Shreyas & Karan win Nao Spirits’ Bar Idols 2025

Shreyas and Karan from Hideaway Goa have been crowned winners of Nao Spirits’ annual bartender and server championship, Bar Idols 2025. Now in its fifth edition, the competition registered its widest reach to date, with 243 bars participating nationwide and nearly 700 consumers forming the judging pool, reinforcing its status as India’s only hospitality contest decided not by trade juries but by guests experiencing service in real time.

Abhijeet and Fabio of Mazdana, Pune finished as runners-up, followed by Parth and Abhinav from Bombay’s Permit & Co. in the third place, wrapping a season defined by regional expansion and first-time dominance.

Meerut, Indore and Manipal entered the programme for the first time, while increased representation from Chandigarh and Assam highlighted the shifting geography of India’s bar culture beyond metro centres. That momentum reflected in the results, with most city-level winners being debut entrants, reaffirming Bar Idols’ emphasis on connection, storytelling and service rhythm over reputation or legacy.

Nao Spirits, the craft gin maker behind Greater Than and Hapusa, continues to shape Bar Idols as a floor-first competition that grants equal weight to server and bartender in a blind, democratic and experience-led format.