Sandy Chandila lighting a row of flaming cocktails behind a marble bar

Drink Pe Charcha · Scotland

Sandy
Chandila

Drink educator and bar professional. Fourteen years behind hotel and restaurant bars across India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UK, now teaching 16,000+ people to be the smartest person at the bar.

What I bring to a brand

A working bar professional who can explain the bottle.

i.

Trade credibility

More than six bar openings and outlet management at Grand Hyatt Al Khobar. When I talk about a spirit, it comes from service, not a press release.

ii.

Content that teaches

Carousels and Reels that explain wine, spirits and cocktails in plain words. My audience saves and shares them because they learn something.

iii.

Drinks that photograph

Original serves built for the glass and the camera, from stirred classics to layered matcha and zero-proof drinks.

Signature serves

Drinks I've created

A selection from my menus and studio shoots.

Tiramisu espresso martini with a sponge finger
Tiramisu espresso martini
Foamy sour in a coupe with an orange peel
Orange sour
Blueberry and rosemary highball
Blueberry & rosemary highball
Sour on a clear ice block with a torched lemon wheel
Torched lemon sour
Pineapple highball topped with candyfloss
Candyfloss pineapple highball
Creamy chocolate cocktail with a cocoa pattern
Chocolate flip
More drinks
Spritz with a cucumber ribbon and cherries, served with a bitters bottle
Dark stirred cocktail on the rocks with lemon peel
Whisky sour style drink with a thick foam and candied ginger
Green cocktail with a shiso leaf on a slate coaster
Red wine-glass spritz with a dried orange and star anise
Golden flute cocktail with a pegged basil leaf
Green spritz with a basil leaf tied to the glass
Apple spritz with a fanned apple garnish
Espresso cocktail served with chocolate and orange peel
Lemongrass cooler in a hurricane glass
Red highball with a salted rim and lime
Citrus cooler with coriander
Passion fruit spritz with a lime shell garnish
Mango spritz with raspberries and rosemary
Frozen green margarita
Mojito beside a soda siphon
Bramble-style highball wrapped in hessian
Mule in a copper mug with grapefruit
Green highball on a tray with a copper shaker
Frozen mango drink with a chilli-salt rim
Smoked red cocktail under a glass cloche
Frozen pink gin with edible petals and a copper jigger
Hot matcha latte being dusted with matcha
Layered berry and matcha smoothie
Caramel frappé with whipped cream
Chocolate freakshake with sprinkles
Cookies and cream shake
Caramel popcorn shake
Cucumber ribbon spritz with raspberries and mint
Golden fizz with violas
Layered green highball with a pansy
Blueberry and violet spritz
Blood orange spritz
Cucumber and mint gin spritz with a nasturtium
Peach spritz
Strawberry and lemon spritz

Series

The matcha menu

A full series of layered matcha drinks, each with its own flavour and garnish. The kind of range a café or tea brand can put straight on a menu.

Six layered matcha drinks with fresh fruit and flowers
Tiramisu matcha with sponge fingers and coffee beans
Strawberry and rose matcha
Mango and passion fruit matcha with chia
Matcha with blueberries and a viola
More from the series
Raspberry matcha with a dusted foam
Pineapple and coconut matcha
Classic iced matcha with a pansy
Cinnamon matcha latte

On the bar

Real service, real crowds

New Year's Eve at Sakana House, Grand Hyatt Al Khobar.

Fire show
Behind the bar on the night
Sandy pouring a flaming cocktail tower as guests film
Flaming tower · Sakana House
Sandy with three signature cocktails, one with dry ice
Signature serves
Sandy behind a backlit bar with a full back bar
Working an event bar in a white jacket
Event bar
Sandy with the Rosalie Café team
Rosalie Café team · Grand Hyatt Al Khobar
Restaurant team on a service night at Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo
Service night · Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo
More from behind the bar
Restaurant team photo
The team · Sakana House
Sandy outside Hard Rock Hotel Goa
Hard Rock Hotel Goa
Sandy at a pool bar in a tropical shirt
Pool bar days
Sandy beside a Scotch whisky display at a hotel bar
Sandy at a rum festival
Rum festival
Grand Hyatt Al Khobar team outside the hotel
Grand Hyatt Al Khobar team

Where I've poured

Trained in some of the best hotel bars in the world.

From a hotel bar in Delhi to opening bars in Cairo and Al Khobar, now running a bar in Scotland.

Full career, with roles
  1. Courtyard by Marriott Gurugram DowntownGurugram, India
  2. Pool Bar · Hard Rock Hotel GoaGoa, IndiaBartender
  3. Oregano · JW Marriott Hotel ChandigarhChandigarh, IndiaBartender
  4. TAO · Dusit Thani LakeView CairoCairo, EgyptBartender & Bar Supervisor
  5. Savannah Bar · Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Delhi AirportNew Delhi, IndiaBar Supervisor
  6. Rosalie Café & Sakana House · Grand Hyatt Al KhobarAl Khobar, Saudi ArabiaAssistant Outlets Manager
  7. Sanskruti RestaurantManchester, UKBar Manager
  8. NowGlasgow, UKBar Manager

What I create

Formats that fit a drinks brand

The Drink Pe Charcha letter

New recipes and drinks lessons, by email.

Occasional emails with my latest serves and simple bar knowledge. Free. Unsubscribe any time.

Let's talk

Pour me a brief.

Email me or send a message on Instagram.

Instagram: @drink_pe_charcha