Wouldn’t you want to see an Indian bartender win the Global Final of the prestigious Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition in 2020?
For those who aren’t familiar with the Bacardi Legacy, here’s a brief explanation for you:
Bacardi hosts the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition every year where shortlisted bartenders craft original cocktails using Bacardi rum. The cocktail with the greatest potential wins the competition and is added to the list of Bacardi Legacy Cocktails which are available at cocktail bars around the world. The participation and cocktail submission criteria have to be strictly followed by all the bartenders irrespective of their home country and work experience.
This year, 16 of our best bartenders have made it to the National Finals and the winner will represent the country at the Global Final in Miami, USA. While each of the shortlisted bartenders are busy preparing for the competition to come and managing their regular work life, I was able to catch up with 5 of these busy men.
Divyanshu – ITC Maratha, Mumbai
Divyanshu submitted his inspiring cocktail B2B at the regional competitions, which stands for Butler 2 Bartender. Upon inquiring about the thought behind it, he said, “My cocktail is supported by an interesting story of a beverage enthusiast who joined the hospitality industry as a butler. He excelled in the profession but found himself fascinated with the world of bartending. In time, the butler decided to follow his passion and found himself feeling at home behind a bar.”
“And nothing could be better than Bacardi Legacy to showcase his talent and live his dream,” he continued. As I was about to ask for some clarification, he added, “Forgot to mention – that beverage enthusiast is me, this is my story, this is my legacy.”
Siddhant Hule – Thirsty City 127, Mumbai
Siddhant’s cocktail is inspired by the game of chess and is named Ajadrez (chess in Spanish). According to him, the game of chess narrates the story of Bacardi’s founder Don Facundo Bacardí Masso.
“When I thought about my Legacy cocktail, I wanted to create an amazing drink that imparted a good message everyone could relate with. I thought of chess and it fit in well with the rules laid down by the competition committee which demanded that the cocktail have no more than 6 ingredients. There are 6 unique units in chess, so I planned a nice cocktail where each of the 6 ingredients being used represented each of the chess components,” he told me passionately.
Each of the participants is required to support a social cause with their cocktail. Siddhant plans to plant a tree for every glass of Ajadrez he sells. Knowing very well that he might face hurdles in doing so, he has priced the drinks at INR 642, and has vowed to donate INR 42 to the Cauvery Calling campaign which is working towards planting 242 crore trees to revitalize India’s rivers.
Shubham Narke – The Kimono Club, New Delhi
Shubham was more than excited to tell me about his cocktail Reframe. “Reframe means change – changing with time and generations, revamping vintage and having a modern vision. I have reframed the vintage classic cocktail ‘Rum Punch’ by adding two modern flavours ‘umami’ and ‘savoury’ to it. This is a 21st century modern classic drink,” he said.
He added, “I have created a modern coaster for the cocktail. You need to scan the QR code on it to get the recipe of Reframe along with the recipe of a few other Bacardi classics.”
Shubham plans to reduce glass bottle waste by reusing them as lamps and plant holders. All money raised from it will be donated to waste management charity foundations by him. We ended the conversation with him announcing, “I want to give this generation a 21st century drink which has modern flavours, modern technology and modern thoughts to save the environment. And I hope to come back from Miami with the BLCC 2020 trophy!”
Prakash Singha – The Grid, Kolkata
A man of few words but superior taste, Prakash’s cocktail is Beso Rosa De Coco, which means ‘Kiss of Coconut Rose’.
“This is not just a competition for me. I always wanted to make a creative cocktail with a legendary spirit like Bacardi Reserva Ocho, and today I’m creating this drink to share my love and passion with everyone. I’m blessed to have been offered an opportunity to showcase my creativity in the bartending community.”, he said.
Harish Subhramanian – Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai
The inspiration behind Harish’s cocktail Turtuk is an Indian village by the same name. It is situated in the northern-most part of India, in Leh.
Harish visited the village on one of his recent trips. He told us, “Before 1971, the village was a part of Pakistan but after the war, it was taken back by the Indian forces. The war on Baltistan divided the land into two parts, with India holding a little less than a third of it and Pakistan holding the rest. While speaking to the locals, I realised that they still have their families on the other side of the country and it is next to impossible for them to meet now.”
He continued, “I related with the dedication, determination and passion of the residents there, which are essential in helping all of us survive the tough times. My cocktail translates the vibe of the Turtuk village, a promised land between two hostile neighbors, into a thoughtful drink.
However different their cocktails may be, there is something that connects all of them together – they are extremely passionate and dedicated to their craft and it’s no wonder that they are competing in this prestigious competition. I’m looking forward to seeing them compete against each other at the National Finals, and am more than excited to see who emerges as the National winner and represents India on a global stage.
