In his 26-year-long career as bartender, Yangdup Lama has won a bunch of coveted International accolades. His bar in the capital, Sidecar, was the only Indian bar to feature in the 2020 version of William Reed Group’s much-anticipated list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars. In 2022, while the list had four entrants from India; Sidecar moved up two spots on the list, making it to the 14th place. In 2020, Lama was also featured by Drinks International Magazine in the Bar World 100 list of the most influential people in the global beverage industry. He was the first Indian to make it to the list. The master bartender has now designed the bar menu for Pune’s first Nikkei cuisine (Peruvian ingredients cooked using Japanese techniques) serving restaurant, Soy Como Soy. 

Edited excerpts from the interview.