Hyderabad’s cocktail scene is getting a bold, intimate twist with Oxymorons, the city’s first cocktail lab. Behind a hidden bookshelf and within just 670 sq. ft., this experimental bar proves that intimacy can be as powerful as scale. Blending science with nostalgia, and contradictions with harmony, Oxymorons doesn’t just serve drinks; it tells stories, shaping a new subculture in the city’s F&B landscape.
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Q: Oxymorons positions itself as Hyderabad’s first cocktail lab. When you set out to build this, were you trying to disrupt the city’s food and beverage culture or create an entirely new subculture within it?
A: Oxymorons wasn’t built to disrupt Hyderabad’s F&B scene; it was built to create a new subculture. Behind a bookshelf, in just 670 sq. ft., we’ve shown that intimacy can be just as powerful as scale. It’s a cocktail lab where science meets nostalgia, contradictions find harmony, and every drink becomes a story. That’s the Hyderabad we want to put on India’s cocktail map.
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Q: With 25 years of global experience, you’ve seen hospitality across continents. What specific gaps or frustrations in Hyderabad’s bar culture convinced you that the city “deserved better”?
A: Hyderabad has always celebrated food with pride, but its bar culture often felt like an afterthought, big on scale, light on soul. Having seen cocktail programs worldwide that balance craft, intimacy, and personality, I felt the city deserved the same level of excellence. People here shouldn’t have to travel to Delhi, Mumbai, or Singapore to find drinks that surprise, challenge, and comfort. Oxymorons was born to fill that gap, to prove Hyderabad deserves its own cocktail culture, not a borrowed one.
Q: The philosophy of “meaningful dissonance” runs through Oxymorons, familiar yet new, polished yet raw. How do you translate such an abstract idea into concrete business decisions, whether in menu design, staff training, or guest experience?
A: “Meaningful Dissonance” isn’t just a design philosophy; it’s how we operate. The menu mixes nostalgia with innovation, so you’ll see hostel-day Wai Wai broth next to clarified highballs. Training is flat, no hierarchy, and the same people on social media take your orders at the bar. Guest experience blends contradictions too: lenticular menus and coasters spark play, while plushies offer comfort on a tough day. Every decision is about proving opposites don’t clash; they create harmony.
Q: Oxymorons operates in just 750 sq ft, a deliberate rejection of the F&B obsession with scale. From a founder’s perspective, what are the financial and operational trade-offs of building intimacy instead of expansion?
A: Choosing intimacy over scale was deliberate. In 750 sq. ft., every decision counts; inventory, staffing, and workflow have to be precise. Financially, smaller spaces mean tighter margins, but they allow higher quality, creativity, and control. Operationally, it forces efficiency and experimentation in ways a 200-seater never would. The payoff is a space that feels personal, every guest interaction matters, and the brand’s personality is visible in every detail.
Q: You’ve said bartenders at Oxymorons are not just mixologists but storytellers. What does this demand from you as a leader in terms of culture-building, team training, and retaining talent?
A: If bartenders are storytellers, the culture has to empower them. No hierarchy, creative freedom, and ownership over the guest experience turn technique into narrative. When the team feels trusted, their stories come through in every cocktail.
Q: Experiments like clarification, fermentation, and fat-washing require time, resources, and patience. How do you balance the creative indulgence of mixology with the financial discipline required to sustain a venture?
A: At Oxymorons, experimentation is deliberate, not reckless. We plan each technique: clarification, fermentation, and fat-washing, with both flavour and cost in mind. By limiting batch sizes, tracking ingredient use, and testing ideas before scaling, we give mixology the time it needs to shine while keeping the business sustainable.
Q: Many founders today chase rapid growth and replication. You’ve chosen depth over scale. Do you see Oxymorons as a replicable brand in other cities, or is its identity tied uniquely to Hyderabad?
A: Oxymorons is born of Hyderabad; its intimacy, heritage setting, and contradictions define it. The concept could inspire others, but the identity isn’t about replication. It’s about finding cities, spaces, and teams that align with the spirit of contradiction. Depth over scale means every detail, from the bookshelf entrance to the plushies, is tied to this city and this story.
Q: Behind Oxymorons is also a formal entity, Oxymorons Hospitality LLP. How do you, as a founder, navigate the dual role of visionary creator and financial custodian of a brand?
A: Being both visionary and financial custodian means every creative decision is measured against sustainability. I push boundaries in flavour, design, and experience, but always within the framework of cost, efficiency, and long-term viability. Innovation thrives best when it’s disciplined
Q: Your previous venture, Half a Bawa Hospitality Consultants, gave you experience in helping others launch. What’s been the hardest adjustment in shifting from consultant to founder, where the stakes are entirely personal?
A: As a consultant, the stakes were advisory. When you start something new, there are definitely a few hurdles that you come across. But the main motivation comes from your intent, actually. I believed in myself and my intent, so that kept me pushing every day. Maintaining my day-to-day responsibilities while staying creative was one of the hardest adjustments that I made.
Q: In an industry where success is often measured in revenue and footfall, how do you personally measure success for Oxymorons? Is it profitability, cultural impact, or something else entirely?
A: Revenue and footfall matter, but for Oxymorons, the real metric is impact, shaping Hyderabad’s cocktail culture and putting the city on India’s national cocktail map. Are people from other cities noticing Hyderabad’s nightlife? Are locals discovering cocktails in new ways? Cultural resonance is the measure that truly counts. That’s the metric we are going for.
Q: Oxymorons has been described as a movement rather than a venue. That’s a bold claim. What keeps you up at night as you try to ensure this isn’t just a stylish idea, but a sustainable one?
A: Calling Oxymorons a movement is aspirational, but sustainability keeps me up at night. It’s one thing to create buzz or a stylish space, another to ensure every detail, from the beverage program to operations, can endure. Balancing creativity, intimacy, and financial discipline is the constant challenge
Q: You’ve described Oxymorons as your “most personal and experimental venture yet.” What contradiction within yourself are you trying to resolve through this brand?
A: Oxymorons is my way of living the contradictions I carry, instinctive yet strategic, emotional yet precise. The brand allows me to channel these opposing sides into something tangible: cocktails, service, and experiences that are surprising yet controlled. It also proves that you don’t need theatrics to impress; less is more. Through the bar, I reconcile my personal duality while creating a space that’s deliberate, playful, and uniquely Oxymorons.
More than a bar, Oxymorons is a movement that celebrates creativity, discipline, and personal expression. Every cocktail embodies meaningful dissonance, turning opposites into harmony and experiences into memories. With its deliberate focus on craft over scale, Oxymorons is not just redefining Hyderabad’s nightlife; it’s putting the city firmly on India’s cocktail map.
