It's Andrew Hyman’s first time in India. But it won’t be the first time that he will be away from home on Christmas. "I suppose, it will be a quiet celebration because I won’t have a 20-member family to bring the house down," he laughs. The mixologist of Caribbean-Cuban descent recently took over the new bar at Colaba restaurant, Nara Thai. "To be honest, I dislike the term mixologist," says Hyman. "Simply put, it’s a study of how liquids mix together. It takes away the social aspect and makes it more about yourself; a bartender serves people drinks."

At his home in Central London, Hyman was the designated bartender for the family every Christmas. "That’s after I bailed out of my cheffing responsibilities because I would end up making three-course meals and have little time to do anything else." Although he has worked as a chef, he enjoys bartending more. Trained at The University College Birmingham, he has worked at Birmingham’s many restaurants, including Tamatanga, Churchills and Coast to Coast.