Mr Pearson says his life revolves around alcohol. ``When I not working around alcohol, I can usually be found either with my head in a book reading about it, or with my head in my hands wishing I hadn't drank as much the night before,'' he says, jocularly. And it's probably this passion for alcohol that turned Mr Pearson into a professional bar consultant.

He began his career in 1997 as a management trainee at Henry J Bean's Bar and Grill. Though this was a bar, Mr Pearson was more involved with the nitty-gritty of running the place as assistant manager than handling the bar. But two years later, Mr Pearson decided to break free from the management shackles and answer his calling. He decided to become a freelance bar consultant. ``My decision TO become a freelance consultant was to move to a more classical style of bar culture,'' he says.

His first assignment was in London. He was involved in setting up of Latitude, a bar that opened in Chealsea, London in 1999, with the aim of providing quality and service. Here, he made the cocktail list, the wine and champagne list, the bar layout and outlined the service style.

And many more assignments came pouring in. In India, the Taj Mahal Hotel approached him to do the rejig of their old bar, the Captain's Cabin. Though the Moroccan concept of Rick's was not Mr Pearson's, he has been involved with almost every aspect thereafter. The menu at Rick's is long, but there are six drinks that Mr Pearson has made specially for this bar. One was the Guavberri Martini that has a touch of tropical flavour with gauva juice. And a completely sinful chocolate drink with scotch and Irish cream. Other bars are already copying his signature drinks.

At Rick's he has been involved with the training of personnel, too. ``I am very particular about the way a cocktail is made. The bartenders have to get the proportions right, and always,'' he says. He has also been training the bartenders from other Taj Hotels around the country.

Mr Pearson says he spends a lot of time thinking about cocktails and sometimes a formula suddenly strikes him as good. So he mixes the concoction and checks out whether it can be used at the bar. ``Sometimes the experiment does not work, but at many times it clicks,'' says Mr Pearson.

Mr Pearson is always ready to experiment. ``Once you come in to have a drink, I'll make sure you never leave dissatisfied,'' he says.