College goers who frequented the original Turquoise Cottage in south Delhi some years ago are now busy executives. Owners too have come and gone. However, the head bartender, Rajendra Joshi, has been a permanent fixture at various outlets of this hip joint for a decade because he loves the place.

Starting out at a time when bartending was not a much sought-after profession, Joshi read up everything he could find on the topic. He also learnt the tricks of the trade as he went along. About five years ago he attended a three-month course at Karan Lamba’s bartending classes to further polish up his skills, while still working.

At Turquoise Cottage, popularly referred to as TC by regulars, it’s the Mojitos which find favour with the Thai and Chinese food served there. Joshi’s personal favourite is the Mojito too as it’s a refreshing drink. And since his bar menu is a runaway hit, he has no intentions of making any changes to it just yet.

He shares recipes of the three most popular cocktails at TC.

Planter’s Punch

INGREDIENTS 45ml pineapple juice 45ml orange juice 45ml Bacardi 15ml almond syrup 90ml Old Monk Crushed ice Some sweet lime wedges for garnish

Method Mix all the ingredients except the rum and sweet lime wedges in a shaker. Shake well and pour into a glass. Add the Old Monk, garnish with the wedges of sweet lime and serve.

Mojito

INGREDIENTS 60ml Bacardi A dash of fresh lime juice 15ml sugar syrup 1tsp brown sugar 4-5 lemon chunks Crushed ice 90ml soda Mint leaves for garnish

Method Mix all the ingredients except the mint leaves and soda in a shaker. Shake well and pour into a glass. Top up the drink with soda. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Cosmopolitan

INGREDIENTS 45ml vodka 15ml Triple Sec 45ml cranberry juice A dash of fresh lime juice A dash of sugar syrup Crushed ice Red cherries for garnish

Method Mix all the ingredients in a shaker and pour into a glass. Garnish with cherries and serve.

As told to Saimi Sattar; Photographs by Jagan Negi