My article on Women Bar atttenders (published in ET Madras Plus (dated 17.2.2007))

WOO-MAN ATTENDERSCalling the ’Shots’Bartending has become a career option for women in the city.

ET M+ takes a look…MDS Prabu / Pratiba Raman

Women’s empowerment has surpassed all barriers, and the fairer sex has started stepping into domains that were predominantly considered ’a man’s forte’. Essaying challenging real-life roles - right from a homemaker to a corporate bigwig - the new-age woman has stepped into every sector, leaving no single field unexplored. And now, she’s beginning to prove herself in the field of bartending as well! Ami Shroff, a celebrity bartender, agrees with the increasing popularity of this profession among women in the city. Being a self-taught bartender, she says that she learnt the art while partying and moving around with friends. "I also learnt a lot from books and the Internet," she recalls, "I was inspired by the movie Cocktails." The film sparked her interest further and there was no looking back. "I worked with a friend of mine and our collective interest helped in learning and exploring more," she says, with an air of satisfaction. She adds further that the trend of "freelance bartending" is also catching up in the city. Though women bar enthusiasts are plenty, very few end up taking it up as a full-time profession. Adarsh Singh, a student of Beeman, a city-based bartending institute, says that women are generally preferred, as they interact well with customers. But, highlighting a negative point, Ami says that everything is not always hunky dory, as ego clashes with men do find their way into the workplace. Prasanna, Founder of Beeman, says that crash courses in bartending offered for women are in high demand. Many women undertake these courses and even attend a few private parties, he reveals. And even monetarily, the profession is quite lucrative, Ami says, as the starting salaries can range from Rs8,000 to Rs15,000 in good hotels. Celebrity bartenders earn huge sums running into several thousands for each individual party. In the case of the starters who freelance, a sum of upto a Rs1,000 per event is a given. Hard work and staying in tune with the trend will help one excel," she adds. She explains the two major categories of bartending - flare and mixology. Most bartenders agree that women make good mixologists. Mixology is all about different concoctions that make different innovative drinks. Flare is the art of blowing fire through the mouth, explains Ami as she demonstrates her flaring techniques. Sakunthala Roy, Director - Public relations, Taj Hotels, says that this trend further signifies the empowerment of women. "Many customers prefer women bartenders due to their pleasant nature. In fact, people love to be served by a lady bartender!" she enthuses. Prasanna notes that most homemakers and women in corporates take up the course so that they can host parties. Lavanya Iyer who has just completed the course says that innovative careers give women that much needed boost, as they are able to do something that was long dominated by men alone. Despite hailing from a conventional background, the encouragement from her parents has helped her set foot in bartending. It is well-known that this niche segment for most part remains fairly unexplored in Chennai, when compared to the other metros. But what makes it exciting is the fact that many believe this trend has tremendous growth potential in the city!