Bartending is a multi-faceted job that demands long hours, maintaining your composure, creating new drinks in the moment, and learning on the job; it’s definitely a profession that requires more than what meets the eye at first. In the first of our #RaiseTheBar series, My Kolkata catches up with the head bartender of The Salt House, Amardeep Sinha, to figure out what it takes to be a successful bartender and leave your mark in the hospitality industry.
My Kolkata: How did your journey as a bartender begin?
Amardeep Sinha: After passing out as a hotel management graduate from the Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management, I realised that the desire to interact with new faces, and get to know different stories from them was intact. So, I chose to start off in the bartending industry as a barback, the spinal cord of any good bar in the world. The main role of a barback is to ensure that the bar and bartenders have everything in order to run smoothly. This was at the Fortune Park Panchwati hotel (on Kona Expressway) and later on, I also worked at Chili’s, Quest Mall, for two years.
Although for me, the journey truly began during my days as a bartender at Yauatcha in Quest Mall. Post my tenure there, the owners of Salt House selected me to manage their bar in 2017.
Amardeep during his Yauatcha days
What traits make a bartender stand out from the rest?
Just like a kid curious about the world he’s born into, a good bartender is one that uses the same drive to accumulate background knowledge about the drinks they serve and is simultaneously aware of everything in his bar. Another differentiating trait is taking the effort to know what mood a customer has approached the bar with. We have to put on the shoes of a pharmacist and a friend by being courteous and providing an instant remedy.
Instances of creativity when a customer wanted you to stir up a special cocktail?
Creativity is a necessity in bartending, and that’s how the ZinGin drink was born. Co-owners of Salt House, Prachi Saraogi and Saloni Jhunjhunwala, one a wine aficionado and the latter a ‘gin-maniac’, approached my bar with the eyes of a wanderer, looking to be surprised. They wanted a refreshing drink off the menu. At that moment, I stirred up Sula Zinfandel Rose wine, gin, thyme syrup, and some lemon juice and ZinGin, the highest-selling cocktail at Salt House, was born.
[Click here for the recipe of ZinGin.]
Amardeep making the ZinGin
For someone looking to be a bartender in India, what should they focus on?
Sustainability behind the bar is a highly desired skill. For instance, if someone is pouring lemon juice, one should not throw away the lemon, but create a syrup out of it, which does the job of a simple sugar syrup and also lends a bitter-sweet flavour to your drinks.
You also need to know the culture behind your cocktails, because people are rapidly becoming globetrotters. This makes it essential to have a lively conversation revolving around the drinks you serve to your guests.
Amardeep with footballer Robert Pires, at Chili’s
What is the most fascinating aspect of bartending, and what keeps the consistency going?
These days, the culture in the bar industry is such that it allows you to travel a lot. Bartenders in Kolkata are catching up on the trend of bar takeovers, allowing barmen to visit and create new experiences for regular visitors at different bars in the city. Delhi and Mumbai are leading in this regard.
On the consistency front, I never stopped from trying new things and making mistakes. This has helped me keep my thirst for growth and knowledge with regards to bartending alive.
Amardeep at a Taj Bengal bar takeover event
Rapid fire with Amardeep
What is your celebratory drink?
- ZinGin
As a whiskey man, how do you like your poison?
- Just with a dash of water
What's the funniest drink name you have come across?
- Sex on the Beach
A cocktail perfect to beat the Kolkata heat?
- Negroni
Day drinking, do you recommend it ?
- Yes. A mimosa or bellini, both cocktails, work well in beating the Monday blues, or chilling under the sunlight with friends
