Pear the right ingredients

If you've been to The Daily in Bandra on a jam-packed night, chances are that you've seen Rohit Hegde going about his daily job as cool as the cucumber he's putting in a gin and tonic for a patron. An employee with the restaurant for eight years, he's risen up the managerial ranks after starting out as a bartender. Here, Hegde shares tricks of his trade and the recipe for a cocktail you can whip up at home in a jiffy.

Recipe: The contender

Yield: 1 serving, Prep Time: 5 to 7 minutes

Ingredients
Vodka - 50 ml
Fresh pears - 6 to 8 chunks
Mint leaves - 6 to 8
Lime juice - 10 ml
Poire (a pear liqueur) - 10 ml
Grated nutmeg for garnish

Method
1. Fill a Martini glass with ice to chill it.
2. Muddle the pear chunks in a cocktail shaker.
3. Take the mint leaves. Tap them on your hand to bring their fragrance out. Drop them in the shaker.
4. Put in the lime juice, poie, vodka and 12 ice cubes.
5. Block the shaker well and shake it vigorously for eight seconds.
6. Chuck the ice out of the Martini glass, double-strain The contender, garnish it with the nutmeg, and serve.

Tips and tricks

. Look around your kitchen when deciding on a cocktail. There are probably spices, herbs and fruits you already have that you can make a drink with.

. There is trial and error involved in making good cocktails. So don't use expensive alcohol to begin with.

. Less is more. You need only a few ingredients to make a good cocktail. Find the balance. Let the aromas speak for themselves.

. Take a jar and fill it with a fruit of your choice. Top it all up with vodka. Let it sit for four days. Double strain the fruit. Put two drops of that natural concentrate in a glass of vodka with soda or water. Stir, sip and sit back.

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