Yangdup Lama

Yangdup Lama is an Indian mixologist, bartender, entrepreneur, author and is known to be one of India's finest mixologist.

Early life

Lama is the second child born to mother Kamala Lama (Sherpa) and father Late Namgal Lama (Yonzon) in the village of Gayabari near Kurseong in the hill district of Darjeeling in the North Eastern part of India. He completed Secondary School Certification (Class 10th) from Victoria Boys’ School, Kuseong and Senior School Certification (Class 12th) from Army Public School Bengdubi.

Lama moved to Kolkata in 1992 to study Hotel Management after completion of which he moved to Delhi in 1995.

Career

Polo Lounge, Hyatt Regency Delhi

Lama joined the Hyatt Regency Delhi as a food and beverage server in the year 1995 where he took to bar tending and worked at the prestigious Polo Lounge bar in the Hotel.

Cocktails & Dreams/Thirsty Three Hospitality

After serving in Hyatt for four and a half years, Yangdup founded a mobile bar tending service company called Cocktails & Dreams and in September 2003, Cocktails & Dreams/Thirsty Three Hospitality – a bar service and beverage consultancy company. Later he opened a commercial bar called Cocktails & Dreams, Speakeasy in Gurugram (Gurgaun) and also a bar training and beverage management school by the name Cocktail and Dreams Beverage Studio in Delhi.

Sidecar

Lama opened a second artisanal cocktail bar named Sidecar in Greater Kailash, New Delhi in 2018.

Awards and accolades

• Indian Bartender of the Year 1999
• The Asia-Pacific 30 under 30 Award 1997.
• India attaché by Tales of the Cocktail New Orleans for the years 2017-18
• American Whiskey Ambassador India 2017 by Distilled Spirits Council of United States.(DISCUS)

Books

Cocktails & Dreams: The Ultimate Indian Cocktail Book