Seven bartenders rolled up their sleeves to stir up their best drinks at the eastern regional finals of World Class India 2018, a nationwide bartending competition powered by Diageo. Held at Gold, the party den at JW Marriott Kolkata, the event was judged by Brandon Toborg, Zachary Abbott and Andrew Young, Diageo reserve ambassadors of east, south and north, respectively.

Broken up into two modules, the first one required the participants to churn out signature cocktails while the second one wanted them to be resourceful and make concoctions with local ingredients. The common ingredients were four kinds of liquor — Tanqueray No. Ten gin, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve whisky, Ketel One vodka and Talisker Aged 10 Years whisky.

Rahul Sandilya Tiwari from The Oberoi Grand was the winner for scoring the maximum cumulative points from both modules and will represent the east in the national finals set to take place in Delhi next month.

Overall winner

Rahul Sandilya Tiwari from The Oberoi Grand was the overall winner. Rahul’s first drink — Highway 8 — was a twist to the classic White Lady, with gin, almond syrup and a homemade infusion of five citrus fruits and spices. His Bengali Tea (in picture) in the second round, with Darjeeling tea infused with Talisker whisky and cinnamon-infused vodka, was inspired by the east’s love for tea. “This was my first time participating and I couldn’t believe it when my name was announced,” said Rahul, who intends to stay back after work every day to start prepping for the finals. 

Round one winner

Ping’s Cafe Orient’s Sourav Singh churned out a cocktail called Mystic with Talisker whisky, homemade pomegranate syrup and orange foam served in vermouth-rinsed glasses (a twist to the classic Scofflaw), which was judged the winner in the signature cocktails round. “I was happy with my performance in the first round,” said Sourav, who intends to keep practising to better his bar game. 

Round two winner

Yauatcha’s Jonaki Ganguly’s Orange Passion in the second round — made with passion fruit, an infusion of orange and mango oolong tea, oleo saccharum (oily sugar), pineapple and lemon juice and gin — was judged the best. Jonaki, who was dressed in a tangerine shirt to go with his drink, said, “I feel amazing but I want to be better, and this is just the beginning.”

The other finalists

(From left) Zachary Abbott, Brandon Toborg and Andrew Young were the judges for the competition. Their big tips for the bartenders to up the ante: Know your guest, product knowledge, hygiene and confidence. “Rahul was already telling me that he will be in touch so that we can work more closely before the finals. I see incredible promise in all the young bartenders here,” was the verdict from Brandon.

While both Zachary, who is based out of Bangalore, and Andrew, who works out of Delhi, liked the use of tea and other local ingredients, their word of advice for the participants was: Be confident and use local ingredients beyond just cinnamon, lemon and tea. “The idea is that when the national winner represents India in the international finals, we want to send someone who can represent the entire country and win,” added Andrew.

Text: Anannya Sarkar

Pictures: Rashbehari Das

Coming up

What: Hard Rock Cafe Kolkata presents Usha Uthup Live in association with t2

When: May 31, 9pm onwards

Where: Hard Rock Cafe Kolkata, Park Street

Expect: A night of revelry set to the tunes of Usha Uthup. After wowing people at the grand launch party, the singer is ready to set the stage on fire once again with her powerful vocals.

Organiser speak: “The audience loved her so much at the launch party that it left a lasting effect of happiness. We wanted to give the city’s music lovers the same experience once more and requested Ushaji to perform again,” said Vanita Bajoria, director, Hard Rock Cafe Kolkata.

Entry: Rs 500 for entry and Rs 500 as cover charge, passes are available at in.bookmyshow.com

What: Acropolis Midnite Sale Season-II, in association with t2

When: June 2, 9pm to midnight

Where: Acropolis mall, Kasba

Expect: Up to 50 per cent discount on all merchandise from over 100 brands for three hours. There will be discounts at the food court and standalone restaurants too. Apart from the stores, the atrium will also have performances, like a band gig and a fashion show, to keep shoppers entertained.

Organiser speak: “The Midnite Sale, one of the marquee events organised by our mall, is an ingenious idea of introducing jaw-dropping discounts and exciting offers. The success of the event is evident in the numbers that the introductory year saw. Owing to the success of Season I, we are bringing it back in a brand-new avatar,” said Sushil Mohta, managing director, Merlin Group.

TAKE A PAINTBALL BREAK

What: The Breakout

Where: 1 Allenby Road, second floor (above Cream Centre)

Timings: 8am to 1am

Pocket pinch per person: Rs 250-plus for food without shisha and Rs 350-plus for food with shisha. Rs 400 on weekdays and Rs 450 on Saturday and Sunday for paintball.

Tired of hanging out at the same old places? Then break out of the monotony with some fun paintballing at The Breakout, a new cafe that opened doors on May 19.

The 2,600sq ft cafe offers plenty of space for you to dodge the opponents’ paintball guns, target them and to just run around and have some fun. Quick bites and shisha on the side ensure refuelling when you’re tired.

“We want people to take a break from their lives and just chill, so we added paintball to the cafe,” said Ashish Saraf who co-owns the place with Nitesh Saraf, Pratik Modi and Aryan Shorewala.

SIP AND BITE

Text: Urvashi Bhattacharya

Pictures: B. Halder