The Indian bar industry has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, while witnessing a number of talented young women playing a significant role in driving this evolution. They are breaking barriers, defying gender norms, and redefining the art of bartending by infusing their unique perspectives, a lot skills, and creativity. Archita Gupta, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, at Taj Holiday Village Resort and Spa – it is a fairly similar story.
Archita believes that each cocktail dispensed from a bar becomes a poetic vessel for a story, with the flavors and aromas complementing and enhancing the tale, it brings with it. Storytelling and ingredients combine to foster a holistic and immersive bar experience, and thus she brings new ideas and nuances to the table, enriching the bar ordeal for her patrons.
According to her, storytelling has become a powerful tool for professionals to engage guests and create a sense of nostalgia and belongingness with every sip they take.
A well curated cocktail can transcend you to a different realm, creating an emotional connection with the beverage – whether drawing inspiration from local culture, historical events, or personal experiences, these anecdotes add depth and meaning to the overall bar experience. It creates a sense of intrigue and curiosity, encouraging patrons to delve into the stories behind each drink.
With her curated cocktail selection at House of Nomad, a cocktail forward bar, where she has conceptualised some timeless concoctions with a philosophy of three pillars –
- Land & Locale, a selection of cocktails that pay homage to the produce available to us, and draw inspiration from the local ingredients like the Sinquerim Sour which includes elements of Goa in a glass like cashew feni, palm jaggery, goan rock salt, curry leaves & kokum or the No Sleep Nomad which uses coffee infused dukshiri (coconut feni distilled with the roots of Indian Sarsaparilla), along with Cointreau, with an interesting garnish.
- Movement, highlighting the concept of transition, which brings about the signature cocktails – Ambrosia, literally translates to the food of gods, in Greek – a clarified watermelon, gin, basil, feta cheese cocktail that transports you to another place. Mariposa, the word translates to butterfly in Spanish, a cocktail based on the ‘Butterfly Effect’ – the idea that small things can have non-linear impacts on a complex system – and hence the addition of a little ingredients like butterfly pea tea and citrus instantly changes the hue of this magical, colour changing concoction. Emphasising on the fact that, it’s the little things in life that really make a big difference.
- Community, a pillar all about nurturing a community with individuals that share similar values, interests – be it like – minded people or the people who produce for us. This gets us easy drinking, sessional cocktails to relish with a group of friends like Amber Snap, Plum & Malt, Smoky ‘Cin’ that use homemade elements, made using homogenous produce.
Archita believes, when storytelling and ingredients come together, they create a truly enveloping bar experience. The carefully selected ingredients not only tantalize the taste buds but also evoke nostalgia, memories, and a sense of place. This elevates their time at the bar, allowing guests to engage with the drink on a deeper level and stitching together an unforgettable experience that brings in authenticity, personality and identity to the creations they savour. In that moment, the cocktail is a recital and the bartender is the curator.
Taj Holiday Village Resort and Spa is one of the finest luxury resort in Goa. The resort stands tall with beach on one side and thick foliage on the other. It offers an exquisite stay to each of its visitors and promises a time well spent highlighting the rich culture of the land of sun and beaches, Goa.
