“I can toss up three cocktails in three-and-a-half minutes. My goal is to be the best bartender in the country,” chirps Edmund Gomes, senior bartender of Calcutta’s new watering hole, Amoda, The Spa Bar. The 25-year-old loves getting creative with natural ingredients and seasonal fruits to stir up some punchy cocktails.

Gomes learnt the ropes during his three-year stint at The New Kenilworth Hotel’s pub, Big Ben, after which he joined Amoda. “I learnt a lot about basic mixology at The New Kenilworth as well as how to interact with clients and to anticipate their likes and dislikes,” says Gomes.

A large chunk of Gomes’ clientele are women who come for some serious pampering at Amoda’s spa. For them he tosses up drinks into which he bungs in kiwi, strawberries and pineapple. He has also created interesting cocktails for stars including Madhavan, Zeenat Aman, Asmit Patel, Moon Moon Sen, Ria and Raima Sen.

Here are his three favourite recipes.

Italian Martini

Glass Martini

INGREDIENTS 40ml vanilla vodka 10ml dry vermouth 10ml Galliano 3 burnt coffee beans (for garnish) 1 basil sprig (for garnish)

Method Put all the ingredients in a shaker and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain the drink into a pre-chilled Martini glass. Garnish with coffee beans and basil to offset the flavour of the vermouth and the Galliano and serve without ice.

Nuclear Bomb

Glass Shot glass and Old-fashioned glass

INGREDIENTS 150ml Corona beer 20ml cognac 20ml blue Curaçao 15ml Bacardi Limon 15ml Drambuie 15ml Cointreau A slice of fresh lime A few drops of grenadine syrup 1 watermelon ball

Method Place the watermelon ball in the Old-fashioned glass and pour all the ingredients, except the cognac and Curaçao, into this glass. Pour the Curaçao and cognac into the shot glass and place two stirrers across the rim of the old fashioned glass. Balance the shot glass on these stirrers. Slip the stirrers from under the shot glass so that it drops into the old fashioned glass. It will start fizzing and the drink should be consumed in a shot.

Black Widow

Glass Bordeaux

INGREDIENTS 45ml Resolute vodka (black) 15ml cherry brandy A dash of fresh lime l120ml cranberry juice l1 fresh strawberry (for garnish) l1 slice of pineapple (for garnish) l3 ice cubes

Method Pour cranberry juice over the ice cubes in a glass and add a dash of fresh lime. Then pour the other ingredients over this so that they float on top of the cranberry juice. Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a slice of pineapple.

As told to Nandini Guha; Photographs by Rashbehari Das