When Ami Shroff enters a space, expect snazzy concoctions and eye-popping bar tricks. Hyderabad can look forward to this and more as Ami, India’s leading female flair bartender and mixologist, does a bar take-over at Novotel Hyderabad Airport’s Gourmet Bar on August 26.
Flair bartending implies ‘extreme bartending’, involving entertaining guests with bar tools, used fashionably and with finesse. Ami promises a night of flair, fire and fusion along with signature cocktails like the Good Old Fashion, Whisky Twisted Sour, Hello Hyderabad and lots more. Ami says, “This will be my first visit to Hyderabad and I am excited to be here to give a treat to connoisseurs of good cocktails and mocktails. ”
Mixology is the art of balancing the diversity of ingredients through the inclusivity of flavours unexplored, explains Ami, adding that she loves the idea of balance, something she attributes to her fascination with sports and martial arts. “Balance has fascinated me since childhood. It began when I was a toddler and slowly manifested in my passion for spinning the nunchaku while learning karate in childhood. Over the years, I have explored and understood balance through numerous arts and skills; be it mixology, flair bartending, juggling , rock climbing or skate-boarding, slack lining and composting.”
When not behind the bar, it is Ami’s shoes that make heads turn. She cannot do without her Jika Tabi (Japanese ninja boots). “They are not just functional but also help me balance while juggling. I have four pairs, two of which have completely worn out,” she says.
Ami at work; with the contact ball | Photo Credit: special arrangement
At the bar, Ami makes heads turn with her contact juggling of the clear crystal ball, akin to magician Dynamo (stage name for the Britisher Steven Frayne), creating an illusion of the ball being suspended in gravity. Ami elaborates, “I learned the trick in Goa during the Indian Jugglers’ Convention. I was fascinated by the mind-boggling trick, all the while the ball continues to be in contact with the juggler’s fingertips. I love juggling, so I was naturally drawn to it and decided to master it. Drinks apart, as a bartender I like to entertain guests with tricks that involve bar tools.”
As a bartender, Ami’s love for balance plays a big part in her craft of making cocktails as well. “I love to strike the perfect balance of flavours in a cocktail just like the way I maintain balance while tossing bottles and crystal balls.”
Talking about her favourite mixers, she mentions she likes natural flavours and unrefined natural sweeteners like cane, coconut or palm sugar. “Dousing everything with sweet is killing the natural flavours and aromas of the spirit and the mixers. I love using homemade, natural, fruity flavours in mixers.”
When: August 26, 6.30pm onwards
Where: Gourmet Bar at Novotel Hyderabad Airport
Contact: 8886064430
