Smoke & Bubbles: Check Out These Cocktails With A Touch Of Drama By An Award-Winning Bartender

Looking for a tipple with a twist? One of the coolest bartenders in town, Uttam Kumar Singh of Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar, makes some of the whackiest cocktails in Kolkata’s bar scene.

Uttam Kumar Singh is one of the coolest bartenders in town. We asked him to mix us the ultimate sundowners from his ground-breaking, trail-blazing cocktail menu. These are beyond just a run-of-the-mill twist. With a shimmy of his hand and a few shakes, he rustles up some of the most dazzling drinks that have to be seen to be believed.

From October, he will be doing freewheeling, on-request drinks where you can ask him to make his interactive Uttam Specials using premium alcohol. These will be priced at INR 795+, you can choose from elements like smoke, wood, earth and fire, and he will concoct something special for you right in front of your eyes. The idea behind these is to bring theatrics to the table.

We’ve rounded up some of his cocktails so you can get your quirky drink on.

Uttam launched Bubbling Bombay after much experimentation trying to figure out how to bring bubbles and smoke together. It has Bacardi rum, dry fruit preserve and tones of basil.

The Bee Hive uses single malt, bourbon and 10+ manuka honey with lime and ginger. The hive-like ceramic holder it comes in has smoke coming out from the bottom and has fire on top.

The Goblet Of Fire is inspired by the Potter book. It’s a fiery cocktail with Jameson, homemade bay leaf bitters, flint dust and laraha nectar with hints of orange and cinnamon. If you love mixology, alchemy and potions, and all that kind of stuff, you have to have this theatrical drink.

If you love tropical flavours of The Great Gatsby {INR 420} served in a brass pineapple shaped container and comprising of Malibu, dark rum, passion fruit, fresh shave coconut ice and pineapple. The name {and the pineapple-shaped holder} is referenced from The Great Gatsby, the famous book set in the 1920s, during America’s “Golden Age,” when excesses would abound.

This drink changes colour in front of your eyes, twice – from a nice shade of blue to purple. It’s a light drink, slightly sweet and sour, with vodka and Beefeater London Dry Gin and a hint of floral tones, lime, tonic cordial, and Asian sap  {INR 395}. It is perfect for brunch or a light drink for dinner.