34
C OV E R S T O RY
C OV E R S T O RY
GIN & GENERAL In an interesting conversation with his former boss Lt Gen Ajay Chandele PVSM, AVSM (Retd), Col Ravi Joshi explores the armed forces’ connect with gin.
logic behind the tag, “Afternoon games
Having been a top brass of the Indian
the wife calls. I use the opportunity to
are an essential part of army cantonment
Army, the General has been hosted
feast my eyes on the lush greenery
routine, so heavy drinking before lunch
on several occasions by other armies
around along with munching the pristine
is usually avoided. However, a pre-lunch
across the world and he has also played
white pearl onion with a few swigs of
Gin and Tonic helps build appetite and is
host to visiting dignitaries umpteen
the gin. We resume shortly with my next
the preferred drink during day time.”
times. I ask him about any differences in
question – Are army ladies too favourably
By this time our glass of gin that the
gin consumption by foreigners he might
disposed towards Gin? The answer is in
General ordered earlier arrives. The
have noticed as compared to us. His
the affirmative. “Gin and tonic is by far
accompaniments of lime cordial and
reply is laced with interesting bits of gin
the most popular with Army ladies, but
pearl onions give it away as a Gimlet
information: “Gin is England’s national
with the cocktail culture picking up, some
but
behind the glasses I see soda
spirit and is popular in the clubs of the
of the younger ones prefer vodka and the
and Angostura bitters that indicate it
erstwhile British colonial countries. It is
non-initiated stick to Bacardi Breezers,”
is the classical Army favourite. I ask
very popular in the Philippines, which
says the General.
whether the Army way continues to be
consumes almost half the gin produced
It’s time for the General to leave for
his preferred way of having Gin. ”My
in the world. On the continent, Spain is a
a board meeting and knowing well that
favourite way,” the General reveals, “is
Gin and Tonic nation. In the US, it is the
he is now a man wearing different hats,
to have it with just a little tonic, a slice of
ingredient of a variety of cocktails. But in
I sneak in the concluding question –
lime, a dash of Angostura and crushed
Russia, and the Eastern Bloc countries,
How does he perceive the ‘gin factor’ as
ice. The bartender at the Secunderabad
it can’t compete with vodka.”
having changed in his multi-role civilian
Club used to make another of my
avatar of Managing Editor of a niche
a sprig of fresh mint and bitters in a
GIN PREFERRED IN ARMY COCKTAILS
highball glass with lots of ice – just the
But hasn’t vodka also overwhelmed gin
perfect drink after a vigorous game of
in the Army in the past few years? Even
“My golfing colleagues prefer gin over
squash.”
favourite cocktails – with lime juice,
G
35
magazine, a decision maker in the Indian Golf Union and a Board member of a technology giant?
James Bond specifies a vodka Martini in
other spirits unless beer is part of the
Nowadays, the General’s favourite
an emphatic indicator of changing tends.
bet. The board room types like to stick
watering hole is the ‘Bunker’ bar at the
The General does not agree: “Gin is the
to their chhota gin during day, not much
Army Golf Course, Dhaula Kuan where
preferred base for most cocktail recipes
work can be done after beer,” he shares
he enjoys either beer or Gin and Tonic
in Army messes. Our bartenders are
the gin habits of the people around him.
along with his course-mates. His favourite
more comfortable with gin and can whip
Clicking my heels with arms stretched
gin brands are Beefeater and Bombay
up many delightful concoctions.”
in attention (the Forces way of saluting
in and General is not a
No Officers Mess of a Commonwealth
up for discussion a few years back.
Sapphire. But in Defence institutions, it is
It is Mrs Chandele’s phone call and
while in civvies), I thank the General with
fancy title. Nor an eyeball-
nation has been without gin ever since.
I started pronto, asking him about his
largely the Blue Riband that rules, due to
it is no secret that even Generals have
the hope of hosting him to a Negroni with
maiden experience with gin in the Army.
its easy availability in CSD.
to take a halt to pick up the phone when
Bombay Sapphire soon enough.
grabbing headline. Being
Recently when Bishan Kumar, Group
part of the Indian armed
Editor Blue Ink Media, called up with a
As it turned out from the General’s
forces for long, I know reasonably well
proposal to do a feature on the forces–
response, his gin connect began when
about gin’s strong integration with the
gin connect, my immediate response
he was a cadet at the Indian Military
forces culture ever since it originated as
was of exuberance. Not because gin is
Academy. “My father was posted on the
Genever in a quaint town of Netherlands
one of my favourite afternoon drinks, but
instructional staff (of the Academy). My
in the 16th century. This was the time
due to the prospect of interviewing one
mother would occasionally invite some
when the British and Dutch were fighting
of my awe-inspiring former bosses. And
of my company course mates to lunch
the same battles in the Dutch/Spanish
the obvious name that came to my mind
on Sundays and we got an opportunity
war and Genever drinking was a popular
was Gen Ajay Chandele – one of the
to sneak a swig with them, courtesy my
practice amongst soldiers before the
most stylish and articulate Generals with
younger brother who was always playing
battle. Officers designated this as ‘Dutch
whom I was privileged to be a brother-in-
the perfect host,” says the General with
Courage’ – a phrase that is popular even
arms albeit a much younger one.
an impish gleam in his eyes. Thus began
today. The British Navy transported
I touched base with the General and
Genever (renamed gin by them) in
soon enough we were at the Noida Golf
I was curious to know the reason
copious amounts back home, as also
Course to converse on a subject none
behind gin given the afternoon drink tag
to the British colonies across the world.
of us could have imagined as coming
in the Army. The General explains the
w w w. s p i r i t z . i n | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4
his life-long association with gin.
Gen Chandele in action at golf course
w w w. s p i r i t z . i n | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4
