Atul Kasbekar's 'Kasby Edit' Declares War On Salt And Lime — Here's What He's Really Sipping

Atul Kasbekar has spent three decades building an eye for what makes something desirable, first behind a camera, then behind a boardroom table. On his personal video series #TheKasbyEdit, tagged "Finer Things For Gentlemen," the photographer-turned-film-producer has now trained that eye on tequila, delivering a verdict on El Cristiano's Extra Anejo expression that has India's spirits circuit talking.

In the video, Kasbekar swirls the amber liquid in a tasting glass inside what looks like a home library, walking viewers through notes of chocolate and vanilla developed from ageing in American oak, before landing on his central rule: no salt, no lime, no shots. Treating a spirit this considered like a party shooter, he says, would be nothing short of "vandalism." This is a tequila built for slow sipping, and for a bit of showing off.

Who Is Atul Kasbekar?

Long before he was reviewing tequila on Instagram, Kasbekar was one of Indian advertising's most recognisable names behind the lens. Born in Mumbai in 1965, he dropped out of a chemical engineering degree at UDCT to chase photography, trained at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, and returned home in 1990 to found his studio, Negative Space, a year later. His Kingfisher Calendar shoots became an industry institution through the 1990s and 2000s, launching several models into acting careers along the way, and earned him International Food and Beverage Creative Excellence Awards in 2004 and 2005.

Kasbekar didn't stay behind the camera. He built Corporate Image in 2006 and celebrity management firm Bling! Entertainment Solutions in 2007, then moved into film production, co-founding Ellipsis Entertainment with Tanuj Garg in 2016. The banner has backed Neerja, Tumhari Sulu, Why Cheat India and Looop Lapeta, a resume that makes his current side interest in reviewing spirits feel less like a stunt and more like an extension of a career built on curating good taste.

• Born: April 22, 1965, in Mumbai, India

• Studio: Founded Negative Space in 1991, best known for the iconic Kingfisher Calendar shoots

• Businesses: Founded Corporate Image (2006) and Bling! Entertainment Solutions (2007)

• Production banner: Co-founded Ellipsis Entertainment with Tanuj Garg in 2016

• Films produced: Neerja, Tumhari Sulu, Why Cheat India, Looop Lapeta

• Content series: #TheKasbyEdit, tagged 'Finer Things For Gentlemen'

• Tequila reviewed: El Cristiano XA3 Extra Anejo, aged in American oak and finished in cognac casks

• El Cristiano founder: Karan Khanna; the brand launched in India in May 2024 via Mehra Wines

The Kasby Edit Verdict

The bottle in question, El Cristiano's XA3 Extra Anejo, is aged in American oak and finished in cognac casks, a dual-barrel process the brand says produces its signature notes of roasted agave, caramel, vanilla, toasted oak and warm spice. Kasbekar's review lines up with that profile closely, and he adds his own endorsement: friends who blind-tasted it, he says, rated it well before knowing what it was.

Inside El Cristiano: The Tequila Chasing India's Whisky Drinkers

El Cristiano was founded by Karan Khanna, who traces the idea back to a trip to the St. Regis in Puerto Vallarta roughly a decade ago. Frustrated by the additive-heavy reputation of mass-market tequila, Khanna built the brand around a stricter production process: Blue Weber agave grown at roughly 6,700 feet in the Los Altos de Jalisco highlands, harvested at a minimum of five to six years old, with close to 4.5 kg of agave used per bottle, more than most competitors use, fermented with a proprietary yeast and rested for 60 days in steel casks before bottling, with no added sugars, thickeners or artificial flavouring. The brand also draws its name and cross emblem from Arandas, the Mexican town credited with founding the country's first tequila distillery in 1761.

The line-up runs from a citrus-forward Silver through Reposado and Extra Reposado expressions up to the Extra Anejo that Kasbekar reviewed. It arrived in India in May 2024 through importer Mehra Wines, rolling out across Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Bangalore, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, part of a broader shift in Indian drinking culture that has started treating premium tequila with the same reverence long reserved for single malts.

Why It's Trending

For a country where whisky has dominated the premium spirits conversation for generations, a well-known photographer publicly ruling out salt and lime is a small but telling signal that agave spirits are being taken seriously by the same audience that debates cask strengths and finishing barrels over dinner. Whether or not Kasbekar has any formal tie to the brand, his Kasby Edit stamp of approval has done what any well-shot campaign is designed to do: made people want to try it for themselves.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Atul Kasbekar?

Atul Kasbekar is an Indian photographer and film producer. He built his name shooting the Kingfisher Calendar and other major advertising campaigns through his studio Negative Space, then moved into celebrity management with Bling! Entertainment Solutions and film production through Ellipsis Entertainment, the banner behind Neerja, Tumhari Sulu, Why Cheat India and Looop Lapeta.

What is El Cristiano tequila?

El Cristiano is a premium tequila brand founded by Karan Khanna, made from Blue Weber agave grown in the Los Altos de Jalisco highlands of Mexico. It markets itself as an additive-free, small-batch spirit and takes its name and cross emblem from Arandas, the town credited with founding Mexico's first tequila distillery in 1761. It launched in India in May 2024 through importer Mehra Wines.

Is Atul Kasbekar officially associated with El Cristiano tequila?

There is no public record of Kasbekar being a founder, investor or formal brand ambassador for El Cristiano. His review appeared on his personal lifestyle video series, #TheKasbyEdit, where he features spirits, style and lifestyle picks that he personally rates.

What is Extra Anejo tequila?

Extra Anejo is the most aged tequila classification, matured in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. El Cristiano's XA3 expression goes a step further, finishing its ageing in cognac casks after time in American oak, which gives it notes of roasted agave, caramel, vanilla, toasted oak and warm spice.

Where can you buy El Cristiano tequila in India?

Since its May 2024 launch via Mehra Wines, El Cristiano has rolled out across Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Bangalore, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.