The return of 'old-school, fun' drinks at a new bar in Goa
Summary
Bar Outrigger in Goa's Dona Paula is a rum-forward place that believes in shaking-up fun and ‘stupid’ cocktailsIn the hospitality industry, there’s a unique practice--new places open in the off season. The aim is to test it, iron out the kinks and prepare for the high demand by the end of the year. In India, monsoon is the off season and it presents a few challenges. In July, Bar Outrigger launched in Goa, and there was an unexpected accident. By the end of the month, excessive rain caused a power surge and their stabiliser’s spark caught fire. To their good fortune, flames did not engulf the place, but the smoke caused much damage. The place had to be redone and it reopened last month.
Bar Outrigger, located in the heritage neighbourhood of Dona Paula, overlooks yachts and fishing boats bobbing in the sea. One of its two co-founders is the events entrepreneur Francis Coelho, a member of Goa Yachting Association Boat Club. The other partner is Arijit Bose. The 43-year-old bar entrepreneur has spent about two decades in the industry. He honed his skills by working with Bacardi in the early days of his career, oversaw bars at the music festival NH7 and went on to launch multiple bars, including PCO in Delhi in 2012. As a serial entrepreneur, he introduced brands like Mr Jerry’s Cocktails with ready-to-serve drinks and Lover’s Rum; founded beverage consultancies, such as Countertop which was sold to Third Eye Distilleries in 2022; and currently co-owns two bars in Bengaluru—Bar Spirit Forward and Wine In Progress. As a rum afficionado, his newest venture is Bar Outrigger. The 45-seater, rum-forward place imbibes the themes of sailing and exploration, synonymous with the spirit’s history.
In an interview with Lounge, Bose talks about building a bar for the locals, bringing back old-school cocktails and shares an incredible bar guide to Goa:
Edited excerpts:
Why did you open a rum-centric bar?
Francis asked me to check out an empty space in Dona Paula which he felt had potential. When I saw this place, it was breathtaking with the uninterrupted sea view, complete with boats and yachts. It felt like a rum island. The spirit is linked to colonies with a seafaring history and there was an immediate connect. I am a rum guy, and I worked with Bacardi for nearly six years. All of these added up to build a rum-forward bar. But, in India anything super focused (in the bar space) doesn’t work, and we have to keep everyone happy. We offer gin cocktails and other drinks as well.
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Apart from the positioning, what makes the bar different, especially in a place like Goa which is overcrowded with food and drinks options?
It focusses on locals, and not so much on tourists. In Goa, tourists come twice a year, but if locals like a place, they will walk in twice or thrice a week. The cocktails are old school, fun and stupid. We don't try to make super dry or lime-y drinks, and they are quite different from what others are doing. If you consider the top drinking places right now and line up their cocktails, all of them look the same--a big ice glass with a clarified drink--which is great, and you can go to those bars four times a month. But, we want guests to visit us atleast once a week. Come and have stupid drinks with us.
What do you mean by stupid drinks?
I mean fun, stupid drinks. There’s one named Walking dead, with different rums mixed together and peanut orgeate; another is called Jamaican Grog which is inspired by the famous story of a British admiral on a ship who tried to prevent scurvy while sailing by stirring up a drink named grog with rum, lime and sugar. These are simple drinks, but they're fun. We are serious about what we do, and the main job is to take care of guests. People come to a bar for a good time. Our style is to make drinks that catalyse that convivial moment. Cocktails are a social lubricant, and that's how we look at it. I think people need to have all kinds of cocktails and everything does not need to be fancy.
And, what is old-school about your drinks?
Cocktails have existed for over 200 years. For example, versions of Old Fashioned and Negroni were made in the eighteenth century; Daiquiri comes from Cuba from the late nineteenth century; and Americans learnt about Tiki-style drinks during the second World War when they travelled to tropical islands, like Haiti. They learnt the use of tropical fruits and spices in drinks from the Filipinos. In the eighties and nineties, drinks were influenced by colour television. They evolved to become fruity, bright and colourful. By the 2000s, speakeasies-style drinks came back pioneered by the legendary bartender Dale DeGroff. By 2015-16, molecular gastronomy shaped drinks which led to modern techniques, like sous vide. It’s a new school of cocktails with a minimalistic look, large ice and easy garnish. The focus is more on what happens in the behind-the-scenes. Back in the day, all the shaking and stirring was done in front of the guests. Some drinks may not be perfectly balanced, but you're still at a fun, little bar.
What is your view of the Goa bar scene?
There are pretty cool things happening in Goa; I can’t name so many bars in Mumbai. My favorite is Down The Road in Panjim. Their beer is always cold, it’s one of the few places where champagne glasses comes chilled and if you are plastered, the Chinese hits the spot. Miguel's, close to Down The Road, is a great bar. As for new places, Hideaway in Vagator and Grumps in Bardez are interesting. Room One in Assagao has just 18-19 covers, but 36 people are always inside, and it's tightly packed. In South Goa, there's a bar called Feli Tavern, which is a small feni place, and it’s quite a find. There’s another interesting place called Sogo. Coming back to Panjim, there’s the restobar Pestisco with a really good drinks programme. There are a few little known places like Praca Prazares, with a bar on the first floor with just two people for service. They are quite efficient and it has a cool vibe. Feri is a nice bar that overlooks the Mandovi river in Porvorim. When it comes to bars in Goa, the only caveat is, there's no guarantee for top quality all the time, and you need to know which are the best days to visit. For example, I prefer to go to Hideaway on a weekday when the crowd is less and the bar team is super chatty.
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