Jovita and Jordan Mascarenhas, a Mumbai-based mother-son duo and co-founders of Bartisans, are changing the way people drink and make cocktails at home!
Bartisans is a lockdown baby. When the pandemic hit India in 2020, innovator and entrepreneur Jovita Macarenhas, found herself on a “first real vacation” with her family. “For the first time in our lives, we had absolutely nothing to do. My son, Jordan, who was interning with Le Méridien in Dubai, was also home. He had learned to make some awesome cocktails, which he was perfecting while at home,” she says. Jovita was happily cooking up a storm and the family was having such a great time enjoying this forced time out from their busy schedules. One of their dinner-table conversations sparked off a business idea. “Jordan, my husband Carl and I were talking about how there may be many people like us who enjoy evening drinks/cocktails—who might be missing their regular bars. So we thought, why not make this available to them?”
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Just like that, Bartisans, the brand was born! Bartisans is a cocktail experience service that includes—small batch, handcrafted mixers, premium garnishes, and bar tools needed to shake or stir professional quality cocktails in the comfort of your own home.
Initially, the label started off as a fresh-on-order brand. “Jordan’s a certified bartender from the European Bartender School, and came up with the recipes and worked out the entire product line. I helped him with the packaging, and my husband set up a kitchen and studio in our old office,” explains Jovita. Then, they built the website (bartisans.in), learned to shoot the products on Skillshare, and edited the website on Shopify. “We were supplying cocktail mixers from our kitchen and that’s how it actually all began!”
This women-led brand is all-natural, vegan and as eco-friendly as it can be with its resources. In the three months following the launch last year, they soon realised that in order to grow and scale the business, Bartisans needed to come up with a packaged product “because just doing a fresh on order product from home wasn’t enough.” After doing research and getting the end product tested for shelf life, they introduced the bottled products four months ago. “It has been a great journey so far.”
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Jovita recommends the Ginger Spice Whiskey Sour from their own range of mixers. “I think the flavours are spot on! Indians love ginger, and the notes only elevate that. I love the complexity of this drink, and with the whiskey, it just takes it to a whole different level,” says Jovita. Jordan loves the classic Whiskey Sour. “We’ve just introduced a line of classics. He’s just added his own nuance to it.” From outside of the brand, Jovita prefers a Martini, and Jordan a Negroni!
On being quizzed about being a woman shaking up things in the alco-beverage space in India, Jovita feels things have come a long way in our country. “I guess people have learned that women can probably do things better,” she quips. “I’m not the first one and I won’t be the last. In fact, there are so many already, and I’m part of a group with women from the industry. It’s such a great learning experience!”
The mother-son dynamic on the brand’s official IG handle has also created quite the buzz! “Jordan and I have a sibling-kind of relationship,” jokes Jovita. “I had him when I was very young. I feel like I literally grew up with him. Jordan and I have similar tastes. He’s a great mixologist and I think the fact that we can work together is fabulous! I can speak only for myself. Maybe Jordan hates working with his mom. He hasn’t said anything so far,” she laughs.
While Jovita brings years of entrepreneurial experience to the table, her son adds—new ideas and an indisputable, youth energy! “I think we are an amalgamation of ideas and experience—and the complexity in the flavours of our products are a testimonial to that.”
[Featured Images Credit: bartisans.in/ Instagram]
Eva Pavithran
Vertical Head - Lifestyle