In the latest of our #RaiseTheBar series, My Kolkata spoke with Manoj Singh Rawat, head mixologist at Ristorante Sorano in Harrington Mansion, Ho Chi Minh Sarani. Manoj, who is known to turn heads with his stunning creations behind the top bars of Delhi, Dubai, Qatar and now, Kolkata, was one of the Top 15 India finalists for Diageo Reserve World Class 2023, a global bartending competition. We delved into a discussion on the international bartending scene and new-age cocktails, while getting a couple of DIY cocktail recipes from him.
My Kolkata: Congrats on your recent win. What inspired you to enter the world of bartending?
Manoj Singh Rawat: Thank you! While pursuing my Bachelors in Hotel Management, my interest towards the food and beverages segment was way higher than any other subjects. Initially, I took an interest in being a sommelier and a mixologist. During the second semester of my graduation, my professors told me I could further pursue one of those, so from that day I started prioritising on picking up the skill sets necessary for being a mixologist.
Can you tell us about the cocktail you created using dhungar for the Signature Smoke Challenge at Diageo Reserve World Class 2023?
This process of using dhungar has been passed on to me by my Rajput family. Whenever we make chicken in our household, I have seen family members using smoke of ghee derived from placing it on coal, and then covering the food, to allow the smoke to enter the food. What I did with my cocktail was, I chose four different flavours such as tea, flower, fruit and leaves. Then I added olive oil, and placed maize on coal, the smoke of this was infused into the citrus flavours of the cocktail. After this I added the ingredients with Johnnie Walker Black whisky for 36 hrs. I call this drink the Smoke-Over.
The Ristorante Sorano bar, where Manoj Singh Rawat is head mixologist
Tell us about your journey in bartending and experiences behind Dubai bars?
Although I had a standing offer from Grover Zampa Vineyards to be a sommelier, in those days, my interest towards working at a standalone bar overpowered me to join Ek Bar, a modern Indian cocktail bar, in Delhi. It is also the bar that taught me to create homemade syrups. Later on, I worked with IHG’s Inter-Continental Hotel, Qatar, while I helped The Curry House, an Indian-fusion bar, also in Qatar, to start their bar operations. After my stint there, I joined Radisson Blu, Dubai, as their head mixologist in 2019. In Dubai, bartending as a profession is booming, and it helps to have all ingredients readily available.
What is the difference between the international bartending scene and Kolkata?
There is constant learning happening abroad and in the process of mixing spirits, the essence that lies in the diversity of cultures brought by barmen from all across the world brushes off on you too. One guy who stood out as a learning guru for me was Daniel Harris. I picked up on modern research techniques used for coming up with new cocktails, and was also educated on pairing of drinks, and ways to go about creating a bar menu. For instance, if it’s an Italian restaurant, one needs to introduce cocktails that go well with Italian cuisine.
Mind of Coconut, a cocktail on offer at the Italian restaurant
Could you tell us about some experimental cocktails created by you at Ristorante Sorano?
While all the cocktail offerings you’ll find at Sorano have been introduced by me, I’d like to highlight Shadow of Manhattan and Mind of Coconut. The first one is shrouded in evasive, complex layers of a mysterious-looking pair of cheese and wine, lending hints of nutty flavours to the drinker’s palate. The base spirit here is scotch whisky, mixed with homemade tropical bitters, consisting of 16 ingredients, making it a cocktail not for the faint-hearted!
Mind of Coconut is a lighter drink and a palate pleaser. This cocktail is a milk-washed drink, made using coconut oil, fat-wash vodka, in-house pineapple syrup, oleo saccharum, used in extracting natural oils in citrus fruit peels, and purified lime with agar-agar. After this, the mix is given a hot bath followed by a cold bath, and then we put discarded herbs and stems through coffee filtration, so the drink has a leafy feel to it.
What’s a skill you’ve picked up from partaking in numerous bartending challenges?
Recently in the World Class Cocktail Week, I witnessed competitors coming up with out-of-the-box cocktails and serving them with accompaniments that go well with their drinks. One of them made a coaster using natural ingredients like jackfruit. What I gained mainly from my participation there was a lesson in creativity.
Sorano’s Amore Mio
What’s a cocktail at Ristorante Sorano that goes well with the monsoon weather?
Amore Mio (Rs 995) is a great choice for a monsoon drink. This sweet flavoured, red drink stays true to its literal description in Italian, ‘My Love’.
STIR IT UP
Manoj shares two innovative cocktail recipes…
Mexican Mule
Glass: Tom Collins
Ingredients:
- 50 ml Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila
- 10ml agave syrup (available at Nature’s Basket)
- 25ml lime juice
- Ginger beer or ginger ale to top up
Method
- Shake all ingredients except ginger beer or ginger ale with ice
- Strain into a tall glass with ice and top up with ginger beer
Rosebud Spritzer
Glass: Hiball
Ingredients:
- 100ml sparkling wine
- 20ml Gin-infused rose petals
- 100ml Sepoy & Co. Pink Rose Lemonade
- Rose petals for garnish
Method
- Pour the wine, infused gin and lemonade together into a tall glass
- (50gm of rose petals infused in 750ml of gin for 12 hours in room temperature, in any kind of airtight container)
- Garnish with rose petals and serve
