The enthusiasm for creative concoctions keeps 23-year-old Neil Moitra busy at Chowringhee Bar at The Oberoi Grand, Calcutta. You know that he loves to experiment when you sip his Breakfast Martini that has orange marmalade as a crucial ingredient. The cocktail, says Moitra, goes perfectly with brunch. “Right now I’m working on some fresh fruit frozen margaritas,” he says. Moitra is also inspired by sorbets and is creating new recipes for cocktails that will be flavoured with fresh litchis and strawberries. However, a fast mover at the bar — and one that you must check out — is the lemon margarita.

Moitra, food and beverage assistant, joined the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts in January 2010. After completing his schooling from De Nobili School CMRI Dhanbad, he joined the Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Bhubaneswar.

Campus recruitment landed him in Calcutta where he joined The Oberoi Grand as a trainee attached to the in-room dining department where he worked for a year-and- a-half. His flair for mixology got noticed during this period and he soon found himself at the Chowringhee Bar.

Moitra loves interacting with guests and says that it is their feedback that keeps his creative juices flowing.

Breakfast Martini

(Martini glass)

Ingredients:
• 45ml Bombay Sapphire gin • 15ml Martini Dry • 15g orange marmalade • 5ml lemon juice • 5ml sugar syrup

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a chilled martini glass and serve. Garnish with orange rind.

Frosted Lemon Margarita

(Margarita glass)

Ingredients:

• 45ml Camino Real Tequila (white) • 15ml Cointreau • 20ml lemon juice • 20ml sugar syrup • a few mint leaves

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a churner till a sorbet is formed. Scoop it out and serve in the glass and garnish with a mint sprig.

Bloody Mary Shooter

(Shot glass)

Ingredients:

• 30ml Grey Goose vodka • 30ml tomato juice (fresh/ canned) • dash of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce • a pinch of salt and pepper • 5ml lemon juice •celery salt to rim the glass

Method:

Rim the glass with celery salt. Mix all the ingredients except the vodka and pour into the rimmed glass. Top with vodka to form a layer.