Just like a good chef would like to see empty plates returning to his kitchen, I too like to see empty glasses returning to the bar counter,” says G. Subbaraman, Restaurant Manager at The Leela Palace Chennai. In charge of beverages in the restaurants as well the Library Blu bar, he is passionate about cocktails and loves nothing better than whipping up innovative recipes.

He says beverages — particularly liquor — play a crucial role in any hotel’s or restaurant’s revenue. “With food, your appetite is limited and however expensive the meal, it’ll be less costly than the beverage.” The challenge for a beverage manager/ bartender today is to meet the expectations of Indians, who are well travelled, have tasted different kinds of whiskeys, wines and cocktails, and love to experience new trends. “They know the high-end spirits and in the Indian market, particularly in Chennai, the single malts are on the rise.”

At his bar, a single shot of the Glenfiddich 1961 — a rare whiskey — costs a whopping Rs 55,000. “I won’t say we sell this daily, but people go for it while celebrating a special occasion or when entertaining very important clients.”

At the trendy and elegant Library Blu, a lounge bar, the lighting is subdued, the colours vibrant (with blue dominating), and the contemporary, peppy music does not interfere with the conversation. I ask the man in charge to suggest a cocktail — something that is low on alcohol content but interesting enough to lift the spirit. Turns out almost all of Subbaraman’s customers ask him for suggestions, especially when trying cocktails.

Cocktail magic

In cocktails, the quality of ingredients is always neglected, especially in a place like Chennai where the State Government tax component is very high, he says. “If you are buying a spirit for Rs 1,000, over Rs 500 goes towards taxes. So it is a challenge to serve a cocktail with quality ingredients, because obviously you have to pay more.”

At the Leela bar, common cocktails cost Rs 575, but signature cocktails, “with high-end spirits, cost between Rs 1,250 and 1,500.”

People like to explore cocktails, and have their likes and dislikes. As a bartender he first tries to find out if the preference is for a vodka, whiskey or fruity base. He also gauges the mood of the customers by talking to them — are they in his bar for a couple of pre-meal cocktails/ drinks, or for a long and relaxing evening spell? While a pre-meal cocktail should be appetising, “for whole-evening cocktails, you should not be pouring a lot of alcohol or make the cocktail very dry. It should be balanced with some fruits; this adds body to a cocktail,” he says.

Often, this veteran with 18 years in the hospitality industry gets ideas from his customers as to what mixes they prefer. He gives the example of the Blu Island Sea Tea, one of his signature cocktails. One afternoon, a guest wanted a tall and fruity drink. He said it should be similar to a Long Island Ice Tea — which is a mix of rum, gin, vodka, tequila and Cointreau, with a touch of lime, and topped with soda. “It is a famous cocktail or tall drink, but has no tea; it looks like tea because of the Coke. He wanted that cocktail, but preferred it fruity because it was a hot summer afternoon. I didn’t want to mix a juice or a fruit crush as they make the drink heavy and sugary. A cocktail should have minimum sweetness to make it appealing, nothing more.”

Interestingly, while people in their 40s patronise the bar for a couple of pre-meal single malts or cocktails in the early part of the evening, the youngsters take over towards late-evening. That’s when brisk orders are placed for cocktails, martinis and wine by the glass. While men prefer whiskey, women tend to go for cocktails or wines.

Smoke-infused zing!

Many of his customers prefer Martinis, and this is when Subbaraman’s creative energy flows. “When someone asks for a Martini we offer a tray of fruits — watermelon, muskmelon, apple, orange, a good variety of lemons.” Once the fruit base is chosen, he prefers to use the fruit purée. “I don’t like using fruit juices as they tend to be heavy and high on sugar.”

I choose a smoke-infused Apple Martini. Smoke infusion into spirits is new to Chennai. It is light, fruity and with the right dash of sweetness, a well-balanced cocktail, for sure — high on taste and low on alcohol. Subbaraman explains how this is made. Fresh green apple is muddled with a touch of lime, vodka and a bit of orange liqueur. Smoke is generated from applewood chips or flakes by burning them, and this smoke is driven through a special smoke gun into a large decanter filled with ice cubes. The ice cubes absorb the smoke and pass it on to the cocktail, which is poured into the decanter and swirled for 15 seconds.

The same can be done with watermelon and other fruits, as also with a Manhattan (which is made with bourbon whiskey, a bit of sweet Vermouth and a maraschino cherry). “Smoke-infused cocktail is the new trend, but it is important to use quality ingredients to get the right taste,” he adds.

Apart from the 40–50 cocktails in his menu, he has several other ideas in his head. A new innovation he tries on me is the Espresso Martini, which is not yet on the menu. An after-meal cocktail, it has coffee, liqueur and some Irish cream (see box for recipe). I try it and love the coffee taste in it, but it lacks the sweetness that I find tantalising. My vote goes to the Apple Martini — it feels like having a single malt (I don’t like whiskey) in a cocktail!

Shake and serve:Espresso Martini

Ingredients

Vanilla-flavoured Vodka - 30 ml

Kahlua - 30 ml

Irish Syrup - 5 ml

Espresso - 1 shot

Method

Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass, and add the ice cubes.

Shake well and strain into a frozen martini glass. Garnish with coffee beans, which can be eaten to clear the palate.

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