Taj Chandigarh’s annual cake mixing ceremony saw cricketers pitch in as well!

You know the season’s taken a turn when the invite for Taj Chandigarh’s annual cake mixing event arrives in the mail box. Carrying forward the tradition of preparing a sumptuous mix of dry fruits and liquor, this Monday saw the Lady Governor, Jean Rodrigues slip on the gloves and apron to toss up the once-a-year recipe. “It’s always a pleasure,” remarked Rodrigues who was accompanied by a handful of cricket players from the two teams that the hotel was playing host to. As the staff spread out the piles of black currant, raisins, red cherries, apricots, almonds, figs and dates, bottles of brandy, whiskey, beer and rum that are a must for the traditional marinade were handed out. The ‘mixing ceremony’ rolled out with the Lady Governor accompanied by Taj’s general manager Anil Malhotra, sprinkling spices over the delicious mix and dousing it with liberal gushes of the liquor. Digging their gloved hands in were cricketers Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra along with the Australian team manager. “It’s a Christmas tradition where families take turns in stirring the mixture for good luck,” mentioned a member of the staff as everyone made the most of the traditional stir. The mix will now be kept aside for over a month and will be used to make the Christmas cakes in December. Until then!