Shaken & stirred

Using sauces,jams,garlic and even Kolkata meetha paan,mixologist Arina Suchde created interesting kitchen cocktails at a recent bartending workshop

Juices and liqueurs were mixed,shaken and stirred. A dash of varied ingredients was added for that taste of zing. First-timers at the bar prided themselves in creating lip-smacking cocktails and mocktails at the bartending workshop-cum-BBQ conducted by Edustation Indica in the city recently. The workshop saw mixologist Arina Suchde’s bar tips and tricks catching the fancy of all participants.

I have always been interested in this field ever since I can remember. My dad is a distributor for liquor and I was instantly fascinated by the drinks that one could create by mixing the right ingredients. I started with mixing juices and later moved on to the use of alcohol, says Mumbai-based Arina who has been conducting cooking and bartending workshops for three years now. She has studied hotel management and even done a diploma in bartending from the Johnnie Walker Bartending Academy.

The focus of her Pune workshop was on setting up a bar at home. People need to learn about what to stock up and how to come up with impromptu cocktails, she says. Unlike other workshops in which fancy liqueurs are used and even fancier final results are achieved,Arina’s focus was on Kitchen Cocktails. I avoid the use of very expensive liqueurs and syrups. They are quite a waste of money I feel. Plus,when you have a syrup or liqueur bottle lying,you are bound to use the same in most of your mixes, she says. So to keep things simple and just as delicious,she focuses on concoctions that need easily available ingredients like coriander leaves,tomato sauce,jam,garlic and so on. I even did a dessert cocktail for which I used the Kolkata Meetha Paan, she smiles.

She appreciates the fact that people are now more open about alcohol – their interest has shot up and they want to learn more. In so many of my workshops,I have had entire families participating. Housewives who don’t drink themselves have enrolled too so as to be the all-rounder party hosts, she says.

To add more fun to the event,she even gives out recipes for drinking games and tricks. These are fun games that people can play when they’re already slightly buzzed. The only rule is that they are strictly meant for house parties so that there’s no driving involved later, insists this young expert.

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Cocktail