When you speak to Santosh Kukreti, Bar manager for Thirsty City 127, for the first time you wouldn’t be able to guess how much work he has put into becoming who he is today. He is humble and softspoken, even when he speaks of his achievements and maybe that’s why he has seen the success he does today.
When asked to tell us a little bit about himself, he begins by telling us about his 8 years in the hospitality industry from Hakkasan to Delhi to Macau’s Ritz Carlton and finally Thirsty City 127. “I first realised my passion for mixology when I was working as a steward at Ellipsis. In 2012, Devender Sehgal won Diageo World Class and I saw his many interviews and was highly inspired.”
Speaking of his journey till now, he explains, “It was tough – people would tell me I wasn’t capable and wouldn’t transfer me but I continued to fight. At that time, I didn’t know how to speak English and hated studying but because of how passionate I was, I started studying alcohol. I lived in Virar then and would study in the train all the way to Churchgate.”
He speaks of Thirsty City 127 highly – “It is a master brewery, technique forward and we encourage using local produce for both our cocktails and food. Last year, for our anniversary, we travelled with master bartender Suraj Gurung to the most unexplored part of India – the northeast – to find ingredients with which we created several cocktails. It was great fun and we discovered so many new techniques and ingredients including rice wine that doesn’t use yeast, made by a 65-year-old lady in Tura Meghalaya.” He adds that almost every ingredient they came across on the Thirsty Trail was new to them and how they enjoyed bringing the flavours to Mumbai.
When asked about the drinking culture in Mumbai, Santosh answers, “It’s great! Nowadays, guests know what they want – you don’t have to train or guide them, and they’re always up for something new. People are truly interested in the craft today and bartenders are getting due recognition and travelling for their work. Even social media is helping bartenders a lot – you can learn from videos on YouTube, reach out to bartenders you look up to and have your questions answered.”
He leaves us with a few words that only come with years of experience and love for the job – “ Bartending is hard work, you have to be truly passionate about it and ask yourself why you want to do it – is it something you see yourself doing in the long run? Nowadays, it is easy to see what’s happening in the industry around the world via social media – so utilise it fully. And lastly, a request to people in our community, please give credit to bars and barowners where it is due – whatever we do, we have learnt from someone so it’s a good practice to acknowledge that and not copy-paste.”
While we do look forward to the next Thirsty Trail and the bartending course headed by Santosh, this conversation has definitely given us an insight into the bartending world. We didn’t think it was possible but we have come away more passionate about drinks than before. You can find Santosh and his technique-forward ways at Thirst City 127, Lower Parel and if their previous work and Santosh’s words are anything to go by – we only have great things to look forward to.
