Movers & Shakers: Andi Prassetia on Mentorship, Creativity, and Staying Hungry

At Barcadia in Jakarta, a guest asks for something “familiar, but different.” Andi Prassetia listens carefully, then sets down a cocktail that hits both notes, recognizable yet surprising.

For him, that’s the point of bartending: making people feel understood through the right drink at the right time. After twenty years in the industry, it’s still what drives him.

Roots & Rise

Andi’s career started in Jakarta when the city’s cocktail scene was still in its early days. Education and tools were scarce, and every new skill had to be chased down. “I joined brand seminars on my days off and learned from anyone willing to share,” he says. Mistakes were common, but each one became part of his training.

The turning point came when he joined his first international bar takeover. Seeing Indonesian bartending appreciated abroad gave him a new perspective, it wasn’t just about keeping up with global standards but showing that Indonesia had something unique to offer.

A Global Stage, An Indonesian Voice

That experience shaped how Andi sees his role. Indonesian bartenders, he believes, don’t need to simply follow global trends. They can build their own identity and share it internationally. Over the years, his presence at events abroad has helped put a spotlight on Indonesian talent.

Back home, younger bartenders look to him as both an experienced hand and someone still curious about what cocktails can become.

Craft & Creativity

Andi splits his focus between two projects: Barcadia and Unfinished Prjct.

Barcadia is small and community-focused, a space built on conversations between guests and bartenders. Unfinished Prjct, launched recently, takes a different angle. Its foundation is sustainability: reducing waste, using “ugly” produce, and pushing bartenders to think about the full life of an ingredient.

His cocktails often lean savory and use culinary techniques. One drink, Now & Then, reimagines the Bloody Maria that first drew him into savory cocktails. With garlic meat, sous-vide tequila, coriander seed gomme, tomato, BBQ sauce, and lemon, it’s both a nod to the past and an update for today.

Another, Clear Soup, was inspired by pho he ate daily during a Hanoi takeover. Built with cilantro-infused tequila, salted ginger gomme, lemon, and spiced consommé, it’s a cocktail that recalls a simple meal while presenting something entirely new.

Lately, Andi has been experimenting with short fermentation using leftovers, as well as umami-driven flavors like mushrooms. “Travel, collaboration, and listening to guests keep me inspired,” he says.

The Indonesian Bar Scene

Jakarta’s bar scene looks very different from when Andi began. “There’s a hunger for identity,” he says. Bartenders are embracing Indonesian ingredients and culture in ways that feel more confident and natural.

He points to Between the Sips and Modern Haus Jakarta as bars worth watching, venues that mix technique with sustainability.

Still, there are challenges. Education, mentorship, and consistent access to quality ingredients are not always guaranteed. But Andi sees opportunity: “Young bartenders here can define their own path. They don’t have to copy anyone else. They can show what Indonesia can do.”

Looking ahead, he believes more bars will double down on local flavors while also collaborating across Southeast Asia. Community, education, and dialogue, he says, will be the forces that push the scene forward.

Future & Legacy

For himself, Andi is focused on embedding sustainability into the Indonesian bar world. It’s not always easy, convincing people takes time, but he sees it as necessary. “The challenge is making it relevant and approachable. If it feels fun, people will connect with it.”

His advice to newcomers is straightforward: “Stay humble, stay hungry. Learn your foundations, then don’t be afraid to break the rules once you understand them.”

And just as older bartenders once shared their time with him, he now shares his knowledge with the next generation. Mentorship, he believes, is part of the job.

Andi Prassetia has spent two decades helping shape Jakarta’s cocktail culture, first by learning in a scene with limited resources, then by showing Indonesian bartending abroad, and now by building bars that reflect both community and purpose.

Through Barcadia’s intimacy and Unfinished Prjct’s sustainability-driven mission, he continues to set the tone for what Indonesian bartending can look like. More than a veteran, he is a steady force, proving that being a mover and shaker is as much about leading others forward as it is about the drinks themselves.