Courting spirits

At 73 years, barrister Bhaichand Patel has no qualms admitting that partying is his favourite game. In between sonorous peals of laughter, this Delhi-based author and spirits expert candidly confesses, “There is hardly any evening when you will find me holed up at home. I am always out at the best parties, enjoying with my closest friends.”

While Patel, a graduate of the London School of Economics and now a retired barrister, says that he makes it a point to attend parties where men do not outnumber the women or vice versa, he also rues that one of his closest partying buddies is now no longer able to join him in merry-making due to health concerns. He points out, “Khushwant Singh, the author and one of my oldest friends, is was one of my best buddies and he loved attending my house parties.
However, he no longer can due to his health.”

But the septuagenarian still does not lose hope. He goes on to mention, “I love to party with Suhel Seth. I have the luxury of living alone. My wife and daughter live in New York. So there are no overt suggestions when I am short-listing my guests for my fabulous house parties.”

The author of two books with a third on the way, Bhaichand’s association with alcohol has been on for almost five decades now. He may come across as quite a master at mixing cocktails in his latest book Happy Hours, but he admits that back in his 20s, he was a “good Gujarati boy” and gave in to alcohol at 24 due to peer pressure and London’s ambience. Patel winks and exclaims, “It has been a nice association, after all.”

Patel who likes his wine as well as his feni is happy with the way India is growing into a bigger alcohol-consuming nation. He explains, “Earlier, it used to be just whiskey-soda. Now people are experimenting with interesting cocktails. Two decades ago, when I threw a party, I would perhaps open two bottles for a group of 50. Today, I cannot do without 10 bottles at least. That’s a great trend we must maintain.”