Flairmania Bartending Academy

We run a bartending academy up here in Shimla, specifically in the Chikul area. Our place is in Shivanagar, Basant Vihar, and it’s quite close to the Rani Ground. Being in the hills means it’s often quite cold, but we keep the place warm enough. It’s not a big fancy school with a lot of classrooms. It is basically just one large space where we have set up some bars for people to practice on. We aren't professional academics. We are just people who spent years working in bars and hotels and decided we wanted to teach the younger generation how it’s done. We use empty bottles for practice so there isn't too much of a mess when someone drops something. Most of our students are local kids from around Shimla who want to get a job in a big hotel or maybe even go abroad. We don't have any glossy brochures or big advertisements. People usually just hear about us from their friends. Sometimes when it snows heavily, we have to close up for a day or two because the roads get blocked, but that is just part of living in Shimla. It’s a very relaxed environment. We talk about how to mix drinks, but we also talk about the reality of working late nights and dealing with all kinds of people. It’s an honest way to make a living and we enjoy seeing our students go off and find good work in the trade.