Reshma Budhathoki, 21, is one of the few female bartenders in Kathmandu. In addition to mixing delicious drinks, Budhathoki studies at the Silver Mountain School of Hotel Management. In her spare time, she polishes her skills with mixology classes at Kathmandu Flair Bartending Academy, Sankhamul. “We rarely see women bartenders in Nepal. I want to change that. I want to change that mindset by proving that women can excel in any field, including bartending,” says Budhathoki.
By the time she was 19, Budhathoki was already working in a club. It was commonplace then for people to be taken aback on seeing a young woman behind the bar. Female customers especially would feel astonished to see someone like them in the role. “They always gave me words of encouragement, which made me feel very proud of what I was doing,” says Budhathoki. Some women even used to come behind the bar just to acknowledge or hug her. With such positive responses coming her way, Budhathoki’s confidence bloomed, and she became increasingly outgoing and confident when interacting with guests.
For this week’s Ruslan Chill Companion, Budhathoki has created an exquisite summer drink named Aurora. The drink isn’t overwhelmingly strong, making it the perfect morning beverage to complement a breakfast or brunch. Aurora is tart and tangy, a bit like a lemonade, with delicious hints of sweet peach to top it all off. Budhathoki created Aurora by first muddling sweet lime and basil before adding some peach syrup and sugar syrup with lemon juice, and shaking the mixture vigorously. After adding some crushed ice and Ruslan Vodka into a mason jar, Budhathoki mixed the concoction with the ingredients prepared before. A few splashes of orange juice and Blue Curacao gave the drink an exotic flair. The daring concoction was finally garnished with few wheels of sweet lime.
60ml Ruslan Vodka
10ml peach syrup
10ml flavoured sugar syrup
15ml sugar syrup
Basil