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Shaken not stirred!
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Rahul won Olive 2007, the annual shoot-out for bartenders in Kerala
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Photo S. Gopakumar
The right blend Rahul is in his element
A teetotaller bartender! And you thought the world was round. “Most people don’t like this part,” said Rahul and spat out the sip of Cosmopolitan after swirling it around in his mouth like the true connoisseur that he is. The ̵
6;No Alcohol’ status is an insurance cover for his taste buds. And after tasting one of his drinks you realise why.
Standing in the leather trimmed ambience of Muthoot Plaza’s front lobby, one would not easily spot their soft-spoken bartender. But meet Rahul in his element over the bar and you know why he is the reigning champion among the bartenders in Kerala. He recently won Olive 2007, the annual shoot-out for bartenders from across the State, held at Taj Residency.
A roller-coaster ride
Order a drink on his watch and you are in for a roller-coaster ride; even before you get to drink it. Your heart rate slows as bottles balance on finger tips and full cocktail glasses do a few loops in the air. And as a grand finale, he douses his hand with zippo gas, calmly sets it on fire, and claps. By then you definitely need that drink.
It is not just the jugglery that makes a good bartender; there is quite a lot of science that goes into it. Yes, that’s right, science. “There are drinks that bring down the alcohol content in the blood so that a guy can keep drinking,” says Rahul and reveals the secret of the Red Eye, the beer and tomato juice mix that can make a sozzled guy order one more. Fried goat liver is another trick of the trade. “When you see a guy getting dizzy with the drinks, you give him a plate as snacks.” And you thought they were being nice.
Rahul is a local boy, originally from Kannur but settled in Thiruvananthapuram. After his diploma in hotel management from Oriental School of Management in NOIDA, he landed back in his city. Just five months into the job and he is already making waves.
He is a guy who definitely knows his drinks; without even tasting them. “By the look of a drink you can say whether it is properly mixed or not,” he says. Well, it is just that it is hard to notice when you are seeing double. According to him, city folks are wise in the ways of the spirit. People are quick to point out variations in the taste of cocktails, he says and adds that wine is slowly gaining in popularity here.
P.J. GEORGE
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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