Bartending workshops by Tulleeho

I ain’t no martini snob, but really, those unimaginative vodka-and-orange party staples make me cringe. And rum and Coke? Blasphemy! That’s when me and my girlfriends signed up for a bartending workshop by Tulleeho. Turned out be a smash — it was a make-your-drink-and-drink-it-too event, leaving us very, very tulli!

Everything you could need for a bar was on our little table: sparkling glasses, lemon wedges, liqueurs, fresh juices. Our charming mixologist, Yangdup Lama, got us started with a Pomarancza Martini (with Belvedere orange vodka, fresh orange juice, orange liqueur, lime) — it was of the prettiest peach hue, with the potency of a rocket.

We sipped gingerly and snacked on the yummy in-house kebabs as Lama got us to assemble our next cocktail: a nice tall drink with muddled ginger, mint and lime juice, plus Belvedere citrus vodka and soda. And lots of ice. Just what you need after a dog’s day at work. And then he announced the third. Woohoo — A Cosmopolitan! What joy to know that our favourite glam drink takes 20 seconds to make! The fourth was a shooter, and one of us volunteered to have Lama pour it straight down the throat.

That’s four stiff drinks in two hours, and we were pretty sure we’d be too buzzed to care about the fifth. But OMG, it’s the drink to caress on a nippy winter evening — Hennessy cognac, hazelnut, vodka and lime, and it’s the most luxurious drink I’ve ever tasted.

I did it all over again at home. And now, there isn’t a party I’m not invited to, darling. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

The next Tulleeho workshop is at The Bar, Fortune Select Global, Gurgaon, from 4 to 7 pm, on Saturday, August 30. Rs. 900 per person for individuals, Rs. 800 per person for groups of 4 or more. To register, log on to www.tulleeho.com, and pay in advance (by cheque/ DD or netbanking). Includes a certificate and a handout with cocktail recipes.