the workshop is the understanding of guests. Here we discuss how to cater to the various types by gauging their moods. An inebriated guest is a sensitive subject which has to handled well. Smart, on the spot thinking can be the difference between a good and an ugly situation. This is vital information to a professional bartender.”