Bartending hadn’t crossed Shatbhi Basu’s mind as a possible career path. In fact, there were barely any bartenders around when she started out—male or female. Basu had wanted to become a veterinarian. But when allergies prevented her from working with animals, she found herself being steered towards the hospitality industry, going on to enrol at Mumbai’s Institute of Hotel Management.
“After a period of absolute apathy, my interest grew towards the kitchen, and soon enough it peaked with the Chinese kitchen,” says Basu. After graduating, she joined a hotel as a trainee chef, but when a promised role in the Chinese kitchen never materialised, she left to join a well-known standalone Chinese restaurant in Mumbai. “The chef there did not let me into his kitchen either,” Basu recalls. “But, after working on the floor, I was put in charge of the bar, and that is where my journey really began—at the sideboard of this little restaurant which served as the bar!”
Shatbhi Basu began her bartending career behind a small restaurant sideboard, without any training in mixology
From that small and crowded sideboard, Basu was expected to churn out cocktails from a menu she did not know well, and without any training in mixology. “I realised very quickly that if I didn’t read up and learn fast I was going to be in trouble,” she says. Basu did just that, digging out Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. And once she started making drinks, she understood that there was something different about bartending—it delivered something she would never have got from being a chef. “I could see the customer’s reaction to my drink and that was an amazing realisation,” she says. “If I had continued in the kitchen I would never have known that instant satisfaction of having done a good job. That was the turning point for me.”
Basu didn’t look back. Today, she is widely regarded as India’s first female bartender and has forged a career that has spanned four decades to date. After working her way up various F&B establishments, she launched Creative Consultants through which she has spent the last 30 years working with some of the world’s most renowned beverage brands including Diageo, Johnnie Walker and Campari conceptualising various bar projects and menus, and designing and delivering training programmes,. In 1997, she set up Stir Academy of Bartending in Mumbai through which she developed India’s first academic curriculum in professional bartending.
I could see the customer’s reaction to my drink and that was an amazing realisation. If I had continued in the kitchen I would never have known that instant satisfaction of having done a good job.
By - Shatbhi Basu
“That bartending in India has progressed to where it is and young bartenders now have the ability to dream bigger is by far my biggest source of happiness,” says Basu of what she believes is her most significant contribution. “When I see how well my students are doing in the world, I’m happy to bask in reflected glory! I pushed really hard for them to be recognised as skilled professionals.”
From tending bars to turning out books, Basu is also the author of The Can’t Go Wrong Book of Cocktails, which she published in 2000, following up 20 years later with The Can’t Go Wrong Book of Mocktails. In 2024, she was honoured with the Legacy Award at the inaugural Tatler Best of Asia.
Shatbhi Basu is honoured with the Legacy Award at the inaugural Tatler Best
It has been almost 45 years since Basu graduated from hotel management school and proceeded to find her calling, but she’s showing no signs of slowing down, sharing that she wants to “challenge myself across the board to push my own personal boundaries of achievement [and] to share as much as possible with newcomers in the profession and continue to work with consumers in simplifying their understanding of spirits, wines and cocktails.”
Here, Basu shares the qualities she believes are necessary to be a good bartender, how she has overcome the various challenges she has faced, and what motivates her in mission.
That is what pushed me into giving back—to give young people direction and lead them down a path to self-discovery and means to support themselves and their families. It was also to help them believe in themselves.
By - Shatbhi Basu
What qualities does a bartender need?
A curious mind; an inclination towards the understanding of alcoholic beverages; a love of flavours; to like interacting with people; a love of music; and eventually a passion for bartending—once you like what you do, everything else follows.
How have you seen the perception of bartending change during your career?
All for the better, thank goodness. It is a joy to see young bartenders from India globetrotting like their western counterparts and being proud of their skills. They had to work faster to cope with an ever-evolving world and to keep up, and they are doing a great job. The best is yet to come.
How have you found being a woman in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated?
Honestly, it has never bothered me because it didn’t even occur to me that I was doing anything extraordinary. My journey has been an extremely exciting one of constant learning, evolution and opportunity. The only focus I had was to learn as much as possible about every beverage in the world to understand them so that I could use them correctly in my pursuit of mixology. Thinking back, there were maybe only a few men in bartending when I began in 1981. It was barely even the beginning of bartending in India.
What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
As a young bar professional in India, we didn’t have any means of learning to specialise in the bar apart from reading books and gathering as much information as possible from them. There were limited tools and very few traditional ingredients like liqueurs or even a wide range of spirits to work with. In a way it was a good thing as it taught me to push boundaries and challenge myself to adapt classic recipes using what was available.
How have you overcome self-doubt or imposter syndrome in your work?
Fortunately I have implicit belief in myself and very rarely had moments of self-doubt. I’m not saying it has never happened, but I have always been able to look at what I know from multiple angles and apply it in different ways. I was a bit shaky post taking a break while having my daughter. That’s when I learned how to write. My fear of feeling left out pushed me into writing about my experiences and everything I had absorbed over the years. Masterclasses were next. That fuelled my excitement and boosted my confidence again.
You have been recognised for your efforts in driving bartending education in India. What motivates you in your mission to drive change?
The year was 1997 and we were in the 50th year of Indian independence. It occurred to me that almost 17 years after I began my journey, there was still no school that taught bartending, and that bartenders in India had no way of getting better at what they do and even getting designated as bartender in some cases. That is what pushed me into giving back to the industry that helped me shape my career—to give young people direction and lead them down a path to self-discovery and means to support themselves and their families. It was also to help them believe in themselves as so many young kids had a feeling of insecurity. They had often been told that they were not capable because they didn’t do well academically and they had a bleak future. I wanted to change that perception and show them that if they did something they liked, then learning would not be a burden and they would come to enjoy it. That’s how it began and continues to this day—to give opportunity to everyone who is willing to take a chance on themselves and be available for anyone who needs mentoring.
What advice would you have for other young women or young people looking to pursue a career in an industry such as bartending, that is male-dominated or that is not widely considered a typical profession?
- You are not one of the boys, don’t try to be like them. Your strength lies in being a woman.
- Be there because that’s what you want for yourself, then be the best that you can be at what you do.
- Don’t compete with anyone. Don’t try to be like your idols or mentors. Learn from them, then use that to get better at what you do and become your own person.
- Love what you do, be open to constant learning and change, and assess and reinvent yourself every now and again.
- Have implicit belief in yourself and push your boundaries.
- Have a vision for yourself. If you can see where you want to be, you can get there. Walk that path bravely.
Front & Female Changemakers celebrates the extraordinary journeys of inspiring women who have emerged as powerful changemakers in a range of fields, offering a glimpse into their lives and showcasing their courage, vision and relentless pursuit of change and progress. From social entrepreneurs and business leaders to educators, artists, activists and scientists, Front & Female changemakers exemplify the ability to challenge the status quo and demonstrate the power of women to effect change.
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