Hyderabad’s cocktail scene is finally growing up, catering to the city’s thirst for different, taste and well-presented drinks. The credit for which goes to those men behind the bar, who spend hours in learning how to mix spirits, to give your drink the perfect taste. This month, we caught up with some mixologists from the city, in order to know them and their work a tad-bit better.
By Anahita Ahuja
Name: Nilotpal Bhattacharyya, also known as ‘Nil’
Working at:
Park Hyatt Hyderabad
Participant in:
Monkey Shoulder Ultimate Bartender Championship 2017 National Final in New Delhi, and Semi-finalist for Diageo World Class Competition the same year.
Favourite cocktail:
A ‘Daiquiri’ or a ‘Dry Martini with a lemon twist’ prepared with Tanqueray 10 gin
Most versatile drink:
The Penicillin. It has the perfect balance of sweetness from the honey, the spice from ginger and the smoke of the whisky that makes it so versatile and popular too.
One cocktail trend you’d like to see disappear:
In Hyderabad, cocktails are still presumed as a ladies’ drink, and I wish a bartender would get the same respect that a chef gets as both the jobs are equally hectic, require knowledge and practice.
Bar essentials:
My jiggers, a cocktail shaker and a good quality knife.
