Binder1 Inner_JRD

gastronomy
In conversation with Nupur Joshi, a mixologist who is
determined to concoct and offer to the world —sangrias
and her version of wine cocktails with a desi twist to
enthral the connoisseur as well as the adventurous
palates with her stellar combinations of flavours
sanaa nalwalla
Nupur joshi was only 18 when she
tasted her first drink and ever since
she was determined to follow
her dream, to learn the nuances
of mixology and pursue it as a focused area of
study and experimentation. She received her
Hotel Management training from American
Hotel and Lodging Association and backed
it by completing two levels from WSET
(Wines and Spirits Education Trust of U.K)
the foremost authority on beverage education
and training, worldwide. She is now preparing
for the advanced levels. During her training,
Nupur spent some time basking in the Vineyard
of Spain in a 100-year-old vineyard and learnt
how to perfect the sangria. Her fascination
with wines led her to return to her roots and
experiment with various Indian based wines to
concoct cocktails. After receiving a wonderful
feedback, Nupur didn’t stop there, she kept
experimenting at various wine tasting festivals,
wherein the focus on mixing Indian wines with
Indian mixers, flavour’s and spices haven`t
stopped since. At many a cocktail festivals, she
is seen indulging in her passion and enticing the
crowd to get involved in her magical journey.
Owing to the fact that every person comes
with a different palate, this allows mixologists
to experiment with various combinations,
which one consumer may not like, but another
might just love. Is there a best match of flavour
combinations when it comes to mixing and
matching? Nupur believes that every mixologist
keeps experimenting and evolving all the time
and gradually builds a repertoire of mixes for
specific palettes and occasions. Ideally it is
essential to unite spirits in a way that the essence
of every ingredient stays intact. However, it is
necessary for mixologists to have substantial
knowledge about mixing flavour’s that might
cause damage to digestion or health and
consumers should be aware of what alky suites
them or not. There are no bounds when it comes
to mixing different alcohols, but, the biggest
exception to the rule of mixing different types of
alcohol is the classic long island iced tea which
entails mixing varied dark spirits together.
Gone are the days when a woman behind
the bar is spawned upon or looked down upon
due to her association with the liquor industry.
Male or female, it is solely the individuals talent
and quest that is respected and there are many
who have already created a buzz in the world of
the mixology. Luckily, for Nupur all the male
mixologists she has encountered have been
nothing but encouraging and supportive in
94 march 2017 www.crememagazine.in