Drop Dead Sexy

Text: Nolan Mascarenhas

There are bars you visit for a drink, and then there are bars that appraise you the moment you walk in. Drop Dead Sexy, newly opened in Assagao, belongs confidently to the latter. It doesn’t greet you so much as regard you, blink slowly, and arrive at the quiet conclusion that you are, by default, worthy of admiration.

Conceived as an immersive art bar by Siddharth Kerkar and Vipin Raman, the space behaves less like a room and more like a living organism. Monumental lamps shaped like descending hands hover overhead, suspended in a moment that feels somewhere between invitation and temptation. Behind the bar, a wall of mechanical eyes tracks movement with unnerving precision, blinking, winking, lingering, because at Drop Dead Sexy, observation is not invasive, it’s flattering. The premise is simple and disarming: if you’re here, you’re already drop-dead sexy. No auditions required.

Anchoring this flirtation with the surreal are works by Subodh Kerkar, grounding the playful provocation in contemporary Indian art. For the current season, the room is further transformed by strawberry installations; bold, red, dripping, spinning forms that feel indulgent, mischievous and slightly decadent. The atmosphere is intimate without being heavy, curious without trying too hard. You’re not merely in the space; you’re part of the artwork, being gently teased by it.

This sense of theatre extends seamlessly into the bar programme, which was last Expressions of a Strawberry. Rather than a conventional menu, the bar commits to a single-ingredient obsession each season (gone by), rebuilding everything; drinks, mood, even visual language from scratch. This opening chapter is devoted entirely to the strawberry, not as garnish or afterthought, but as a muse.

Take the Peanut Butterfield, a quietly clever cocktail built on tequila, hojicha, strawberry tea, and peanut milk. The strawberry tea is cold-steep extracted, preserving aromatic lift while keeping tannins politely in check. It’s nutty, fragrant, and unexpectedly elegant.

Paired with no-fuss Chickpea Fritters dipped into a sharp tamarind soy, it sets the tone early: playful, but precise. Carnivores, meanwhile, will find an unlikely companion in the Beef Chilli Stir-Fry; robust, unapologetic, and just indulgent enough to keep pace with the drinks.

As the evening deepens, heartier plates like Miso-Glazed Lotus Stem and a soulful Chicken Burmese Fried Rice step in, pairing beautifully with Top Banana; a whisky-based strawberry milk-wash layered with banana and coconut. It’s creamy without being cloying, nostalgic without feeling juvenile, and dangerously easy to finish before you’ve fully analysed it.

Dessert arrives with theatrical timing. A strawberry gâteaux lands on the table just as the Shortcake Gangster makes its entrance; gin-forward, kissed with marigold liqueur and softened by strawberry milk. Together, they form a fitting finale: indulgent, slightly irreverent, and very aware of their own charm.

Drop Dead Sexy is not a bar you wander into by accident. It’s a place you choose when you’re in the mood to be watched, indulged, and gently unsettled. When the strawberry season ended; the menu disappeared without ceremony, making room for the next obsession. And you’ll find yourself wanting to return, not to relive what was, but to see what or who the bar decides is sexy next.

Address: Sublime Goa, Bouta Waddo, Chapora, Assagao, Goa 403507
Mob: 0 91561 45044
Meal for two: Approximately Rs 3000 + taxes, with alcohol