- Name: Avinash Kapoli
- Instagram: @avinashkapoli
- Industry Experience: 17 years
- Favorite Drink: Mismo — a Bacardi Carta Blanca rum with soda with a lime wedge squeezed and dropped inside
- Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink: Buttermilk with a bit of ginger, mint and coriander in it
A single experience can change your life’s course. Avinash Kapoli was no stranger to the mysterious ways in which destiny works. Still a fresher in college, he was hired to do service for an outdoor catering event, when he observed a bartender stirring drinks, chatting up with customers, flaring with bottles, and throwing fire out of his mouth. Mesmerized by this man’s unique talents and seeing the applause his spectacle garnered, Avinash got excited and drawn into the heady world of bartending.
17 years later, Avinash works as a bar owner, restauranteur and a beverage consultant through his company, Kompany Hospitality. He and his business partner have made an impressive cocktail and food menu at Jamming Goat in Goa and Bangalore, Kalpaney and Soka in Banglore, and LOQA Cocktail Room in Hyderabad.
Balancing both his careers as a mixologist and a restauranteur can be tough, but Avinash reveals his secret: It’s all about your priorities and just taking it as it comes. “Do the right thing with the right intent,” he says, “If the intent is right, everything falls into place.”
Interestingly, Avinash revealed that sandalwood is an ingredient that is highly underrated in India. While working at Himkok in Oslo, he made an eclectic drink mixing rum and sandalwood. Most people were aware of sandalwood as a fragrance, but few knew you could drink it.
He also spoke about the crucial role technology plays in bartending, helping bartenders enhance their skill in dispensing better drinks. Not only do bartenders now have access to myriad recipes and techniques online, but platforms like social media have also given them the chance to showcase their skills, helping them draw consumers to them. He urges bartenders and restaurant owners to embrace artificial intelligence.
When asked what he’d like the change about the cocktail scene in India, Avinash quickly replies that he’d like to see bartenders use more hyperlocal ingredients in their drinks and use India’s varied culture to their advantage.
Avinash’s valuable advice to people stepping into this industry? Gain on-ground experience working behind a bar and talk to your consumers. It’s a service industry, after all.
He wraps up the interview by sharing one final thought: “This is one of the greatest times to be a part of the Indian food and beverage industry.” Consumers are willing to experiment and explore different flavors and Indian bartenders are more represented on the global stage now more than ever.
