India, Dec. 7 -- The series of cake-mixing events at various cafes, hotels, and restaurants has marked the beginning of pre-Christmas celebrations in the state capital. Bonding over the rituals and prepping for the bakery delights, these events provide a perfect platform to kick-start the New Year festivities and bring in the Yuletide spirit.

A great deal goes into these mixing ceremonies. "To prepare the material, we use dry fruits including cashew nuts, black berry, black currant, almonds, raisins, cherry, coloured tutti-frutti, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, other spices, and wines. Some add other liquors as well, but ideally, wines go well-it's a matter of choice! Twenty to twenty-five days of fermentation is good enough, and finall...