The Heineken® Arctic Glass Since its launch in India in August 2011, Heineken®, the global beer giant, has now introduced a new bar accessory, the Heineken® Arctic Glass. Immensely stylish and contemporary in design, this double-walled glass will soon become an indispensable part of every home-bar.
First store the Arctic Glass in the freezer (-15˚C to -25˚C) for at least an hour; then remove it from the freezer and pour beer (at room temperature) into it; and within a matter of minutes, the Arctic Glass will chill the beer to an ideal temperature of 0˚C to 2˚C. The Artic Glass will be available
in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata on purchase of Heineken 24 pint (330 ml) cases and 12 quart (650 ml) cases from May 18, 2012. ~ Team Liquid
The Leela Mumbai completes 25 years of hospitality The Leela Mumbai celebrates 25 glorious years of its existence commencing from May 2012. It was on April 11, 1986 that the first guest walked into The Leela Mumbai. The hotel has succeeded in providing an ‘Essence of India’ to every guest in a five-star setting for the past 25 years. It is hardly surprising then that it has been awarded the Travellers’ Choice Award 2012 in the Luxury segment by the reviewers of www. tripadvisor.com. The Leela Mumbai seeks to woo the palate of discerning gourmands in the city with its three speciality restaurants; Jamavar, the authentic Indian restaurant; Stella, the fine dining Italian restaurant; and The Great Wall, offering Chinese cuisine; apart from Six Degrees, a lounge bar; Citrus, the multicuisine all-day dining restaurant; and the coffee shop in The Lobby Lounge. Guests checking into the hotel can avail of the all-new BMW fleet along with numerous other attractions such as a nature walk, yoga session and a gourmet trail. ~ Team Liquid
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Tonia Group introduces Indian tipplers to Portuguese beer The Tonia Group has debuted Portuguese beer in the Indian market with the launch of Super Bock, a strong pale lager as well as a stout, both produced by Unicer Brewery, based outside Porto. While Indians largely associate Portugal with port wine and the colonial history of Goa, Tonia Group Managing Director Mario Da Sequeira says it was about time Indians tasted one of Portugal’s best kept secrets. Interestingly, Tonia Group is Goa-based and a major local port wine producer as well as distiller. Unicer earns one of the highest profiles as a Portuguese brewer based outside the capital city Porto. Sequeira emphasised the need to grow the market for beer not just in terms of size but style and variety. “Beer as an alcoholic beverage has been commoditized and there isn’t much choice or diversity in the domestic market while imported beers aren’t
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accessible price wise, to a large part of the consumer base. “Apart from the lager, the stout is an exciting prospect because the current market for that is small not because there isn’t demand for it but not much choice. So, I see a lot of growth therein,” Sequeira averred. Portugal has a long history of producing beer and ranks as
Europe’s 11th biggest producer and Super Bock is one of two brands that dominate the market and has been brewed since 1927. Sequeira also revealed that the Tonia Group was looking at importing and building a portfolio of Italian wine labels in the near future. Super Bock was launched at Dolce Vita, a café and bakery in High Street Phoenix, Mumbai, which was also the first to list the beer in Mumbai. Its owner Rohit Khanna reinforced Sequeira’s point about offering more choice to engage the customer in creative ways, one of which included beer and food pairings, which he plans to organise at Dolce Vita soon. Super Bock will be available in Delhi and Goa as well. The Mumbai MRP for the strong pale lager available in can and bottles (330 ml) is pegged at `200 and `225 for the stout. ~ Bhisham Mansukhani 09
Major Parisian food & wine show to host unprecedented Indian wine pavilion Touted as one of the world’s biggest food events, SIAL, a bi-annual food business event held in Paris in October is set to receive a sizable clutch of Indian wine producers who will have their dedicated pavilion at the marquee event. This is the first time that SIAL will have participation from India’s wine industry on such a scale, according to Valerie Lobry, Managing Director of the Agriculture and Food Division for Comexposium, which organises SIAL. Lobry visited Mumbai to meet and network with professionals in the Indian food and beverage business, accompanied by JeanLuc Margot Duclot, Senior Vice-
President of Paris Region Economic Development Agency (PREDA). SIAL 2010 received over 700 Indian buyers within an overall total of 1,40,000 who visited 5,700 exhibitors. Lobry said that SIAL was in fact customised to present emerging wine producers
to the world at large. “SIAL largely receives new world and emerging wine producers as participants, which corresponds to our communication and promotion, and consequently visitation; so, Indian wine producers will meet buyers who are looking out for lesser known, newer wine regions and producers,” she said. Interestingly, the other possibility, she said, is that the Compexposium is keen to explore an Indian leg of SIAL given the vibrant domestic food and beverage market and the increasing Indian presence at the main SIAL event. SIAL holds six such events across two years in countries like China and Canada. Infrastructure bottle necks, logistical challenges and the identification of a suitable venue have kept the initiative up in the air, she said, but didn’t rule out pursuing the creation of an Indian leg in the near future. The Paris region itself hosts over 440 trade shows receiving over 10 million visitors. SIAL will be held from October 21 to 25, 2012. ~ Bhisham Mansukhani may-june 2012
Grand Hyatt Goa is now open Grand Hyatt Goa has recently become the first Hyatt hotel to be opened in North Goa. Built in the architectural style of a 17th century Indo-Portuguese palace, this contemporary resort and spa is located just 7 km from the capital city of Panaji. “We are pleased to introduce Grand Hyatt Goa to the destination and we are optimistic that it will soon become one of the city’s grandest addresses,” said General Manager Stefan Radstrom. “Whether we are catering to business or leisure travellers, we know that our guests will appreciate the warmth and authentic hospitality that our hotel offers. Our aim is to create memorable experiences for all our guests so that they keep coming back.” Spread across 28 acres of lush gardens, the hotel has 314 guest rooms and suites and a Royal Villa offering picturesque views of Bambolim Bay; seven food and
beverage outlets; an outdoor pool complex and an indoor swimming pool; one of the largest banquet facilities in Goa spread over 32,000 square feet, which is ideal for grand weddings, social events, conferences, and small and large meetings; and the Shamana Spa, which includes treatment suites, a gym, an indoor pool, whirlpools, sauna, steam and plunge pools.
~ Team Liquid may-june 2012
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Margarita Mania at 1911 Bar
Located in The Imperial New Delhi, 1911 Bar is the venue for the Margarita Mania festival to be held from 1 June to 30 June, 2012. The Margarita is universally
acknowledged as one of the most popular tequila and lime juicebased cocktails across the world. To beat the summer heat, 1911 Bar allows you to savour exotic Margarita preparations in delightful fruit flavours such as kiwi, lemon, strawberry, banana and mango. 1911 Bar pays tribute to New Delhi and its rise as a formidable seat of power. The soft Montana leather chairs, stained glass roof and wood panels coupled with lounge music provide guests the perfect setting to choose from over 500 varieties of beverages.
1911 Bar has two exquisite private rooms; the Hardinge Room, whose walls are decorated with pictures belonging to the British Raj of different battalions; and the Lutyens & Baker Room. Contact: +91 11 41116606/6609; Timings: 11:30am-12:45pm The Margarita Pitcher is priced at `2,400 plus taxes The Flavoured Margarita is priced at `750 plus taxes.
~ Team Liquid
Pan Indian platter Veda, Alok Aggarwal and Rohit Bal’s luxe gastronomic venture that made its way to Mumbai in 2010, is well-known for its lavish North Indian fare. This summer however, the restaurant has whipped up a new and diverse menu. The new offerings include delicacies from all over the country, including South India and Bengal. Giving kebabs company are Kerala vegetable
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stew, Kolkata chicken and kosha mangsho (Bengali mutton) and Chettinad biryani. We tried and loved the malai broccoli, erachi thengai varuval (tawa cooked mutton) and begum bahar (chicken and lamb brain in fenugreek and cashew curry) among other delectables. The emphasis is on interpretation and presentation, and even common fare, such as desserts like phirni and seviyan stand out thanks to innovative arrangement.
The restaurant’s bar also presents new options, including the Seven Island Ice Tea (that comes in a ridiculously tall glass), delicious concoctions of vodka and coconut water, and a mouthwatering mocktail made with Alphonso mangoes. ~ Sohini Dey
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Signature single malt now exclusively available at Taj luxury hotels Taj Hotels Signature Private Reserve – The Macallan 1990 is now exclusively available at luxury hotels belonging to the Taj group in India. According to Gaurav Pokhariyal, General Manager, The Taj Mahal Palace, “Taj Hotels have pioneered in presenting luxurious hospitality experiences to the Indian travellers. We are proud to offer The Macallan 1990, another boutique service as part of the Taj Signature Private Reserve that caters to the evolving tastes of our guests. The Taj Signature Private Reserve is a fine expression defining exclusive single malts and stores one of the very few private label whiskies in
India, numbering only 252 bottles. This is the only cask of its kind in the world and one of the very few select private labels of whisky in India.” One of the finest expressions of sheer luxury crafted and bottled in Scotland, this single malt Scotch whisky has been handpicked by wine and whisky connoisseurs such as UK-based Lorne Mackillop and Sandeep Arora. The Taj Signature Private Reserve – The Macallan 1990 has the perfect balance between a longer age in an exBourbon cask followed by a shorter finish in a Sherry cask. ~ Team Liquid
Diageo Reserve World Class India 2012 Devendra Sehgal from Ellipsis bar was declared India’s best bartender in the Diageo Reserve World Class 2012 finale. Ten contestants from some of the best bars in India were chosen to display their bartending skills and knowledge of the Diageo Reserve Portfolio (Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky, Johnnie Walker Platinum 18YO, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, Johnnie may-june 2012
Walker Double Black, Cîroc vodka, Ketel One vodka, Zacapa rum, Don Julio tequila, Grand Marnier and Tanqueray No. Ten gin) in front of an esteemed panel of judges. Zanita Kajiji, Marketing Director, Diageo India, commented, “Our ‘World Class’ competition tests every aspect of the bartending profession. To win, one requires precision, knowledge, creativity, passion, and an inherent ability to connect with the customer. Our initiative aims to nurture the exquisite talent of local bartenders and enable them to translate their
skill into the creation of fine drinking experiences the world over.” The winner, Devender Sehgal from Ellipsis bar, added, “I am honoured and humbled to have won the most prestigious and vied for accolade in the Indian bartending industry. I look forward to working with Tim and meeting the world’s finest bartenders at the global finale in Brazil. I also hope that my story will motivate other bartenders to participate in this esteemed competition next year.”
~ Team Liquid 13
