Meet the modern boilermakers of Goa
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Though better known for his cocktails, Pankaj Balachandran loves beer. Within the F&B realm, he’s best known for taking Countertop India, a bar consultation company, to great heights.
But inside the dimly lit interiors of the pub Toto’s Garage, in Mumbai, he is just a keen hophead. While speaking about his new bar, Boilermaker in Siolim, Goa, Balachandran, 34, leans in as if sharing a secret. He wants to explain why he prefers the Kingfisher draught at Toto’s: “Look around.
Most people are drinking it; this means they run out fast and refill more frequently. The beer will always be cold and fresh." Balachandran’s last outtake as a bar-preneur was with south Goa’s acclaimed Tesouro, which died an untimely death in 2022, despite grabbing the fourth spot at Asia’s 50 Best Bars that year. Indian beverage company, Third Eye Distillery (TED) acquired Countertop (also in 2022) and it grew manifold under their aegis, while Balachandran took on the reigns to launch Short Story, a spirit brand with vodka, rum, and gin in its portfolio, as TED’s ‘pouring brand’.
The phrase refers to a cheaper counterpart to their premium priced flagship craft gin, Stranger and Sons, as a more viable option for bars to use in their cocktails. A year and a half ago, sitting the team down to clarify that a brick-and-mortar bar was quite possibly not on the cards immediately was difficult. “I said, ‘Guys, I know you want a bar and I promise, I’ll do it for you,’" he recalls.
Read more on livemint.com
