Despite a jolt, bartending maverick Arijit Bose is up and running stronger than ever
In a candid in-person interview with YS Life, mixologist Arijit Bose talks about parting ways with Tesouro and his plans with Countertop Lab.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, bartending veterans and founders of Countertop India—Arjit Bose and Pankaj Balachandran—moved to Goa to open a neighbourhood bar, Tesouro.
A year later, Tesouro was listed as India’s best bar, and in 2022, it entered the coveted ‘Asia’s 50 Best Bars’ list, securing the fourth position.
“We were on a high,” Bose tells YS Life, as we sat in the garden of Countertop India’s new lab—a typical Goan-Portuguese villa in Merces, Goa. The non-commercial unit, as the name suggests, serves as the laboratory for Countertop India’s budding mixologists to run experiments and master the art of making world-class cocktails.
Arijit Bose behind the bar at Countertop Lab in Goa
Ironically, a couple of days after the announcement of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, Countertop India parted ways with Tesouro over what Bose states as “ego clashes.”
“I would love to plead the fifth, but in our line, rejection and stuff like these are a part and parcel of it. It’s not the end of the world.”
From my first and only visit in 2021, I have warm memories of Tesouro—its people, the Countertop India team’s signature style, and the much-talked-about Midnight Brekkie (a watermelon and peanut butter gin cocktail).
Bose and Balachandran personally catered to their guests, recommended the best food pairings, and ensured everyone had a gala evening at the bar.
“It was never about how amazing the upholstery was... It was about how awesome we made our guests feel. The music was controlled by us. We did silly sh*t like selling ros omelette with champagne, and there were times when our guests would buy the team expensive tequila!” Bose reminisces.
Arijit Bose and Pankaj Balachandran, founders of Countertop India
Multiple conversations with industry stakeholders suggest that Tesouro is not what it used to be. “The charm is gone,” co-founder of a Goa-based homegrown liquor brand tells YS Life. In fact, Tesouro did not make it to India’s Top 30 Bars-2022 list.
The Colva-based bar got its character and appeal from those behind the counter. Since my visit to Tesouro, every time I try cocktails at bars that consult with Countertop India, I immediately recognise them. That’s the USP of Bose and Balachandran.
Bose has more than 15 years of experience under his belt. He has run Delhi’s popular bar PCO, founded bar consultancy company Bar Back Collective and Countertop India, and is also the India brand ambassador for Monkey 47.
“My strong suit lies in building great teams,” says the 40-year-old maverick. Despite years of experience and expertise, Bose does not shy away from whipping a cocktail or two all by himself, and this probably is because of his detail-oriented outlook.
“I will pick up plates, clean the plates, and I can still out-bartend people who are 20 years younger than me,” he says. Substantiating this, he goes behind the bar to make me try his latest project, The Lovers Rum, at the end of the interview.
Arijit Bose in action | Image source: Facebook
I had to wait for almost three weeks to get an hour of Bose’s time. He keeps flying across the globe—trying a drink or two in Hong Kong, going behind a bar in Singapore, and exploring new blends in Scotland. Travelling, he says, has made him appreciate bartending a lot more. “It made me realise that mixologist is just a fancy term.”
“I am good at drinks, but I am not great at it. I am good at hospitality and building great environments. That makes me a good bartender. But 100 others can beat me at mixology,” he accepts.
This was my third meeting with Bose. In 2022, YS Life first met him during the Bengaluru launch of Mr Jerry’s—a ready-to-serve cocktail brand—co-founded by Bose. Between now and then, two things remain constant—Bose’s infectious energy and his cap.
A quick scan through his Instagram profile tells me that Bose always has a cap or a hat on, mostly wearing it reversed. What is his fascination with caps? I ask him.
“If I did go to a psychologist, they would probably say it is my protective layer. I wear a hat as a uniform,” he jokes. In reality, “Caps are the coolest way of branding,” he reveals while sporting a Countertop India cap in reverse. “I think this is the last touch of me refusing to grow up!”
Arijit Bose has more than 15-years of experience under his belt
Bose owns 30 caps and hats, with the most expensive one priced at around Rs 18,000. “I am intrinsically still a Bengali and always look out for good deals,” he says, mentioning that he acquired his latest cap from Indonesia-based HITHAT in exchange for work.
He is now on the lookout for a Panama hat from Hat of Cain in Singapore. “It would cost me around $1,000, so I am still trying to convince myself.”
A global mixologist with extensive experience and travel stories, Bose stirs up a few offbeat cocktail recipes now and then. He has his own version of bacon whiskey—a fat-washed old-fashioned. Another ‘weird’ recipe is Aglio-e-olio (one of Tesouro’s best-sellers), a garlic and vermouth-infused vodka served with parmesan foam, and Prarie Oyster—a Bloody Mary made using egg yolk instead of tomato juice.
However, despite his travels, as a Bengali from Delhi’s Bengali community in Chittaranjan Park, Bose continues to appreciate his roots despite his extensive travels. “I can dish up amazing Bengali crab curry in 45 minutes!”
Based out of Goa now, he is focusing on training his 10-member team at the Countertop Lab. “The short-term dream is to retain the staff. I have bought a lot of (bartending) equipment, otherwise not available in India, and I want bartenders to come in and practice on them so they do not go out as cheap labour.”
The bar at Countertop Lab
Global mixologists take over Indian bars, woo customers with cocktails and bottle flips
My last question for Bose was whether there be another bar like Tesouro. “Absolutely! We are doing one in Bengaluru first in Lavelle Road,” he says.
Rapid fire with Arijit Bose:
YS Life (YSL): A cocktail you enjoy stirring up the most?
Arijit Bose (AB): There has to be a toss-up between a daiquiri and an old fashioned.
YSL: A mixologist or bartender you look up to?
AB: Luke Whearty, Monica Berg, Alex Kratena, Dushan Zaric, Jamie Mac, and Symphony Loo.
YSL: What is Arijit Bose’s USP?
AB: Hospitality. When I am in my best zone, I am one of the best people to come and have a drink with.
YSL: If not a mixologist or bartender, then what?
AB: I would have definitely tried acting once! Else a comic book collector or a movie critic!
YSL: Besides caps, what else do you splurge on?
AB: Cigars. It’s an indulgence, but it is one of those few things where there is no intent or after-effect ideology (unlike cigarettes). I am also slowly getting into shoes and buying good rums.
Edited by Suman Singh