Drinq Barmen And Academ

What Drinq Barmen And Academ does

Drinq Academy is a Mumbai-headquartered vocational training institute focused on bartending and mixology, operating physical academies in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad with 26 employees. Founded in 2001 as Flaming Trio Academy by Apinder Singh Dhadwal (known as Binny) and rebranded to Drinq Academy in 2016, the business is now led by CEO Gagandeep Singh alongside co-founders Jitin Merani and Moksh Saini. The academy offers short-format, in-person courses spanning Basic Bartending (₹21,000), Advanced Bartending (₹40,000), Molecular Mixology (₹15,000), and Flair Bartending, with a Barista course in the pipeline, and claims 8,000+ alumni trained over 20+ years with a 100% placement record.

The revenue model is straightforward consumer tuition: students pay per course at price points between roughly ₹15,000 and ₹40,000, with graduates placed into 5-star hotels, cruise lines, restaurants, and bars through industry partnerships. The business is privately held and bootstrapped, with no external funding disclosed, and sits within a broader founder ecosystem that includes Living Liquidz (29 wine retail outlets in Mumbai), Glenwalk Scotch Whisky, and Mansionz luxury retail, providing embedded industry access that competitors lack. There is no digital or AI-enabled delivery layer — the value proposition rests entirely on physical facilities, award-winning faculty (including flair champion Kiran Panchal and mixologist Bhabuji Jinaga), and placement relationships built over two decades.

Name

Drinq Barmen And Academ

Legal name

Drinq Academy

Website

https://drinq.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drinq Academy is a Mumbai-headquartered vocational training institute that runs in-person bartending and mixology courses across Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, serving individual students seeking placement into hotels, cruise lines, and bars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Bar & Beverage (Bartending/Mixology/Coffee/Tea) (EDAOAKAH)

Keywords

• Bartending training
• Mixology courses
• Hospitality education
• Flair bartending
• Cocktail making classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: One-time tuition fees for bartending and mixology courses. Revenue generated through upfront course payments via Razorpay payment gateway. Courses range from ₹15,000 to ₹40,000 per program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Drinq Academy is a full-service Bartending Boutique that provides classroom-based bartending and mixology training programs (Basic Bartending, Advanced Bartending, Molecular Mixology, Flair Bartending) at its academies in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad. Beyond training, the company offers event-based bartending services including portable bar setups, supplies, and bartending staff for events and parties.

Product overview

Drinq Academy operates as a bartender training institution offering multiple distinct courses as its core products. The portfolio includes: Basic Bartending Course (45 days, ₹21,000) covering fundamentals; Advanced Bartending Course (90 days, ₹40,000) with advanced mixology and gastronomy; Molecular Mixology Course (7 sessions, ₹15,000) for avant-garde techniques; Flair Bartending Course (30 sessions) for performance skills; and an upcoming Barista Course. Both Basic and Advanced courses include government certification. The academy provides additional services including masterclasses, events/workshops, placement assistance with a claimed 100% placement record, and an Earn While You Learn program enabling students to work at 5-star hotels during training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basic Bartending Course 45-day entry-level bartender training for individuals starting or formalizing a bartending career, priced at ₹21,000 and covering beverage introduction, world spirits, liqueurs, cocktail history, 25 classic and 25 modern cocktails, setup, glassware, basic flair, and government certification.
• Advanced Bartending Course 90-day comprehensive advanced program for individuals pursuing professional bartending, priced at ₹40,000, covering all Basic content plus processes of making world spirits, indigenous spirits, tea and coffee basics, cigar knowledge, advanced cocktail making, gastronomy spherification, syrups and shrubs, craft/exhibition/fire flair, exclusive brand ambassador sessions, and government certification.
• Molecular Mixology Course Seven-session intensive course priced at ₹15,000 teaching spherification, gelification, emulsification, clarification, dehydration, and freezing, with a molecular mixology kit provided; targeted at working bartenders seeking avant-garde technique upskilling.
• Flair Bartending Course 30-session flair bartending program covering basic flair, craft flair, and exhibition flair, with a flair kit provided to students; aimed at learners pursuing performance bartending skills.
• Barista Course Upcoming barista training program announced as coming soon on the enrollment page.
• Event Bartending Services (Bartending Boutique) Full-service Bartending Boutique offering portable bar setups, supplies, and trained bartending staff for events and parties; serves event organizers, corporate clients, and private hosts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% placement record for graduates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 5-Star HotelscoreOthersStrong industry partnerships with 5-star hotels providing 'Earn While You Learn' program opportunities for students to gain on-the-job experience while earning an income. Also serves as placement destinations for graduates.
• Cruise LinescoreOthersInterview preparation and job placement assistance for prestigious cruise line positions. Graduates are prepared for employment opportunities in the cruise ship hospitality industry.
• Restaurants and BarscoreOthersExtensive network of restaurants and bars actively recruiting Drinq Academy graduates. The company assists graduates and professionals in securing positions where they can thrive.
• Living LiquidzcoreOthersMoksh Saini (founder) launched the Living Liquidz app, enabling the brand to become the largest liquor delivery platform in India. Living Liquidz operates 29 wine shops in Mumbai, providing industry connections and scale.
• MansionzminorOthersHigh-end luxury retail store co-created by Moksh Saini (founder), representing expansion into luxury retail within the beverage industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stir Academy: Mumbai-based bartending school where Drinq's founder Binny Dhadwal started his training before launching Drinq. Comparable course structure, target student persona, and Indian hospitality placement network.
• BarSmarts: Online bartending certification program originally developed with Pernod Ricard. Competes for the same 'professional bartender upskilling' segment that Drinq targets with its Molecular Mixology and Advanced courses, but via a digital-first delivery model.
• European Bartending School: Founded in 1969, European Bartending School runs multi-city bartender training programs globally. Drinq's founder Apinder Singh trained there in 2001, and the schools share the same core offering: short-format, paid bartending courses with certification and placement support.

Regional players

• International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM): India-based chain of hospitality management schools serving the same 'career-changer into hospitality' persona Drinq targets, but offering full hotel management degrees rather than specialized bartender certification.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Culinary Education (ICE): US-based culinary and hospitality school offering mixology, bar management, and beverage programs alongside broader culinary curricula. A larger, broader portfolio player; Drinq is the bar-and-beverage-only specialist analog.
• Culinary Institute of America (CIA): Premier US culinary school with food and beverage management programs including wine and spirits education. Overlaps with Drinq at the high-end hospitality credentialing level but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Tales of the Cocktail Foundation: New Orleans-based non-profit running the global Tales of the Cocktail conference, scholarship programs, and certified bartender education. Sits at the top of the bartender education ecosystem and overlaps with Drinq's masterclass and continuing-education use cases.
• Le Cordon Bleu: Global hospitality and culinary education brand with programs spanning cuisine, patisserie, and beverage. Comparable premium-pricing, certificate-driven model, but with a far broader curriculum footprint than Drinq's bar-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drinq-barmen-and-academ

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Drinq Barmen And Academ