Hong Kong's top mixologists Owen Gibler, Jameel Frith share tricks of bartending

Mixologists Jameel Frith and Owen Gibler PicDatta KumbharAt 7 pm on a cloudy Wednesday evening The Bombay Canteen TBC has a different vibe built up for one night Musician Ryan Sadri and DJ Uri do a sound check while the staff is briefed by Yash Bhanage partner TBC A neon sign that says Psychic is an indicator of a onenightonly takeover by top international bar Employees Only ranked no 37 the New York outpost on The Worlds 50 Best Bars list Owen Gibler beverage director and principal bartender at Employees Only in Hong Kong and Jameel Frith have had a fruitful day scouring the markets of Lalbaug and Grant Road to prep for their stint behind the bar Its almost scary to get behind a new bar its like running around in the dark at somebody elses apartment Gibler tells us as the duo settle for an interview before their muchawaited gigFrith and Gibler try sugarcane juice at Grant Road Pic courtesySumedh Natu and Saiyam WakchaureWhat defines the mixology scene todayGibler People are concentrating on the entire package than just the drink mdash they put a lot of effort into the menu design lighting and music Its cool that people are coming up to that level of maturity Theres also a backlash to fancy delivery of cocktails People are shedding the old understanding of what things had to be to be presentableRocket fuel a rocket leaf cocktail designed for the nightHave any new techniques piqued your interestFrith You mean how everyone was using charcoal a couple of years back We dont want to do thatGibler A specific ingredient isnt going to make a cocktail better but understanding how you can balance things even before you get to the ingredients will Whether you are using two ingredients as a parallel perpendicularly or as complementary to each other is more important than the individual ingredient itself I think seasonality has a lot to do with it mdash where you are and knowing what to present there Serving hot toddy on a beach will not work I dont care if you put the happening ingredient in it We are trying to do more fourtouch cocktails than 14touch cocktailsWhat was your takeaway from your market tripFrith Its interesting how certain words are used in Mumbai such as boss I discovered every time we discussed something that is supposed to be unique to me as a Jamaican I was like Wow that isnt unique to me at all I didnt realise how much presence India has in that country A lot of these things are not foreign Like tamarind ginger juice mdash I grew up watching my grandmother drink it Even curries like dry curries are very prevalent in Jamaica Several natural juices bitter and sour flavour profiles star apples and julie mango among other things are common among usGibler I need to figure more spice blends Its a lot more intricate than what I knew before there are 20 ingredients in some masalasFrith I tend to walk through markets a lot and I try to look at how people incorporate things For example coconut was used as a base before the cooking of the spices to bring out the heat And I want to get home as soon as possible to find out why they do this I like to strip such techniquesdown and play with their flavour profilesYour advice to aspiring mixologists isFrith We all read the same books mdash smile love what you do It has taken me from very humble beginnings to all the way across the world Its just focussing on the craft and loving people Gibler Approach this for the right reasons Love what you do work hard to get somewhere and the doors will open for you Work for the art of it If you are doing it because you just want to travel you will be wound up with the wrong motivation Follow the KISS rule mdash keep it simple stupid Dont over complicate things Our favourite cocktails use three or four touches you dont need to run around town looking for something specificCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates