Aneesh Bhasin, the founder of Hipcask, an alcohol recommendations application and site, has as many hobbies and interests as he does bottles of wines, beer and whisky. The entrepreneur, who is equally passionate about technology, food and fashion, took us through his list of essential tools, gadgets and accessories that help him live the good life. Here’s a glimpse at Bhasin’s meticulously curated collection of play things via his Instagram account:
Blow torch.
Kitchen gadgets “A blow torch is a handy tool if you want to brulee your eggs. Simply add sugar and salt to runny boiled eggs and caramelise the surface using the torch.” Get it here.
iSi 173001 Professional Cream Whipper.
Kitchen gadgets “You would have seen this at Starbucks. I use it for instant alcohol infusions. Instead of waiting weeks and months while working on home infusions, this does the job immediately. I also use it to flavour cream with bhut jolokia or BBQ sauce, which you can then garnish over eggs and other food.” Get the iSi 173001, Rs11,195, here.
Aeropress.
Coffee machine “There are several tools to make coffee. Espresso machines are great but tedious to use. The French press is simple but the filter doesn’t always work. The Aeropress has the best extraction, so you get clean coffee and it’s a very versatile coffee maker.” Get the Aeropress, Rs4,319, here.
Flying Squirrel coffee.
Coffee “You need good coffee to go with an Aeropress. Flying Squirrel and Blue Tokai are extremely bankable.” Get Blue Tokai, Rs300 onwards, here and Flying Squirrel, Rs270 onwards, here and here.
Ice cube moulds.
Ice cube moulds “Shapes are not acceptable. I don’t want a gun-shaped ice cube floating in my glass. What I do like are big, chunky squares that take longer to dilute. They work perfectly with whisky and gin.” Get it here.
Angostura Bitters.
Cocktail essentials “Bitters is like seasoning for cocktails, so just as you would add salt to food, you add bitters to a drink to elevate it. It adds a dimension.” Get bitters, Rs1,095, here.
PolyScience The Smoking Gun Handheld Food Smoker.
Cocktail essentials “It’s essential if you’re serious about making cocktails. It really elevates whisky and rum ones for instance. It’s also great when grilling meats, especially if you don’t have a lawn for BBQ. It adds to the drama of a meal or drink. The gun comes with chips such as apple wood and you can buy an assortment of flavours. You can even use cigar tobacco and green tea to flavour your food.” Get the PolyScience smoking gun, Rs10,355, here.
Rocky Patel cigars.
Cigars “The company, Rocky Patel, was founded in 1990. I was five at the time. Imagine a cigar which is 25 years old! Similar to wines, a vintage cigar means that all tobacco came from the same year. As the cigar lights up, wood and leather notes dominate, and as it burns, the taste changes to more mocha, cedar and nutty notes. It is a very smooth cigar and what I love about it is that it’s still more of a medium body cigar so it does not get overwhelming, specially for people who are new to smoking them.” Get them here.
Sharpened pencils.
Pencils “Writing by hand is going out of fashion. I really enjoy writing with pencils, but only sharpened ones. Blunt pencils are gross. Staedtler and Apsara are my favourites. You need a complementary sharpener and the rotary blade ones minimise broken pencil points and leave you with perfectly sharpened pencils.” Get Staedtler pencils, Rs132 for a pack of 12, here, rotary blade sharpeners here; and Apsara pencils from stationery stores across the city.
Lamy fountain pen.
Pens “It’s good to revert to old ways. I love fountain nibs and the act of opening up a bottle of ink. They generally make for a better writing experience. Lamy is a good entry level brand that is accessibly priced.” Get them here.
Anemos light bulb.
Lights “Every space, whether office or home, needs the correct yellow light. I hate white light. Anemos sells the perfect bulbs with beautiful filaments. The colour temperature is perfect and there’s a gold tint to it.” Get them at Anemos, Krishna House, Ground Floor, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel. Tel: 022 2493 4306. Also at Laxmi Industrial Estate, Unit No.6/C, New Link Road, Oshiwara, Andheri (West). Tel: 022 2631 2050.
Sennheiser headphones and FiiO portable headphone amplifier.
Headphones “Sennheiser Momentum is unmatched. If you’re inclined to use earphones, the Shure SE215 is the best bet. Just like you need an amplifier for speakers, you need one for a pair of headphones too. FiiO is extremely reliable.” Get the Sennheiser Momentum, Rs14,990, here; Shure SE215, Rs7,649, here; and the FiiO amplifier, Rs4,099, here.
Bow ties “Bow ties need to be brought back. Ties are meant for school kids. I don’t understand why people wear pre-tied bow ties. I tie my own of course. Unless you’re five years old, please do not buy a pre-tied bow tie. I usually get mine from Tie Kart.” Get them, for Rs199 onwards, here.
Bespoke cufflinks.
Cufflinks “In terms of men’s fashion there are very few things that we can get customised. Regular cufflinks are boring and customising them costs practically the same. I have the Hipcask logo of a barrel and corkscrew ones in silver.” Get customised cufflinks from Estilo by calling 98200 08295.
Happy Socks.
Socks “There is an outlet of Happy Socks at the Mumbai International Airport, which is great because finally men can do some last-minute fashion shopping. Socks make for great gifts and are kind of the equivalent of lingerie for men. I think they’re a reflection on underwear. If my socks are so interesting, imagine what my underwear would be like. My mom thinks I have the socks of a teenage girl. My favourite pair are my watermelon socks. The pair is a conversation starter. Picture this: you’re smoking a cigar, you’ve worn custom cuff links, a bow tie, you’re impeccably turned out and then suddenly your green and red socks peak out.” Get Happy Socks, Rs299 to Rs699 for a pair, here.
Basis Peak.
Fitness tracker “The Basis Peak sleep and fitness tracker has the best algorithm for heart rate monitoring. You need to know what your resting heart rate is. It’s a great indicator of general health.” Get the Basis Peak, Rs19,990, here.