Aashi’s bartending career is only 6 years old. Fashion design’s loss was bartending’s gain, as NIFT in Shillong was a little too far for her family, and she instead chose hotel management in Dehradun, in year 1 of her course, she was hooked on F&B (food and beverage) as a specialization. A year-long course in bartending followed, done side by side with her final year in college, post which she joined the Piano Bar at the Oberoi, Gurgaon, which is where she learnt “the true art of hospitality”. Her career also includes stints at Delhi’s Kimono Club and Pune’s Ritz Carlton. She currently works at Pune’s Cobbler and Crew, where she heads the bar program under the leadership of Mayur Marne, who is also a constant mentor to her. 

In 2023, Aashi also won the prestigious World Class India bartending competition, going on to represent India in the global finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she made India proud by being the first Indian to reach the Top 12 (she finally placed #6) as also won the People’s Choice Award. She was also the only woman in the Top 12. 

“A woman pilot is called a pilot”, she says, “so why can’t a woman bartender be just called a bartender”.