He took a train to Calcutta and from there left for Goa to pursue the career he had chosen for himself. After working in a hut for some time, he got a job at Goa's well-known Titos nightclub, where he was paid Rs 900 for rinsing glasses and removing caps from beer bottles. That was in 2011.
Cut to 2023 and you find him, now a world-traveled bartender, presiding over PVR Limited's luxurious Home lounge and bar in New Delhi, preparing to represent India in the World Class Global Bartender of the Year showdown. of Diageo in Shanghai, China, in September. . He got his ticket to Shanghai after a contest of two 100 stages followed by the Best of 16.
Shantanu's dream for the competition will not know the parameters for this year's fight-inspired cocktail party to Parvati Khan's 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja' from 'Disco Dancer' starring MIthun Chakraborty until July 4.
He knows the burden of expectations weighs on his shoulders, when the competition was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Delhi-born, Pune-based Aashie Bhatnagar was one of the 12 finalists and returned home with the Prize of the Public.
Undeterred, Shantanu confidently declares, “I will be this year’s winner.” This is not a vain boast, but what he calls "positive manifestation."
Every time he has a goal to accomplish, he makes it a point to wake up and see a notice posted on the board next to his bed. He details the current goal he has set for himself. His wake-up note to himself now reads: “I will be the Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year.” These notes, according to Shantanu, help you focus on the goal and develop positivity within yourself to achieve it.
So how did Shantanu go from being a glass rinser to a champion bartender? It all started in Goa when a waiter friend of his was selected for a cruise and got a job worth Rs 80,000 a month.
The friend's lucrative salary package gave Shantanu a purpose in life, but he needed a mentor, so he tried to get into the good books of a Ukrainian expatriate, Artem Klymenko, a champion style bartender who was a trainer at Titos.
Artem got his first taste of Shantanu's determination. He had to love bartending and be passionate about it.
Shantanu agreed, became Artem's disciple, attended a three-month course, read every book he could find and, six months later, made the first cocktail of his life, a Cosmopolitan.
His next opportunity came thanks to two rising stars of his profession (who no longer exist) and Sachin Gowda, who ran Pune's Flairology Bar School and Events. They recommended Shantanu for a job at JW Marriott, Pune.
Shantanu's friends had to raise money for him to buy decent clothes and a pair of shoes for Pune. Recalling those days, he said, "I used to earn Rs 8,000 and send Rs 7,000 to my parents, which left me with very little to spend on myself."
While at the JW Marriott, Pune, Shantanu attended his first World Class, becoming part of a global community of bartenders created by Diageo to enable them to connect, get familiar with trends and learn new skills.
That turned out to be his gateway to the famous Buddha Bar in Dubai, where he spent six years and won international competitions. Then came the call from Reynaud Palliere, CEO of PVR's Luxury Collection and Innovations, who sought him out for Home, which was then a members-only club in a Delhi mall.
Home is no longer a private club. Shantanu has led the transition from it to a popular, yet upscale, lounge bar with a food menu designed by Japanese chef Yutaka Saito and MasterChef Australia finalist Sarah Todd.
Today, Shantanu's father is proud of what his son has been able to achieve by not listening to his advice. The obedient son, in fact, takes care of his financial needs, so his parents go back to doing what they love, he closed his grocery store and spends his days fishing when he is not in the field.
Shantanu is extremely proud to point out that John Walker, the man behind the iconic whiskey brand, was a grocer like his father.
Well, it may not be India's answer to John Walker yet, but Shantanu has up his sleeve a variant of the Johnnie Walker Highball, one of the three cocktails that booked him the ticket to Shanghai.
Cut to 2023 and you find him, now a world-traveled bartender, presiding over PVR Limited's luxurious Home lounge and bar in New Delhi, preparing to represent India in the World Class Global Bartender of the Year showdown. of Diageo in Shanghai, China, in September. . He got his ticket to Shanghai after a contest of two 100 stages followed by the Best of 16.
Shantanu's dream for the competition will not know the parameters for this year's fight-inspired cocktail party to Parvati Khan's 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja' from 'Disco Dancer' starring MIthun Chakraborty until July 4.
He knows the burden of expectations weighs on his shoulders, when the competition was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Delhi-born, Pune-based Aashie Bhatnagar was one of the 12 finalists and returned home with the Prize of the Public.
Undeterred, Shantanu confidently declares, “I will be this year’s winner.” This is not a vain boast, but what he calls "positive manifestation."
Every time he has a goal to accomplish, he makes it a point to wake up and see a notice posted on the board next to his bed. He details the current goal he has set for himself. His wake-up note to himself now reads: “I will be the Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year.” These notes, according to Shantanu, help you focus on the goal and develop positivity within yourself to achieve it.
So how did Shantanu go from being a glass rinser to a champion bartender? It all started in Goa when a waiter friend of his was selected for a cruise and got a job worth Rs 80,000 a month.
The friend's lucrative salary package gave Shantanu a purpose in life, but he needed a mentor, so he tried to get into the good books of a Ukrainian expatriate, Artem Klymenko, a champion style bartender who was a trainer at Titos.
Artem got his first taste of Shantanu's determination. He had to love bartending and be passionate about it.
Shantanu agreed, became Artem's disciple, attended a three-month course, read every book he could find and, six months later, made the first cocktail of his life, a Cosmopolitan.
His next opportunity came thanks to two rising stars of his profession (who no longer exist) and Sachin Gowda, who ran Pune's Flairology Bar School and Events. They recommended Shantanu for a job at JW Marriott, Pune.
Shantanu's friends had to raise money for him to buy decent clothes and a pair of shoes for Pune. Recalling those days, he said, "I used to earn Rs 8,000 and send Rs 7,000 to my parents, which left me with very little to spend on myself."
While at the JW Marriott, Pune, Shantanu attended his first World Class, becoming part of a global community of bartenders created by Diageo to enable them to connect, get familiar with trends and learn new skills.
That turned out to be his gateway to the famous Buddha Bar in Dubai, where he spent six years and won international competitions. Then came the call from Reynaud Palliere, CEO of PVR's Luxury Collection and Innovations, who sought him out for Home, which was then a members-only club in a Delhi mall.
Home is no longer a private club. Shantanu has led the transition from it to a popular, yet upscale, lounge bar with a food menu designed by Japanese chef Yutaka Saito and MasterChef Australia finalist Sarah Todd.
Today, Shantanu's father is proud of what his son has been able to achieve by not listening to his advice. The obedient son, in fact, takes care of his financial needs, so his parents go back to doing what they love, he closed his grocery store and spends his days fishing when he is not in the field.
Shantanu is extremely proud to point out that John Walker, the man behind the iconic whiskey brand, was a grocer like his father.
Well, it may not be India's answer to John Walker yet, but Shantanu has up his sleeve a variant of the Johnnie Walker Highball, one of the three cocktails that booked him the ticket to Shanghai.
