National
‘Indian bartenders already competing globally’
New Delhi : Dean Callan, global brand ambassador of whisky brand Monkey Shoulder, who was in the capital to conduct the Ultimate Bartender Championship, says Indian mixologists are already competing globally and the international platform “needs to learn more” about the country and its hospitality industry.
Ultimate Bartender Championship is an international competition that refocuses this art by challenging competitors to demonstrate their knowledge and service rather than just their flare. The national final of the competition was held here on April 28.
“I personally think Indian bartenders are already competing on the international platform. At the moment, the international platform needs to learn more about India and accept that the flavours of India and the hospitality are slightly different to the western world,” Callan told IANS here in a candid tête-à-tête here.
“You don’t see a lot of big magazines focussing energy on Africa or India. They have just started to focus on Asia, especially Singapore,” he added.
The Indian leg of the championship witnessed participation by over 80 bartenders across New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Chandigarh. Bartender Roger Gomes from Ek Bar, Delhi, and Chong Sherpa from PCO, Delhi, won the national final, read a statement.
Callan said that the bartenders here made him “feel at home”.
“It’s early days, so I won’t pretend to say that the bartenders here are better than London by comparison. Bartending is not a difficult thing. If you are a true hospitality person and you care for people, you have empathy, you want them to have a good time, it is difficult to be a bad bartender.
“What I say for India, every single bartender has made me feel at home,” he said.
Talking about the format of the competition, Callan said: “We are testing simple skills… How accurately can you pour, how fast can you make drinks, can you serve a table?”
“Our competition is about the basics. They are enjoying it because they are doing it every day,” he added, while mentioning that the competition was “completely objective, so there were no judges”.
Callan was particularly impressed with the spirit of the bartenders in India.
“Of all the countries that I run it (the championship), in India, I don’t know how, but when we got the final three people, everyone in the room was supporting them. The others weren’t upset because they didn’t win. That to me shows a group of people that had embraced the competition. They all seemed really happy,” he said.
As far as the level of bartending in the country is concerned, Callan said the skill-set is bound to improve in the next two years.
“As new bars open and as bartenders begin to take more interest, and people as consumers start taking more interest in cocktails with more demands, bartenders will rise to meet the occasion. As that happens, they are going to develop. They are going to get more knowledgeable and get fine-tuned. But they have already got the hospitality,” he asserted.
“The world needs to be more open. India is really good on social media. The more connections you have with the high-end bar teams in the west, the more attention it will draw to Indian bartenders. In a couple of years, the focus will start to shift”.
Callan also shed light on the meaning of Monkey Shoulder, saying that it refers to a nickname given to a temporary injury some malt men suffered as a result of bending over while turning the malt.
“Each of the three single monkeys on the bottle represent a different single malt. We take three single malts, blend them together, let them rest for three-six months and then we have a batch of monkey shoulders. One of our recipes is that one of the three single malts must turn a small proportion of the barley by hand. That gives the name,” he added.
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.