Gin masterclass, culinary fusion, policy debate mark Madhu Mandapam Day 3

A buoyant crowd turned out in force on the third day of Madhu Mandapam, an alcobev focused showcase running as part of World Food India 2025, where high-octane flair bartending, a gin masterclass, a fusion of culinary and mixology mastery and a heavyweight panel discussion provided a lively mix of entertainment, education and debate.

The day opened with show-stopping flair from ace mixologists Gagan Arora and Sarthak Jugran dramatically flying bottles and spinning them, drawing intrigued visitors to the pavilion throughout the morning.

In the afternoon, Luxury Spirits Consultant Angad Singh Gandhi, Founder of DramswithDrama, led a masterclass featuring Zoya Special Batch Gin. Describing the spirit as “very light on the palate,” Angad said, it leaves no lingering aftertaste or overwhelming spice and is especially easy for bartenders to work with because it helps create balanced gin-based cocktails. He outlined the gin’s botanical profile as including mango ginger, juniper berry, angelica seeds, rosemary, coriander, clove, orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, strawberry, lemon and caraway.

Post-lunch programming blended food and drink in a memorable fusion. Chef Nishant Choubey presented a traditional Jharkhandi rice kheer, sweetened without sugar, using Mahua flower sweetener. The dish was finished with a compote made from Woodnote Whisky and dehydrated Mahua flowers. Complementing the kheer, mixologist Kama KM produced a kokum-based cocktail by spiking his patented signature ‘Mitti Ka Sharbat’ with Woodnote Whisky and Kala Khatta. The resulting drink had an earthy aroma likened to “the smell after the first rain on parched soil.” Many in the audience returned for a second round.

As the afternoon shifted to evening the tone turned more serious when leaders from government and the alcobev sector convened for a ThinkPad titled ‘Building a Sustainable Excise Model While Maximising Revenue and Strengthening CSR Commitments’. Panellists included Sandip Kote, Director at Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Tarun Bajaj, General Manager of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA); Maj Gen (Retd) Rajesh Chopra, Director General of the Indian Malt Whisky Association (IMWA); alcobev industry veteran Raju Vaziraney and Ashutosh Rajput, Chief Operating Officer at Alcobrew Distilleries India Ltd. The discussion explored how the alcobev industry can act as a growth driver for state economies while pursuing sustainability and robust corporate social responsibility.

Madhu Mandapam, now in its second edition is curated by RASHA Solutions, Spiritz Magazine’s sister concern. Over a period of four days, the pavilion has been offering a range of masterclasses, cocktail competitions, culinary–mixology collaborations, guided tastings, flair-bartending showcases, panel discussions and a B2B lounge designed to connect brand owners with distributors and institutional buyers. The pavilion is presented in collaboration with FSSAI, APEDA, Invest India, FICCI and EY, and is supported by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). Hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the event is scheduled to wrap up on September 28.