A bonfire lights up dinner and drinks on New Year’s Eve at a city club lawn. Picture by Pabitra Das

Three cheers for 2007, hic hic hurray! That was the spirit of the city on News Year’s Eve, from club lawns to drawing rooms. But what was Calcutta drinking and how much?

The verdict from behind the bar counter is in — a sharp rise in the number of cases opened on the last night of 2006 and the narrowing of the gap between browns and whites (whisky and vodka, if you insist).

“We saw a 40 per cent increase in volume. The ratio of brown spirits to white was 70:30. But white is witnessing a boom in the city,” reveals Kaushik Chatterjee, COO of UB, which was part of the big bash at seven clubs.

A free flow of liquor marked every party spot, from Teghoria to Tollygunge. At Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the drinks being on the house saw the demand soaring high. “When alcohol comes complimentary, no one looks past Black Dog. Other than whisky, vodka went down well,” says Jaideep Gangopadhyay, manager (administration).

Whisky ruled the revelry racks, but vodka was surely in the festive frame. “This year again, we sold more whisky than vodka but the gap is narrowing fast. A lot of people are shifting to whites,” observes Suman Mukherjee, F&B manager, Space Circle.

White is being voted the colour of a growing youth gang, with many women going the vodka way. “It is easy to drink with any juice or soft drink, it tastes good, it gives me less of a hangover and my screen heartthrob Shiney Ahuja endorses one,” smiles Sushmita Roy, 20.

The 3,000-plus crowd at Nalban, playing host to the Shisha party, downed around 30 cases of whisky and 50 cases of vodka from seven bar counters, each 30 ft wide. A cocktail bar and shots counter was also in demand.

At CC&FC, the glass of red or white wine from Chantilli, complimentary with the ticket, was a hit. “Besides wine, Royal Challenge whisky and White Mischief vodka topped the to-drink list,” says Sukanta Saha, at the club bar office.

Many first-timers chose wine to suit the midnight mood. “I sipped on wine to be part of the party spirit and yet keep it safe,” smiled 22-year-old Kaushal Mall.