At Startending Night in Yauatcha on Friday, Zbigniew Zapert — better known as Zibi — showed what a deft hand he is at mixing cocktails. The Polish bartender-mixologist and the global brand ambassador of Blue Label also held a workshop for the Yauatcha bartenders, stirring up some of the cocktails that will be a part of the regular bar menu from now. t2 caught up with the man who says “India is the craziest place I have ever worked in”. Over to Zibi...
The ‘right’ way of drinking: Use better spirits and drink less! You don’t have to drink five days a week. Drink may be once in a while, but drink better quality and in less quantity. Drink smart. Make it a better experience. Always drink after dinner, once you have had enough food. And make sure you pace out the drinks.
What to ask the bartender: Tell your bartender what you had for dinner. Also tell him what you generally prefer to drink and then ask for his recommendation. A skilled bartender will mix the cocktail, adding some wine, or adjust the level of alcohol in the cocktail depending on what food you had or what you prefer to drink. You must ask as many questions as you want to so you can know your drink better.
Insider’s tip: Research. A lot of people look down on the low price tag on Smirnoff vodka, but it is actually amazing vodka compared to a lot of expensive options.
A good bartender is one... who has knowledge and puts it into practice. Pouring a beer for you or making a few cocktails doesn’t necessarily make a good bartender. The real task is having you come back to me and eventually recommend me to someone. Once you do that, my job is done. People skills are an important aspect. If you don’t like people, don’t do this job. People come to the bar to be happy and it is my job as a bartender to make them happier.
India and experiments: People in India experiment with everything. As a result, I have to experiment a lot with Indian flavours. I have demands like ‘give me something with vodka and aam panna’and I am like ‘okay, now how do I do that?’ India is exciting for me as well.
Mythbusters: Do not make a request for virgin Martinis. Martini is a drink made of pure gin and wine. A virgin Martini cannot exist. And I have a message to spread through t2 — Bloody Mary is a non-vegetarian drink. It has fish sauce as the main flavouring, so all you vegetarians — stop drinking it!
Zibi’s pick: Gin and tonic or a good beer. I am a very big fan of classic cocktails as well.
Text: Swati Tewari
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
