b the ar evy

In a country still recovering from the brutal murder of a woman bartender, professionals are mixing the cocktail while keeping an eye on tipplers peddling corny lines

It8217;s dark in a packed, smoky nightclub in Mumbai. Ami Shroff, 21, deftly juggles two smoking bottles and tosses them in the air. Her partner, Dilnaaz, catches them with mind-boggling accuracy. Then these philosophy graduates start their synchronised routine behind the bar, of twists and turns with the bottle, to whistles and claps from onlookers. If you want your party or nightclub to rock, these lady bartenders know a trick or two.

8220;We8217;ve synchronised our movements so it seems like a mirror image,8221; explains Shroff, who discovered her passion for bartending after watching Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Now she and Dilnaaz have formed a company, Plus 1, after working for two years at Enigma, a popular nightspot at the Marriot in Juhu. Their snazzy craftsmanship and expertise behind the bar, mostly self-taught, gets them work at private parties and corporate functions all over the country. Business is booming.

In the season from October through December, these two have been working 20 nights a month.

This is a country where a lady bartender was shot for refusing a man a drink. However, seven years after Jessica Lal8217;s sensational murder, women are not shying away from entering what is essentially perceived as a man8217;s domain. Earlier this year, the Delhi High Court pronounced Section 30 of the Punjab Excise Act as 8220;unconstitutional8221;, since it prohibited employment of women at licensed bars.

Though the tussle with the Excise Department continues and there remains some ambiguity about women serving alcohol in Delhi, it8217;s clear that sometime soon in the future, lady bartenders will be quite the norm, not the exception.

There are over 500 young women currently enrolled in bar institutes in Delhi and Mumbai, learning the tricks of the trade. Insiders predict there8217;s room for much more. 8220;Having a lady bartender at a party is considered cool,8221; says Sandy Verma of The Bar Institute and Management in Delhi. 8220;They can earn twice as much as their male counterparts.8221;

An experienced bar manager can earn anything upwards of Rs 4,000 a night in Mumbai and Delhi. On special occasions like New Year8217;s Eve, the rates are astronomical, going up to Rs 35,000 a night.

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It8217;s not an easy career selection though. 8220;My parents wanted me to be a doctor,8221; says Delhi-based Navreet, 22, a bartender. After dropping out of medical school, she took a course in bar management and now gets good freelance assignments. For New Year8217;s Eve, she jazzes off to work at a party in Kerala. Yet, she had to work hard to convince her parents in Jalandhar that she had a future in 8220;manning8221; a bar. 8220;All my friends and family would say look what happened to Jessica Lall. They were dead against it,8221; says Navreet. She maintains if you conduct yourself professionally and are selective about where you work, there8217;s little danger.

Shroff agrees. Most of these girls are professionally attired in black suits at the bar, unless it8217;s a theme party. Shroff is quick to point out that Lal was not a bartender, but a model. 8220;That was one stray incident, it could happen anywhere,8221; she says. Yet, dealing with leering men mouthing cheesy lines is part of the job.

She feels it will be a while before Indian men fully comprehend that just because she8217;s serving alcohol doesn8217;t mean she8217;s up for grabs.

8220;We do get hit on a lot,8221; says Dishi Arora, Delhi-based bartender and proprietor of A Glass Full, a company that trains girls on the art of the bar. Arora says initially, the men are intrigued and amused at the idea of a lady mixing a drink. 8220;Some are sceptical about my abilities behind the bar, but if I do it well, they ask me for tips,8221; she says. 8220;One guy said make me a drink as beautiful as you,8221; laughs Navreet, a fresher in the profession. Though it happens rarely, her tactic is to politely but firmly refuse any inappropriate overture. Shroff has a deal with the host that if the crowd is unruly, she can step aside.

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The job is spirited to say the least, though. Creating new drinks and concocting their own special mixes does seem to give these ladies a high. Shroff says she8217;s only a social drinker. 8220;I make a decent Mudslide 8212; vodka, Bailey8217;s and Cregrave;me de Cocoa,8221; she smiles.

For tequila shots, instead of the usual salt and lemon, she insists clients add some Tabasco for flavour. Arora has her own version of the Carribean Island Iced Tea, a killer drink made with five white spirits. 8220;We encourage guests to drink responsibly,8221; says Arora. 8220;If a client is drunk, I politely tell him to sober up before driving home.8221;

Shroff, meanwhile, plans to go abroad for a course on beverages and for international exposure. 8220;I want to work in a bar in the West,8221; she says. Arora, who8217;s just recently branched into training upcoming bartenders expects business to be brisk, now that women are accepted as bartenders. Cheers to that.