Career Focus

Raise the bar

Notwithstanding the fact that women are a rare breed in the bar business. It is a money-making career option for women choosing to this profession and it is a relatively an unexploited terrain, explores Preeti Kannan

Does flaring bottles, mixing cocktails to the get the right taste and colour get your adrenaline pumping? Then you should consider making a career in bartending, for being a woman bartender in a country like India has exciting opportunities and serious challenges - read: impediments. While the fact remains that female bartenders get paid handsomely, more often better than their male counterparts, there are very few women who have learnt the tricks of the trade and even fewer, who have actually chosen to work in Indian bars or hotels. Reasons being, orthodox mindset and the law that prevents women from working in bars, act as stumbling blocks.

There are the likes of Shathbi Basu - synonymous with bartending in India - who have long shattered the myth that bartending is only a man's domain and has in fact redefined bartending for both men and women. Despite the fact that she changed perceptions and has trained over 500 bartenders in her institute - STIR Academy of Bartending - she has seen only five women in the last seven years opting to bartend.

The Indian scenario

As compared to the world the concept of female bartenders is almost non-existent in India, barring a handful. Technically, legislation does not permit women to serve alcohol behind the bar. But, that does not deter the daring and the skilled. In fact, the Delhi High Court recently ruled that women can and should be allowed to bartend, though cannot be forced to serve liquor against their wishes. However, the ruling is yet to be ratified and Delhi has been the only state to take this step. Despite the law being a bottleneck, Ami Shroff and Delnaaz Irani, who do freelance bartending from Mumbai, have managed to carve a niche for themselves and are popular with pub hoppers and party-goers.

There is also a crying need to change perceptions about women working behind a bar. Safety would be a concern for most, including parents, who simply cannot fathom their daughters mixing alcohol in a pub or a restaurant. "A bar is the safest place for a woman, as male bartenders and your colleagues can get extremely protective of you," says Basu. However, she concedes that it is no cakewalk to work among male colleagues and male customers as "Guys often resist you at work. But once you establish your competence and maintain your dignity, things will fall into place quickly," she observes. Bartending is no different than any other profession and if one has the inclination and the panache, it can be made into a successful career.

To be behind the bar

First it is imperative to understand that bartending is not just about juggling, rightly known as flaring glasses or bottles in the air to entertain crowds. A combination of competence in mixology and flair makes for a good bartender. Mixology is the art of comprehending which drink has what flavours, finding the right balance, texture, colour and understanding the use of the apt glassware. To perfect mixology one has to understand what goes into the making of a drink, the process of distillation and the available brands in the market.

Hospitality comes naturally to women and mixology like cooking will also come instinctively to them. It is also a lot of physical work as you have to stand continuously in a bar for more than six hours. Flaring is just the icing on the cake; a glam value added to the knowledge bit. There are many who are just performance-oriented and can mix the basic drinks. But, if you need to establish yourself as an intelligent bartender, you need to get your basics right.

Professionalism and the right attitude will help you tackle aggressive and suggestive customers. Good communication skills and thinking on your feet can also help deal with sticky situations.

Career options

There is great potential for women looking at bartending as a serious career, as when a woman's flips the bottle, it usually leaves connoisseurs asking for more. Besides, hotels like having women in their bar as it adds to their feel-good factor and the 'fairer sex' is definitely paid much more than the men. Since there are only a few who have ventured into this male bastion, there are plenty of opportunities waiting to be explored. While a hotel management background is preferred, it is not a compulsion.

A woman bartender can work in a restaurant, a bar or a pub. Working with a hotel's pub or bar ensures a steady income.

Presently in India, there are a lot of freelancers like Ami Shroff, who is studying Law and bartends only as a hobby. Freelancers usually bartend for specific occasions and parties, work part-time, preferring to study or work in other fields simultaneously. It is extremely lucrative to freelance and helps in making a quick buck. But if you are interested in a serious career, it is advisable to start with a hotel and once you are well-established, freelancing could be an option.

• A cruise liner holds excellent prospects and is a lucrative option too. You might be working nine months a year and travelling wherever the ship goes.
• Once you are well entrenched in the field, you can even become a consultant like Basu and help set up a bar, design pubs and probably even train youngsters aspiring to be bartenders.
• Many even go abroad like UK or Dubai to work in some of the best bars and hotels after a two-year stint in Indian hotels, as the exposure and the pay package is better.

The pay scales for a bartender, like all professions, depend on the experience level. A standalone bar tends to pay more than a five-star hotel. A trainee, with no hotel management background, can get paid up to Rs 5,500. After six months of experience, it can increase to Rs 7,500 and after two years, one can draw up to Rs 15,000.

Sandeep Verma, the founder of Institute of Bar Operations and Management, asserts, "With the alcohol industry opening up, it has created tremendous opportunity for women. It also helps if they are more efficient and precise while making cocktails. Sometimes, they can also get paid up to Rs 50,000 a night."

From a trainee you can graduate to a senior bartender then a bar manager and then eventually become a trainer, after you have learnt the fine nuances of mixing and matching. So if you have the flair and the interest, then go ahead and try your hand at making cocktails and flaring!