The Bar @ Amar Vilas

The Bar, Amarvilas

Paktola, Tajganj,  Agra

0562 2231515

Timing: 12 - 12

The Taj Express gets us in to Agra at a decent time, and after we're done with our work day, we're left with 3 hours to kill before we head back to Delhi. Having visited the ITC last time around, this time we decided to visit the Amar Vilas, the Oberoi group's flagship in Agra. The Amarvilas website boasted off a view of the Taj from the balcony of the bar, and we thought it was important to verify this claim. Our only concern was, that given the reputation of the Vilas properties, we wondered if we'd get past the gate of the hotel! 

Having successfully made it through the front gates, the gent in the reception area, divined that we could either there be there for the bar or for lunch, and with a winning smile he escorted us through to the bar. Our attention by then had already been taken away by the breathtaking sight of the Taj, framed through the windows in the reception area. As we walked into the bar, Kamal the bartender, asked us if we'd like to sit outside, and escorted us to a table, one of about 8 on the balcony, which overlooked the pool, and gave us a great view of the Taj, not a frontal view, but a side view, but still.. 

The service at the bar  was top drawer with wide smiles the order of the day, belying the forbidding positioning the Vilases have and also the signs on the balcony, which said, "for hotel guests only". I guess, revenues are revenues, wherever they come from.  

The bar itself is fairly small with about 6-8 tables inside, apart from it's al fresco section. One side is taken up by the bar counter, above which is a beautiful cloth painting showing a top view of the entire Taj Mahal area.

Lovely winter sunshine  bathed the balcony, as we settled down into our chairs, and perused the menu. The prices seemed no higher than what a 5 star hotel in Delhi may charge, and thus came as a pleasant surprise. Most cocktails were priced at INR 520 and the Amar Vilas special Martinis were priced at INR 670. The BoB was 3.1 (for a pint of Kingfisher).  

And as we later realized, prices were inclusive of all taxes. My colleague ordered a Mint Julep and I chose a Negroni. The pouring brand for the Mint Julep was however a scotch whisky and not a bourbon, and apparently if we chose to replace the scotch with bourbon, we would have to pay double for the drink, which struck us as strange, and so she stuck with the Scotch.

Kamal soon came back to tell me that as Campari was out of stock, he couldn't make me a Negroni. I chose a watermelon martini instead, and he assured me that it would be made using fresh watermelon. As we waited for our drinks, we nibbled on the bar gratis, which disappointingly for a Vilas, were peanuts and crisps. I remember the Polo Bar at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. A salver of dry fruits came first and along with my cocktail, they served me a complimentary starter also.  

It's amazing to feel the exclusion zone occupied by the Amar Vilas. It's almost as if the moment you enter the hotel, you enter a vale of silence, and you hear no other sounds in spite of the fact that the road to the West gate of the Taj, lies right alongside the boundary of the hotel.  

The bar's balcony over looks the swimming pool, which is situated in the middle of reasonably sprawling grounds. A couple leisurely swim in the heated waters, as families sit around the pool snacking.  

Our cocktails arrive and at first glance are pleasing to the eye. The watermelon martini has a slice of watermelon perched on the rim and the Mint Julep has enough mint to justify its name. The watermelon martini tastes great, except for the fact that the drink hasn't been double strained, leading to chips of ice, being left in the glass. The drink  however tastes fresh and is well balanced. My colleague felt her Julep, could have done with a touch less mint. The martini glass quality was also not what one would expect from a Vilas property. Perhaps you may feel we're quibbling a bit too much, but we hold the Vilas properties to higher standards, than we would do most hotels in India.  

I was at an and upcoming 5 star luxury property on the outskirts of Jaipur, about a month ago, and the F&B manager told me that their prices would be expensive, but they would ensure that the service experience more than made up for it. Given the number of luxury chains setting up shop in India, I think the Oberoi will also have to raise their F&B game, especially for their top drawer properties.  

However, what more than made up for any quibbles we might have had, was the awe inspiring location we were sitting in, and the fact that we could spend 2 hours over a single cocktail, with no pressure of any kind. As dusk began to fall, we heard the call of the muezzin to prayers, and we reluctantly finally bade farewell to the balcony, just as it began to fill with hotel guests.

Drinking in Colombo

There's hope for a country in the developing world, where cars actually stop at zebra crossings, and jaywalking is frowned upon. Try using a zebra crossing in Delhi, or indeed any Indian city, and hoping that the traffic will stop for you. Suicide wish. That's Colombo for you. Of course, it's also a city, where an auto driver offers me a  massage (fortunately, not by him personally) at 2.30 in the afternoon on Galle Face road, right in the heart of town (but that's another story).  

It's great to be flying Sri Lankan airlines this time, especially as I'm offered Lion Lager on the flight over from Delhi, which I gratefully accept. A really nice, crisp and refreshing lager, 3 cans keep me sane for the flight, and on a visit to the Taj Samudra, I have it's cousin a bottle of Lion Stout beer, along with a plate of an island speciality, the Devilled Prawns. At 8.5% abv (alcohol by volume), Lion Stout is not for the faint hearted, but it's an excellent  stout.  

I was last in Colombo in November 2006 when the LTTE led insurgency was very much in full swing, and Colombo was under a virtual state of siege. Post the LTTE's supposed disintegration, things are far more relaxed. My taxi in from the airport is still stopped a couple of times, by soldiers, but maybe that's because it was 2 am in the morning. For someone however used to post 26/11 India, where hotels resemble security bunkers, the non-existent security provisions at any of the hotels I visited, made me nervous. Maybe that's why I drank so much in the 3 days I was there.  

Lion Lager kept me company most of the time, but on my visit to Mix at the Samudra, where I was hosted by members of the hotel's F&B team, they recommended I try a cocktail from one of their younger bar staff, who had been drafted from the banquets into the bar. Prasanga, duly obliged and whipped me up an improvised cocktail, his own creation, a tall, fruity and delicious combination of of Vodka, pineapple juice, lime juice and mint. Sri Lanka's bartenders (and bars) are crazy about flair bartending, and Tulleeho had been drafted in to send in a team of flair bartenders to Colombo, to be placed in major hotels for the month of December.  

Prasanga's Creation

Mixology or cocktail skills, is still not top drawer, and a common complaint I hear is that the moment a bartender learns his craft, he's off to the Middle East or to a job on a cruise liner. However Sri Lanka gives all signs of being a nation moving rapidly forward, and with ambition of it becoming the next Singapore. Tourism seems to be doing well, and the hospitality industry is growing fast, especially as more and more resorts open up on their beautiful coast line, and one hopes that better job prospects will keep Sri Lanka's talented bartenders closer home.   

Of course my too brief sojourn was not only to be spent drinking the local beer, I also made it a point to visit the legendary Galle Face hotel, and head for their sea facing al fresco drinking and dining area. Seaspray, their sea food restaurant, had  a "buffet only", so I shifted scene to Patio, right next door, and with all the Seaspray benefits. Bear in mind, that Seaspray literally means just that. The waves are crashing literally at your feet, and little children are being whisked away from the side of the cliff. All of Colombo is out to party, as tis the run up to Christmas, and even the stony faced soldiers manning check points across the City, manage a smile. Patio has a BoB of 3.75 (LKR) for a 650 ml bottle of Lion Lager.  

I scan through the drinks menu and order one of the Galle Face's signature cocktails, the Old World Charm (LKR 550), a combo of Pimm's # 1, Gin, Lemonade, Mint Leaves, and with a Cinammon stick as a stirrer. On further probing, Sampath, the bar captain reveals that the first case of Pimm's # 1 was exported to Sri Lanka, and brings out a small tent card which confirms the same. The cocktail itself was well balanced, and as the band played Besame Mucho at Seaspray, I sat and sipped it as the waves crashed on the waterfront.  I'll be back.  

Old World Charm @ the Galle Face

Grant's Tasting

The barter economy is alive and well in Scotland. "We just swap trucks" says Ludovic "Ludo" Ducrocq, the Global ambassador for William Grant and Sons, the largest family owned whisky company in Scotland, currently run by the 5th generation of the Grant family.

Coming back to the swapping. There are 3 types of whisky made in Scotland, Single Malt (whisky made from barley, at a single distillery), Single Grain (whisky made from typically barley and wheat, but at a single distillery) and blended Scotch (a mix of Single Malt and Single Grain).



Well there are just 7 Single grain distilleries and over a 100 Single Malt distilleries in Scotland, but the beauty of the matter is that any half decent blended Scotch will typically have 15-20 different Single Malts as a part of the blend. As a result, it would be difficult for any one company to make all that Malt from their own distilleries, and therefore they often just swap tankers of whisky in between themselves, without going through all the rigmarole of invoicing each other. Makes for a cozy industry!

Rishi Raj Singh, F&B Manager, ITC Sheraton with Ludo

It's Ludo's first visit to India, he tells us, as he takes us on a journey through the heritage of William Grant and Sons, as well as an enjoyable tasting of the Grant's Family Reserve, their 12 year old and their 25 year old blended scotch. We unfortunately are not tasting the Girvan, which is the Single Grain whisky made by William Grant and Sons.

Considering it's only one of the 7 Single Grain whiskies made in Scotland, it was a visionary step in the 1960's, by Charles Gordon, the great grand son of William Grant, to set it up. It was another Charles Gordon however, William Grant's son in law, who in 1909 went on a year long trip around the world to promote their whisky, a trip which helped lay the foundations for their business success in the years to come. It also must have been the world's longest travel expense statement!



To commemorate a 100 years of Charles round the world trip, the Grant's 25 year old was released in 2009.  

Tulleeho's Rohan Jelkie & Sweta Mohanty

 Currently only the Grant's Family Reserve is available in the domestic market, but the 12 and the 25 year old can both be picked up in duty free.

William Grant and Sons also make the Glenfiddich and The Balvenie, both Single Malt whiskies.


Tulleeho!

Chile-d in a candy shop!

I have always preferred the new world styled wines more because they are fruit driven and suit my (read “Indian”) palate very well. Chile is my preferred choice because of the quality it offers for the price. On the 17^th November 2011, I knew I was gonna be spoilt for choice with an exclusive Chilean wine tasting organised  by ProChile an arm of the Chilean Embassy at Tote on the Turf, Race course.

To begin with,Chile is known as a “Vintner’s Paradise” because of the geographical conditions it enjoys making it easy for wineries to produce quality fruit. They have the Atacama desert flanks the North, Pacific and Antartica to the west and south have their cooling effect and the snow capped Andes to the east ensures that there is enough water for irrigation. Another most important factor is that Chile is Phylloxera –free ( Phylloxera is a louse responsible for devastating vines on a grand scale in Europe and overseas) and  only few pockets in the world are such. Chile also has a very long ripening season as they have warm mornings and cool nights ensuring fruit which is rich in sugar and phenolic ripeness. Grape varietals viz: Sauvignon Blanc ,Chardonnay,Pinot Noir ,Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chile’s very own Carmenere thrive well.

Ameya my colleague (a mixologist dabbling in wines) and me reached the venue wine thirsty! It turned out as expected,  was a pleasant evening  with a very slight nip in the air soft music, wine thirsty people and good wines to taste.  The participating importers viz: Aspri spirits, Sula, Mohan brothers,Dhall foods and Sonarys had their stall set-up with their wine selections, bread ,Schott Zwiesel glasses  and thank god for the spittoons. We started going around savoring and spiting ( a wise thing to do when you are a tasting, allows you to taste all the wines!) wines from different stables,no pun intended. Rounds of Goat’s cheese balls, succulent Galouti kababs, piquant sundried tomato bruschettas, smoky ham ones really helped to keep our “spirits” down . We were really having a good time!

Had made my choices as below before they got better off me!

Cono Sur (House of Concha Y Toro ): A company  believes in organic farming and also awarded the “Green company of the year 201” by Drinks Business.

Bicycle collection Chardonnay: An unoaked styles,fresh with fair acidity. 

Bicyle collection Pinot noir: A best bet ,fruity,complex with a great finish. Also the first Pinot to be exported from Chile.

Las Vascos{From the house of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (lafite)}

Sauvignon Blanc:  Fruity with refreshing acidity with underlying vegetal notes.

Louise Felipe Edwards

Pupilla ,Carmenere:  Fruity, medium bodied with round tannins and a hint of spice.

Montes Alpha:

Cabernet Sauvignon: A year in French oak, full, meaty with a dark fruit and nut chocolate nuance.

Time just passed as we acquainted ourselves with fellow oenophiles. We realized it was time to go as the kebabs made way for cheese cakes. I indulged J  Before I could leave I had made one thing wait for me, a luscious pink sparkling wine. It was a strawberry infused chardonnay/sauvignon blanc  wine in  a demi-sec style called Fresita. It was sublime and brilliant!  My evening had some more excitement left, I realized that I should not have suggested it to “oenophiles” the pure breed: P as it was shot down instantly. “You are suggesting us a cold drink!!! “ they said. I managed not to bother as everybody can have their own opinions but sadly most opinions are influenced by stereotypes and prices.

My answer to that

“If you like a wine,you like a wine,be it worth a diamond  or be it worth a dime”.

 

- Ajit Balgi

The Twisted Tiramisu

 L'Aperitivo Italiano, hosted by Artic Vodka @ The Grey Garden, Hauz Khas Village
September, 16th 2011

My mama never told me, never mix cocktails son. It was always the deadly duo of beer and whisky she warned me about. "Cocktails son, it's all good". Well, Mama lied.

Back in the days of prohibition in the USA, there arose "speakeasies", where you had to know where the bar was, to get there, and quite  often, you needed to know the secret word also. Speakeasies are back in fashion nowadays, with possibly the most famous being PDT in New York (Please don't tell), where the access is via a phone booth situated in a hot dog place. You use the phone booth to dial a number and the hostess verifies your antecedents before assigning you a time wherein you can enter PDT, which happens I understand by the Bondish mechanism of the phone booth swiveling open.

Grey Garden

Grey Garden is not that difficult to find, cause after wandering in the direction of their sign, you come to a choice between a flight of stairs leading down, and one going up. The stairs going down, being covered with what appear to be billowing grey sheets, and having been warned before hand of the avant garde design I chose to descend, and am rewarded by the sight of a small bar set up to receive me, and a small narrow room, with more of these billowing sheets, but this time white, covering the ceiling, and which I was to discover, served a more binding purpose, later on in the evening (Spoiler Alert!).

More Grey Garden

Mein host, Paritosh was there to receive me, and get  L'Aperitivo Italiano started for me with an Artic Fizz (Orange Vodka, Lime Juice, Ginger Syrup, Tonic Water, Angostura Bitters), a tall drink to get the evening started.

The Artic Bar

It was a small gathering, so you could actually speak to each of the other guests, who were in turn, Kishi Arora, a pastry chef, and founder of Foodaholics, Rajesh Lalwani, social media expert and founder of Blogworks, Vishal, with CNBC, a pair of food bloggers (cum architects) who run a Food Blog called Mad Tea Party and Vikas from Spiritz magazine, and of course Paritosh, from Artic Vodka. Not to forget a fraulein from Austria, a vegan, who wandered upon GG, and was invited by our host to join us.

A Vegan Austrian Fraulein

Grey Garden, every fortnight hosts a Supper Club, and a Supper Club, I understand in contemporary terms, acts as a mostly underground club, where guests eat from a set menu, and are expected to mingle with other guests, whom they might not know, which worked pretty well, cause of the assembled guests, the only one I had nodding acquaintance with, was Rajesh, who attended a Martini workshop, we did several years ago, for another club (the Tuesday Club).

What shall we eat ?

As I sipped my Fizz, I duly mingled, and in due course of time, we were whisked into the aforementioned narrow room, where we were seated at one long table. A small open kitchen bounds one end of the room, and the other is a glass window, which overlooks the garden, and then on to the Hauz Khas lake. I carried into dinner, an Artic Deep Purple (vodka, with fresh grapes, ginger juliennes, chunks of lime and cranberry juice), but I need not have bothered, as my mothers other dictum (which she never told me), was don't mix alcohol and food, and we were sitting down to a largely alcoholic dinner.

A martini for the lady

As we donned our bibs, Gautam Arora, the founder of TLR Cafe and Kitchen, sat down to the table with us. I believe he's also connected with the Grey Garden, via his wife, who's a partner in the venture. Let me verify this.

Razberry Gazpacho

The raspberry Gazpacho was quickly followed by a mix of fritters, which had vodka in the batter (Prawn, Corn, Broccoli) with a Bloody mary dip, which we dug into as I drank my cocktail. A selection of excellent pizzas quickly followed (Salmon and Caviar, Salame Piccante, and one with Pumpkin, Sage and Caramelized Onions), we hadn't even reached the main course and I was stuffed.

Choices choices

2 fairly strong cocktails down, I released myself from my bib, because, that was the other purpose served by the sheets  on the ceiling, they descended, to slip around you, and you put your arms through them, so they formed a apron cum smock. And off I was to the loo, situated within the store and studio of Cell Dsgn, out of whose innards, was born The Grey Garden. Having to cross the bar, I asked the bartender to whip me up an Artic Chaska (Green Apple vodka, with coriander leaves, rock salt, lime juice, ginger syrup, tonic water and angostura bitters). It was duly sent in to me, where I used it to wash down my main course of Mince meat Ravioli with Lemon vodka and asparagus sauce).

The Ravioli - ooh la la

Pizza Chef

3 cocktails down, with god alone knows how much vodka in the food, was I glad, I had eschewed the pleasures of the Italian Job, a vicious looking shooter, which was doing the rounds. But the twist was in the Tiramisu, which innocuously enough had been passed off, as flavoured with orange vodka in the menu. It was hard to figure where the vodka ended and the dessert started, but I struggled through it manfully, and to my surprise, found that I was first to polish it off. As we staggered off into the night, I'd learnt my lessons well. 

What did you think of the Risotto ?

Black Dog Comedy Evening - with Wayne Brady

Preface - Tulleeho asked Raghav Mandava, a Delhi based stand up comic to take on the onerous task of reporting for us live, from the Black Dog Comedy Evenings, which he did with pleasure. 

Wayne Brady

As a comedian in a city which has very little to offer to a standup comedy, I must say it was nice to see a full house at the Black Dog – Wayne Brady, Evening but then again I guess the free invites and the free booze had something to do with it. A Famous comedian friend of mine once mentioned that an international comic will be performing at 50% of his best when he performs in India for the first time, because he will have trouble adapting to all out quirks, diversity and of course language and culture.

Wayne Brady, I think given the circumstances, did an excellent job; once again I’m trying to remain very objective because he is a childhood hero. The first part of his act was a rap in which he had to use the words given by the audience, two of the phrases he had to work with were “Baba Ramdev” and “ulu Da patha”. Even where he went wrong with our lingo and street talk, he acknowledged his mistakes and made them funny too.

However, as a comedian, or even a performer, I feel the audience did not entirely do its part. We sometimes get so caught up in being Indian that we forget that there is a man who has flown down from the United States and even though we may know a lot about his country and culture, he will know very little… and no amount of time spent on Wikipedia, Google or Lonely Planet can make up for actually living here.

Improv comedy is very different from regular stand up comedy, if you are a famous stand up comic, then the audience knows who you are, what kind of jokes you do, and has good idea of what to expect from the artist. An improv comedian has to play off his audience, and the better the audience, the better the performance. I’m not saying it was a bad show, in fact, it was a brilliant show. But I wish we were not so “Delhi” when he came down to entertain us.

Wayne with special guest  Jonathan Mangum

However, the show stopper was well and truly when Wayne did the one thing that made him a hit even in “Whose Line is It Anyway?”, sing. Every comedian no matter how funny will know that is hard enough to come up with a joke when put under the gun, but when Wayne did songs about the topics that we handed over to him, we could not help but admire, groove and laugh. As his brother from How I Met Your Brother says, it was truly “Legendary”

- by Raghav Mandava

Drinking in Ladakh

Next stop Siachen

In keeping with the landscape, getting a drink in Ladakh is a forbidding task.

Beer in a China Cup

In Leh, 100 Oceans, near a parking lot doesn't look appealing, especially as our group has a bunch of kids. We ask along the way, and finally the friendly folk at Metokling (recommended by Lonely Planet, as it says outside), tell us that if we bring in our own booze, we can drink it discreetly. We hop across to a retail outlet near the Post Office, and pick up 4 bottles of Kingfisher. Back again to Metokling, where we are given 3 china cups of differing shapes, and sizes, one of them with a grateful Winnie the Pooh, with his arms wrapped around a pot of honey. The cups are small, and necessitate frequent refilling from the bottles placed below our feet. We appear to be the only people drinking alcohol here, as the rest of the crowd, largely foreign tourists, are content with their food and conversation, and besides a screening of the Hangover is about to start. 

Winnie the Pooh & Me

The day before in the Nubra valley, my pal and I had walked for half an hour, from our hotel (Yereb Tso) in the town of Tiger, to a larger adjacent town, called Sumur, in search of a drink. It was an amazing walk in the moonlight, with the high mountains of the Karakoram range around us, and the road frequently interrupted with streams flowing across. Hardly any traffic, except the stray biker, making his way onwards, possibly to Panamik, one of the last points before the Siachen Glacier starts.  In Sumur, we climbed a bunch of stairs to a restaurant called Larjan, where Psering, the owner, set a couple of chairs for us on his roof top, and brought us a couple of Godfather Beers and some hot Maggi. The sky was amazingly clear, and as we finished our beer, a group of 4 men trudged across the roof top, past us, the last of them, carrying a bow, and on chatting with him, we found that he had gone for an archery tournament earlier in the day. 

Bring your own booze is my recommendation. Camping on the banks of Pangong Tso, we rued that we had not brought some Single Malt with us. Would have been perfect to combat the biting wind, and the rain.

On the banks of Pangong Tso