Monsoon magic

Alokei James always thought that he belonged to the skies — as a successful flight attendant. But fate had other plans for him. The 26-year-old senior bartender mans the bar at Roxy, The Park’s lounge bar in Kolkata. And he loves every minute of it.

James completed his BA from Bissau College in Shillong and a one-and-a-half year course in Aviation and Hospitality from Frankfinn Institute, simultaneously in 2005. He missed an interview with Jet Airways, but soon after, landed a job at Roxy as an in-house trainee in 2006.

“I learnt mixology and the art of flairing on the job”, says James. And not only does he love playing to the gallery, he loves his profession because he can just be himself. “You can dance, chat and interact freely with guests”, he grins. James is quite popular with Roxy’s swish set, including actor Riya Sen. He has also served actors like Arjun Rampal and Rahul Bose.

Here are three drinks that James recommends for the monsoon season. They are warm, sweet and spicy — including his very own Jamura.

Flirty Monsoon

Glass: Brandy balloon

Ingredients: 45ml Cognac 15ml honey 60ml warm water A few cinnamon sticks 6 cloves A dash of lime juice

Method: Put honey and a dash of lime juice in a brandy balloon glass and stir well. Add the cloves and cinnamon sticks and stir again. Pour Cognac and warm water over the mixture and serve.

Jamura

Glass: Wine glass

Ingredients: 60ml vodka 15ml litchi crush 45ml cranberry juice 1 cherry A slice of sweet lime

Method: Rim the glass with sugar and keep aside. Put litchi crush, cranberry juice and vodka over lots of ice in a shaker and shake well. Pour into the sugar-rimmed glass, garnish with a slice of sweet lime and a cherry and serve.

Lover’s Nocturne

Glass: Tall glass

Ingredients: 45ml white rum 15ml Midori 45ml pineapple juice A few mint leaves A few lime chunks A slice of fresh pineapple

Method: Put white rum, Midori, pineapple juice, mint leaves and lime chunks in a shaker and shake well. Pour into a tall glass, garnish with a slice of pineapple and mint leaves and serve.


The Personal Telegraph
As told to Tania Bhattacharya