PANJIM: In a feat that has sprung Goa on the world map, a mixologist, who is based and learned his craft in Goa, Devi Singh, won the national finals of a global bartending competition. What makes this performance more remarkable, is the fact that the ‘Diageo World Class in India’ has always been dominated by Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, where the big name contestants, have traditionally elbowed out the rest simply because of the confidence, and resources at their disposal.
Devi was not the only one from Goa, Moira’s Rohan Barbosa was also competing alongside in the national top 10 round – a testament to how Goa is redefining the concept and culture of bartending in the State.
The final round of Diageo World Class 2019, held in Mumbai on Saturday, June 22 brought the emotions, talent and aspirations of India’s leading and much sought after mixologists. With around 10,000 bartenders across the world from over 60 countries, competing for the coveted spot, Devi will now represent the country, Goa and Firefly at Pedritos, Benaulim at the World Class global finals in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
“This is a story that films are made from. A young boy leaves his home in rural Rajasthan to pursue a career behind a bar, and then finally wins the best bartender in the country. It also means a small nondescript bar in Benaulim called Firefly at Pedritos serves as a launchpad for India’s premier bartender to compete for the World’s Best Bartender in Glasgow, Scotland,” said Hansel Vaz, proprietor of Cazulo Premium Feni, where Devi also works at.
“Devi has worked very hard to get to where he is. It’s admirable and impressive to win the title of India’s best bartender. It’s not only about drinking a cocktail, it’s about creating a memorable experience and drinking a quality beverage,” said an elated Donovan Vaz of Firefly at Pedritos.
Karl Fernandes, one of the youngest brand ambassadors for the World Class programme, who mentored both Devi and Rohan, called this a revolution in the Goan beverage industry and pointed out that the State now stands amongst the best in India. Elaborating further about what this means for a bartender from Goa to represent the country for the first time in the world cocktail competition, Karl opined that this shows how bartenders in Goa have evolved on par with international standards and are able to innovate when it comes to the art of mixology.
For instance, Rohan Barbosa from Soho of Sinq Hospitality has been praised in Goa for his ability to take local ingredients and come up with unique cocktails, which have been a hit with the locals and tourists alike. Having a farming background, Rohan intuitively deconstructed the famous Goan dessert Patoleo into a Feni Cocktail with the same name, and more recently created a popular jackfruit tiki cocktail that uses the seed and skin of the tropical fruit. Not one to get disheartened, Rohan said he is happy to have made it to the top 10 and that he will continue to aspire to be the best and find ways to bring out Goan flavours through his new cocktails. At the finals, Rohan created a Bael fruit (wood apple) cocktail.
For the Mumbai finale, Devi emerged as the frontrunner across the three rounds – in depth and thorough blind tasting, making six cocktails in five minutes and finally presenting a cocktail based on the ingredients given to them.
“I am very excited and want to show the world what India is about,” said Devi, who had recently undertaken a pan-India road trip as part of his quest to take his signature cocktail ‘Memories’, to the world.
Having raised the bar, accolades are still pouring in for Devi from across the Goa and the country, with many praising his years of hard work and perseverance, given that this is the third time he had reached the national finals. While Goa cheers for Devi’s success and prospects at the finals, which will be held in September, Devi is considered to be a contender to become the champion of the world.
