Bartending has for the longest time been a field where men have dominated. The reasons ranged from untimely hours and night shifts, to the ability to handle unruly customers, while building customer relations and serving a diverse range of cocktails. It has been heartening to see women breaking this mindset barrier and paving their path to become successful bartenders, with Shatbhi Basu setting the stage many moons ago.
My Kolkata interacts with Pooja Dey, Head Bartender of Trapeze, in our third of our #RaiseTheBar series.
My Kolkata: Tell us about your journey in the bartending industry…
Pooja Dey: After completing my course in aviation and hospitality from Frankfinn Institute in 2019, the big news making the rounds was that Jet Airways had shut shop. So, I got placed as a stewardess in Apollo Sindoori, a group looking to open their first Tea Bar. Later that year, I was visiting Kolkata for Durga Puja, and at the behest of my mother, I started looking to be placed in my home city. After bagging a job at The Lords and Barons (Park Street), I found the activities behind the bar piqued my interest. Although there was no vacancy back then, I secretly aided the barmen to create awe-inspiring cocktails.
But my official tryst with bartending took place at Malt (New Town) where I became an assistant bartender and within the next two months was promoted to the ranks of a bartender. This position required me to handle bar equipment and build on my conversational skills.
Kobid Sinha, general manager of Trapeze, and my one true mentor, pushed me during the low phases of my worklife and was nothing less than a backbone to the initial days of my career. Like every city, there is one spot that is known to be on every reveller’s hit list like Someplace Else at The Park. I had to crack five rounds of interviews to work as a bartender there.
Pooja with (right) mentor and Trapeze general manager Kobid Sinha at Rosado, Jaipur Courtesy Pooja Dey
Post this, I have had the opportunity to work in Jaipur, a city where the people are really welcoming and open to new drinking experiences but with time it became clear that Kolkata is way ahead in the bartending scene, except for a few spots in the ‘Pink City’. Park Street has been like my second home and how long can one stay away from that? Back then, Trapeze, an upscale gastropub (near India Hobby Centre), had a standing offer for me to head their bar and here I am.
Can you recollect a moment when you were able to showcase your creativity at the behest of a customer?
At a launch party for a Bengali film at Trapeze, the director asked me to create a new connotation using fresh gin and bourbon. These moments put you to the test but once I relaxed my nerves, I looked at what was lying at the bar and found berries, kaffir lime and litchi juice. Although my nerves were catching up, the director right from the first sip onwards couldn’t stop praising the drink I named ‘The Berried Blush’ to all his guests. As of now, it’s a high-on-flavour cocktail served at Trapeze.
Making her own creation, The Berried Blush, and (right) the finished cocktail Courtesy Pooja Dey, Nitin Waghela
Your advice to women wanting to become bartenders in eastern India?
Anyone can say anything so it’s important to stay calm. Personally, I have heard statements from customers like, “Oh! There’s a girl behind a bar, doesn’t anyone tell her anything?” So keep in mind that not everyone you interact with is a gentleman. Rather than being reactive, analyse the situation and figure out if you're on the right side of an interaction, once you're sure then take the necessary steps.
What traits make a bartender stand out from the pack?
A bartender’s showmanship makes him, her or them stand out from the rest. Even if no one is watching them, with time people will notice. Showmanship for a bartender is their specific style of treating guests in a way which boosts the bar sales and creates a loyalty factor amongst customers, while they create tasteful cocktails.
Also, a good memory is a gift and the ability to remember the names of all of the regular guests and their drinks gets you bonus points.
Without the drinks she creates, any party would feel incomplete says Pooja
What is the best part of being a bartender?
Making moments special for other people, be it a job promotion or an anniversary, is what makes me happiest. Without the drinks I create, any party feels incomplete! As a woman who has manned some of Kolkata’s top bars, it feels good to set an example for every girl who's trying to define her reality rather than let rigid mindsets do it for her.
