Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Yumit Kumar Wins First Bar Maestro Title With Simplicity
Yumit Kumar is a bartender from Delhi who won the first Bar Maestro competition.
Bartenders had to make a special drink inspired by five elements of nature.
Instead of making a very complicated cocktail, Kumar chose to keep his drink simple.
He used ingredients that people could buy and use at home.
He believed that a drink should be easy for others to make again.
Kumar said the hardest part was connecting all five elements into one clear idea.
He began bartending after deciding that working in a hot kitchen was not for him.
He now believes bartenders should first understand what customers enjoy drinking.
Delhi bartender Yumit Kumar won the inaugural Grand Gold Maestro title at Bar Maestro 2026.
Kumar defeated 15 other finalists after more than 350 bartenders entered the seven-city competition.
His winning cocktail interpreted Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space through a simple, replicable recipe.
Kumar said all the ingredients were commercially available and that even the ice was made in his Airbnb.
Delbert D’Costa and Sandesh Thalang won the two Gold Maestro titles, while Houz Cafe recorded the competition’s highest sales.
- Who
- Yumit Kumar of The First Floor in Delhi won the Grand Gold Maestro title; 16 finalists competed.
- What
- Kumar won the first Bar Maestro title with an original cocktail inspired by Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space.
- When
- The competition was held in 2026; the Grand Finale took place during IFBE in Mumbai.
- Where
- The Grand Finale was held in Mumbai, with Kumar representing Delhi.
- Why
- Kumar said simplicity, self-confidence and making the cocktail replicable helped him win.
- Winner
- Yumit Kumar of The First Floor, Delhi
- Competition
- Bar Maestro, a seven-city bartending competition by ABD Maestro in association with Tulleeho Beverage Academy
- Entries
- More than 350 entries were received
- Grand finalists
- 16 bartenders competed in the Grand Finale
- Final challenge
- Create an original cocktail inspired by Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space
- Gold Maestro winners
- Delbert D’Costa of Mofo, Goa, and Sandesh Thalang of Sidecar, Delhi
- Highest sales
- Houz Cafe, Delhi