- Name: Tanka Gurung
- Instagram: @gurung_tanka
- Industry Experience: 16 years
- Favourite Drink: Daiquiri
- Favourite Non-Alcoholic Drink: Fresh lime water mixed with one cube of ice, sweetened and salted
Tanka Gurung is currently a beverage consultant and director for Toy Hotel, Chandigarh, where his primary focus lies in building consistency into its beverage program. Although the Punjabi city is woefully weak on a bustling bar culture, Tanka is helping build it with his latest venture.
He brings precision and consistency to everything he does. For example, at the Toy Hotel, Tanka and his team have moved away from using ml measurements and standardising the recipe by weight using grams. They use density and mass instead of volume. “It sounds like a small shift, but it changes everything about how consistent our drink tastes,” he explains.
Speaking of latest ventures, he is also excited for the launch of The Backdoor project — an island bar which is a pour-only bar (no shaking, no stirring) that values guest privacy and experience above all else. He also brings his wide range of techniques and impressive experience to the table.
When quizzed about the biggest challenges Tanka faces behind the bar, the mixologist promptly answers, “It’s having a proper bar setup and workspace. Bad workflow slows everything down and makes consistency so much harder to maintain.” Besides this, he also expressed regret that liqueurs and vermouths are not easily available in India.
The northeast Indian bartender has a lot of experience working in bars in Delhi and Chandigarh. He started his journey pouring Drinks at Country Inn & Suits in 2010. So, naturally, we asked him about the bar scene in our country’s capital. He answered that while Delhi has a robust bar culture and community that pushes people to do better, what it lacks are strong bar concepts and genuine innovations that can sustain in the long run.
We deftly turned the conversation to Tanka himself — what he loves about being a bartender. He revealed that he loves connecting with people of various backgrounds and creating an experience that makes people feel welcome. Sometimes, its magical to be a part of a guest’s special moments. “And I also love the creative side of the job,” he adds, “experimenting with flavours, learning new techniques and constantly finding ways to improve.”
An incident from his past that has etched in his mind and shaped the leader he is today happened in 2010 when a young Tanka was still learning about mixing and pouring drinks. Back when Cosmos, Margaritas and Mojitos dominated the bar scene, the young mixologist was keen to learn how to make a Mojito. He asked a senior to teach him and was sadly rebuked. Hurt, he resolved that whenever he became a successful bartender, he wouldn’t gatekeep his knowledge to others. “I will teach whatever I know to whoever is working with me or under me. I want to give back what I’ve learned,” he says.
Since he’s been a veteran in this industry, we asked him what changes he’s witnessed throughout his career. He explained that while bars have upgraded their equipment, most people lack the knowledge of using it in the right manner. “People have access to the tools, but not necessarily the depth of the technique to use them properly,” he expounds.
Besides learning about using the equipment and lab well, Tanka advices aspiring bartenders to build their knowledge, know your fundamentals well, and build your personality behind the bar. If you’re planning to compete in competitions, know the format well. He highlights a perceptive observation wherein, pre-2020/COVID, competitions were all about techniques and knowledge. Post-COVID, competitions are more geared towards rewarding showmanship and limelight. Finally, he emphasised the importance of getting your basics right before chasing attention.
Tanka reflected on his extraordinary journey at the close of our interview. From working as a barback (bartender’s assistant) to leading teams and training others, the hardworking mixologist has come a long way. Reading, researching, and connecting with people cemented his place in this industry. The journey has changed him, and changed his personality behind the bar. “I have become someone who leads rather than just executes,” he muses.
- Written by Nemisha Sharma
