The Townsend welcomes guest bartender Sai Charan Hamsala on Thursday, 7/7 from 7PM till late. Sai’s four special drinks for the evening will be available for $7 each. The full drinks with their descriptions are listed below. Sai Charan Hamsala was born and grew up in the small city of Vizag, India. With a keen interest in how things work, Sai studied mechanical engineering in India at the collegiate level. After graduation, he had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and fell in love with the beautiful country and people. Shortly after this trip, Sai moved to New Zealand and decided to pursue hospitality and business management. This choice proved to both compliment and match his outgoing personality.
Sai has always been fond of fashion, entertainment and communications and decided to go behind the bar, where he found his home. Through his work in hospitality, Sai developed a passion for cocktails and mixology. After honing his skills, Sai began participating in cocktail competitions. While he has won many of the competitions he entered, Sai considers the time when he represented New Zealand on a global stage, winning the Diplomático World Tournament in 2015, one of his greatest accomplishments.
In October 2015, Sai realized his dream when he opened a cocktail bar named Rich Heart, in Auckland, New Zealand and named after his father Ravi Hamsala. He dedicates his bar to his parents and lives by his mother’s words, “Everything happens for a reason. If you have a Rich Heart, follow your dreams and work towards your goals, in the end you will definitely make it.” Sai currently travels the world as Global Brand Ambassador for Diplomático Rum. He currently lives in Auckland.
AVAILABLE AT THE TOWNSEND ON 7/7 STARTING AT 7PM FOR $7 EACH:
Rich Heart by Sai Charan, Winning Recipe from Diplomático World Tournament, 2015
1.5 oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva
.75 ml Cocchi Americano
.25 ml El Candado Pedro Ximenez (nitrous-infused with banana)
2 dashes Bitterman’s Xmole Bitters
Stir and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Diplomatico Rum Martini
diplomatico blanco,
manzanilla sherry
cremes de banana & cacao,
salt water mist + sicilian olive
Rum Martinez
diplomatico reserva,
cocchi vermouth di torino,
maraschino liqueur, spiced mole bitters,
dark chocolate
Hemingway Daiquiri With A Twist
diplomatico anejo,
fresh grapefruit + lime juice,
maraschino liqueur,
cinnamon syrup