Parag A. Shastry

Parag A. Shastry is a storyteller, spirits strategist, and innovation leader with a deep interest in mixology and India’s diverse drinking cultures. Over the past decade, he has become a prominent voice in the country’s craft liquor movement, known for exploring alcohol not just as a beverage, but as a cultural marker shaped by memory, ritual, and community. 

As General Manager – Innovation and Marketing at Diageo India, Parag helped create new-to-the-world spirits and brands inspired by India’s sensory and cultural landscape. His work sits at the intersection of heritage and modern consumer behaviour, giving him a nuanced understanding of how India’s drinking identity is evolving across bars, homes, and emerging craft ecosystems. 

His connection to this subject is deeply personal. Having grown up across small-town India—from the Nimad, Chambal, and Malwa regions of Madhya Pradesh to the tribal districts of Gujarat, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, and the North Bengal tri-border area—Parag witnessed firsthand the local brews, indigenous rituals, and community drinking customs that quietly shape India’s relationship with alcohol. These experiences shaped his belief that a drink is never only about what is poured into a glass, but also the stories, traditions, and meanings that surround it. 

In Madira: India’s Forgotten Spirits and Cocktail Revival, he brings together cultural storytelling, sustainable practices, and contemporary cocktail ideas to offer an India-first perspective on spirits—one where the narrative behind a drink holds equal importance as the drink itself. His work blends professional insight with cultural immersion, offering a rare lens into how tradition and innovation can coexist behind the bar. 

Through this book, Parag hopes to inspire bartenders, enthusiasts, and curious readers to rediscover India’s flavours and stories, and to view cocktails not merely as drinks, but as expressions of place, memory, and identity.