Stirred up right

It’s a bar that has sprung up on the busy Delhi-Gurgaon highway. The Sundowner Bar at the two-year-old Vista Hotel is a haven for thirsty travellers. Here you’ll find Senior Bar Captain Atul Singh Aswal mixing drinks and keeping his customers happy.

Aswal, who was part of the launch team of the bar that opened seven months ago, has designed the menu keeping the demand for fresh fruit cocktails in mind. “Customers no longer ask for vodka and tonic water but prefer innovative fruit-based drinks,” he says.

The bartender originally wanted to join the army but did a complete about turn after watching some bartender friends showing off their flair bartending tricks. He enrolled at Sandy’s, a Delhi institute in 2001. After the three-year course he joined the Tivoli Garden Resort Hotel outside Delhi as a bartender and manned the bar for four years.

He moved on and became the bar manager at Yellow Chillies, chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s restaurant in Noida where he stayed for a year. Following this stint he joined Vista.

Aswal recommends after-dinner cocktails including Crème Brûée and Hazelnut Toblerone. While Crème Brûée is brandy shaken with almond syrup and caramel liqueur served with a cream float, Hazelnut Toblerone is Frangelico (Hazelnut liqueur) blended with Baileys, Kahlua, Crème de Cacao (chocolate-flavoured liqueur) and sprinkled nuts.

Aswal shares some of his signature recipes with us.

Jell- Shots

Glass: Shot glasses/ small champagne flutes

Ingredients: 85gm jelly powder (to make 20 shots), 500ml lukewarm water, 100ml vodka

Method: Take the jelly powder and stir it well in the lukewarm water till it dissolves. Add the vodka and pour the mixture into disposable cups or shot glasses. Keep in the fridge for at least six to eight hours. When serving, the shots can simply be scooped out of the glass.

Aberdeen Angus

Glass: Old fashioned

Ingredients: 45ml whisky, 15ml Drambuie (a honey and herb-flavoured golden scotch whisky liqueur), ½tsp honey, 5ml lime juice

Method: Put all the ingredients in a shaker and shake for six to eight seconds. Stir the drink so that the honey dissolves completely. Garnish with lemon peel curls.

Vanilla Fig Sour

Glass: Champagne flute

Ingredients: 5ml Absolut Vanilla Vodka, 2-3 fresh figs, 5ml lime juice, 5ml sugar syrup

Method: Put the figs in a blender with ice and blend well for six to eight seconds. Now pour the mixture in a mixing glass and add vodka. Add lime juice and sugar syrup and shake well. Pour the drink in a champagne flute and garnish with a fig.


The Personal Telegraph