Judge Bickram Ghosh with the winning bartender Maloy Mukherjee at Taj Bengal on Wednesday. Picture by Rashbehari Das

They shook and they stirred, they mixed and they garnished — all to serve up the perfect cocktail. The finals of Cocktail Combat — Bartenders Contest at The Junction, Taj Bengal, saw seven of the city’s best bartenders wage a battle of spirits to win the judges approval.

A few fumbled, like Venom’s Pranabesh Mondal, who forgot to add the spirits, thus making his innovative Valentine a drink without the zing. But he accepted his mistake with good grace when just Rita Bhimani pointed it out and he served it up again.

The Park’s Suvendu Sikdar presented a concoction of cranberry juice, apple juice, lemon juice, litchi crush and more, with tongue in cheek. “The first word that came to my mind when I tasted this cocktail was confusion. But I can’t name my drink confusion, so I just called it Fusion — also because it is a blend of many ingredients,” he said. Unfortunately for him, the judges agreed that the drink was indeed confusing.

Rijo Verghese of the Oberoi Grand bagged the place of second runner-up for his Tropical INC. The Taj Bengal’s own entrant Joy Guha came in second with his attempt to serve a cocktail that tasted of both spirits and smoke, for those suffering due to the smoking ban! Titled Smoky Martini, the drink was an elaborate preparation where the glass was first washed with a smoky malt for added flavour before the cocktail was poured into it, and then served amidst a waft of smoke. “But won’t the guest get desperate for his drink?” asked Bhimani, after witnessing elaborate preparations. “It will be on table in four minutes,” assured Guha.

But the man who impressed everyone — being called the best as well as the most stylish bartender — was The Kenilworth’s Maloy Mukherjee. His Pinky 24x7 was mixed well, and served with the right panache. “I take a short glass, because the shorter the glass the better it will chill and you won’t have to put ice in the drink. Ice ruins the drink,” he said. His attention to every minute detail was as impressive as his confidence. “Why did you chill the glass with soda and ice? You disposed of the soda before pouring the drink,” asked one of the judges. “The soda helps the ice to melt and so helps chilling,” he said.

“In the bartender, I was looking for a certain style and panache. In the drink, I was looking for the right zing. The winning drink had various flavours and was done very well,” said Bhimani, who prefers a whisky herself. Ditto for Scotch-lover and judge Bickram Ghosh. “I make a cocktail very well, but I am not a cocktail person. In the bartenders, I was looking for good communication skills because it is very important for the bartender to make the guest feel comfortable,” he said.

Poulomi Banerjee

(Which is your favourite cocktail? Tell t2@abpmail.com)