Showmanship on display

Bartending is more than meets the eye. It’s a profession that demands passion and dedication for making good drinks day in day out. Metrolife interacted with the five participants of the ‘Hard Rock Café BaRocker Competition’.

“Bartending is a job that everyone wants to do. It’s a dream job where you get to serve by giving people a good time. Every day is a new day,” shares New Delhi-based Shankar Rao, whose favourite drink is the Lynchburg lemonade. Kalaiyarasan from
Hyderabad says that he does it purely out of passion. “It’s a pleasure to serve people and entertain them with showmanship. Once we get the name, people will know our worth,” he says.

The chance to experience different things every day is why Amey Kamtekar from Mumbai took to bartending. “What’s special about it is that you never do the same thing. You meet different people and have new experiences with each customer. If someone doesn’t like the options on the menu, you have to recommend something to suit their taste. What’s also nice is that among us bartenders, it’s a social community within itself,” he says.

Bangalore’s very own

Henry acknowledges that despite how fun it looks, being a bartender is actually quite difficult. “Bartending is one of the toughest jobs there is, which is why not everyone can do it. What I enjoy most is the personal touch to it. It’s cool to have the job of making sure that whoever walks to the bar is happy,” he says.

For Rahul Jave from Pune, the glamour aspect entices him. “If you get lucky, there’s fame, happiness and opportunities to go out and see the world in this profession,” says Rahul, a Long Island iced tea drinker.

On the challenges faced by bartenders, Amey notes, “The biggest challenge is to serve different personalities — someone’s happy, another’s sad. We have to handle each situation individually. For instance, if you get too friendly, there are people who get annoyed.” While on the topic, Shankar adds that it’s all about helping customers strike a balance.

The lack of platforms to showcase one’s skills is another problem, as Rahul points out. “It’s tough to grow in India because our market doesn’t provide too much competition. There are a few brands that host competitions but we need more platforms,” he says.

Despite these challenges, each and every one of them admits that they wouldn’t trade it for any other profession. “You get to be yourself when you’re behind the bar — you can wear what you want, go crazy with hairstyles and even shout and dance in the name of ‘entertainment’,” wraps up Henry.