Hideaway, Goa

It’s amazing how a tiny little place in Vagator creates better cocktails than almost every single bar in the big cities in India. My friend Ashish Dev Kapur took me to Hideway, which was started by three partners with no background in alcohol or hospitality but had love and curiosity and passion in spades. Sheldon and Nathan are local Goan boys who walked away from careers in advertising and finance (Goldman Sachs, no less) while Siddharth is a videographer from Pune who followed his heart to Goa.

They didn’t want anything fancy. Just a place that combined their love for live music with food and drink that was done with zero compromise while not being pretentious or intimidating in any way. As a result they have created a bar that does fabulous drinks and has a laid back, friendly easy vibe that’s just so hard to replicate in the cities. Whether you drink the classics or ask for a twist, everything is done with care and craft and attention to detail. 

On my first visit I had one of the best Old Fashioneds I’ve had in india with roasted cacao infused bourbon, brown cane gomme syrup and Fee Brother bitters. The choice of bitters is what really elevated the drink. They also do a cold brew old fashioned with date and pepper gomme syrup which I want to try out next time. 

I also had a Manhattan with Bourbon, luxardo maraschino liqueur, Rosso/ Antica Formula Vermouth and angostura.

But my favourite drink was the Espresso Negroni I had on my second visit. Riverdale Estate washed cold brew, Stranger and Sons gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. It was just revelatory! 

The best part is that none of the drinks were discussed with the partners or made by them on the day. While all the drinks were made and created by Sheldon, I discussed what to drink and was served by the wonderful Akshay Ghadshi who treated me with such warmth and helpfulness as a walk-in customer and made a drink that was so memorable.