A class in action at Stir Academy of Bartending. Picture by Rashbehari Das

What: Launch of Stir Academy of Bartending.

Where: CG 3, Sector 2, Salt Lake (near Karunamoyee).

Behind the bar: If your creative juices take a spirited turn, you can now turn it to your professional advantage. “When we first came to Calcutta a year ago, we realised people here like to live it up. There were a lot of parties but a dearth of good bartenders,” says Mehdi Poonawala, one of the brains behind the venture.

Stir offers a beginner and an advanced course that teaches everything from the basics about spirits to the “essence of mixology”, menu planning and bar ethics. Flair bartending is also part of the syllabus. “We have churned out more than 180 students from our Mumbai branch. What sets us apart from other bartending academies is equal importance to practical and theory lessons,” explains Mehdi. Students clear an exam at the end of the course and are issued a certificate from Stir, recognised by Britain’s Flair Bartending Association.

Classes will take place three days a week, two hours a day.

Pocket pinch: Rs 22,500 for a six-month course.

Voiceover: “A bartender must have are good interaction, eye contact to make people waiting feel less ignored, good theory and skills,” signs off Mehdi.