It is 4pm, but the party is already underway at The Passport Hotel. I step out of my room as guests check-in, sipping on their welcome cocktail — Cherry Bomb, a pink gin drink with sour cherry, vanilla, and sparkling wine.I head to Mini Bar, the hotel’s lobby bar and restaurant, where bartenders are in lab mode. In a small cauldron, milk simmers with pandan leaves, the scent wafting through the space, before it gets shaken into a cocktail.“The idea for The Passport Hotel came from years of travelling across New York, London, and parts of Europe where the lobby feels alive; and the bar is the social heart of the hotel,” says Ashesh L Sajnani, founder - The Passport Hotel.Ashesh says he wanted to create something rooted in Goa’s evolving cocktail culture. The idea was simple: build a place where the experience starts the second you walk through the door.
The mini bar stocked with pre-batched cocktails
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Special Arrangement
Back in my room, my jacuzzi is waiting, but the hotel has other plans. A cocktail station is set up in my balcony, featuring professional equipment along with seven little bottles of pre-batched signature cocktails. There is a QR code with a module on how to build these drinks. And a bartender on hand to make sure I get it right.“Are you ready for the masterclass?” asks Gaurav, the bartender. He takes me through the the concept of pre-batching, flavours, and new techniques. “Most of the ingredients are made in-house,” he says pointing to the Turkish Delight which accompanies my drink, Meloni, that has a Bourbon base. “This was made with melons. We also made melon olio. We believe in sustainability and use all the parts of the fruits possible,” he explains.Cafe Noir (coffee macerated rum in in-house cola syrup) is served with a delicious lemon curd with cookie dust. I enjoy the Hot Sauce Gibson (Martini with house-fermented jalapeno brine) even though it sets my palate on fire. To balance the heat, the garnish is a salted biscuit with pickled jalapeno, crumbled feta, mustard and curry leaf.
