#LaMaisonCointreau makes its India debut -Finals Tomorrow

The orange liqueur brand Cointreau which is also known for it’s Cointreau-versial nights, international mixology competition and specially curated events for the ladies, recently introduced its #LaMaisonCointreau concept in the Asian market. In India, the Cointreau team has moved further ahead and introduced the first ever bar tending competition for the lady mixologists.

The three semi-finals that took place in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai in November this year had in total 18 participants judged by 9 industry professionals (all women). The 8 finalists selected from these three city events are going to compete for the ‘Lady Mixologist of the Year’ title tomorrow (13 Dec 2014) in Gurgaon. I was honoured to be a part of the jury for the Mumbai round competition along side India’s first lady mixologist and wine and spirits educator, Shatbhi Basu and wine and spirits writer and trainer etiquettes- Suneeta Sodhi Kanga. The eight participants in the Mumbai round were asked to prepare classic Cointreau cocktails like the cosmopolitan, Margarita, Side Car, White Lady and Daiquiri. All the contestants were judged on the parameters such as knowledge of the recipe bar-set up, presentation skills, bartending skills and of course taste.

Mumbai round of #LaMaisonCointreau which took place in Hakkasan, Bandra, saw some great talents like Ami Shroff, Ngalaton (Amy) Chithung, Dhanashree Punekar and Priyanka Kandalkar who have made it to the final round. The list of finalists includes eight female mixologists, Amara Reshi of The Leela, Delhi, Ami Shroff (Freelancer), Ngalaton (Amy) Chithung of Grand Mercure, Goa, Ashuli Saini of OCLD, Dhanashree Punekar (Freelancer), Jenika Sapam of The Oberoi, Bangalore, Priyanka Kandalkar (Freelancer) and Shikha Purohit of The Westin, Gurgaon. According to the Cointreau India team, there are some twists and turns in the final leg of the competition. The contestants will have more than just one round to showcase their talents and woo the judges. After all, the winner gets to represent India in the International La Maison to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2015. So, if you are in town, go cheer for the ladies tomorrow at the Leela Hotel, Gurgaon.