The Shady Pig Shapeshifts Bali’s Cocktail Culture

Gone are the days of Bali’s old reputation—a simple surfing destination somewhere in Asia where afternoons are spent staring at the sunset with a Bintang in hand and sand between your toes.

Although this is still true for beach and surfing enthusiasts, tourists and locals alike, the island has progressed into so much more. Bali has recently morphed into a culinary hub of different cuisines.

There’s also a growth of the sophisticated cocktail scene brought by the change in Bali’s discerning palate paired with experienced bartenders who’ve worked and traveled the world.

“It’s not true that cocktail knowledge only comes from the expats [in Bali]. It’s also from Balinese and Indonesians who worked abroad and brought all their knowledge back to the island,” said Jonathan Jeannenot, co-owner and head of beverage of The Shady Family.

From experience, Jonathan witnessed the progressive growth of cocktail culture in Bali from when he first came to the island 12 years ago.  Having come from the upscale ski resort bar La Baraque in Val-d’Isère, France, he couldn’t find a similar proper cocktail place on the island.

There was only one cocktail bar serving serious drinks at that time (40Thieves), it was out of necessity that The Shady Pig came to life. While plenty of beach bars match the tropical vibe of the island, there weren’t many choices for those who wanted great cocktails with high-quality spirits.

People wanted something neat, so to speak, and there was only one cocktail bar around that time.

Inspired by the grit and glamour of 1920s Birmingham, The Shady Pig first opened its doors in 2020, quite auspiciously as it was one of the very few destinations for a good time on a then-quiet island. It had a strict “no password, no entry” policy, staying true to its speakeasy soul. This rule no longer applies today yet the place remains clandestine.

Its main door is tucked behind a dark, heavy bookcase, opening into an intimate and immersive speakeasy with the spotlight at the bar. The highlight is the high-quality spirits behind the bar, barrel-aged cocktails, and bartenders in their dapper look, donning flat caps and vests, skilfully shaking, stirring, straining, and pouring drinks for cocktail enthusiasts or those looking for a good night around town.

It’s a place to find flawlessly made classics, signatures, and high-quality spirits to enjoy pre-dinner or late night tipples. For Jonathan, it’s for those who share the passion for good cocktails.

“The Shady Pig, the idea behind it is that it is a bar for bartenders. It’s for bartenders that want to do something. We want a place where we want to go ourselves. A place where people can go, where they are sure about the quality of alcohol because even our house pour is of international quality standards.”

Jonathan has seen and collaborated with brilliant bartenders on the island, working in various bars, in crowd favorites like Shi-Shi, Revolver, and KuDeTa. This inspired him to establish the Bali Bartenders Community in 2024, hoping for international recognition of the nascent cocktail culture on the island.  “To be honest, the cocktail culture for me is way stronger in Asia than it is in Europe,” he shares.

“My goal, ideally, would be to have a strong bar community and some international recognition for the talent that we have on the island. What I would love is that one day when everybody is planning to do a big guest shift in Australia, they will need to invite people from Indonesia.”

His passion for creating cocktails is seen in the newly-launched cocktail menu curated by Jonathan and his team, demonstrating a range of techniques done at The Shady Pig—from clarified cocktails, to barrel ageing, freeze concentration, fermentation, infusions, and the use of technology such as the rotary evaporator (rotovap), one of the first ones to exist on the island, to produce flavor-focused cocktails.

Find 19 cocktails of four different themes suited for anyone and everyone. They might be a mob of gangsters, but at The Shady Pig, they’re not snobs. Even if it’s a bar for bartenders and cocktail connoisseurs, you don’t need to know your cocktails to enjoy a good drink. There’s smooth to straightforward, with four themed cocktail collections to choose from: The OG (The Shady Pig staples), Tea Party (tea infusions), Let’s Make It Clear (clarified drinks), and The Explorer (for connoisseurs).

Given his French origins, Jonathan creates cocktails based on flavors, using a flavor map drawn from 26 years of educating his palate and growing up with his mother who runs a restaurant and also perfecting his knowledge of the classics.

“My way of approaching a cocktail at the base is learning the classics. When you have that you’re going to have a palette in your head where you’ll already have a list of flavor combinations and things like that. It all stems from the classics, everything we create right now is a derivation of the classic.”

Have the clear and tropical Flavors of Bali for a smooth start. A fruity concoction with creaminess from the clarified coconut cream, with high-quality vodka and all its ingredients from Bali. Another interesting selection is the Banana Walnut Old Fashioned, an enticing signature from The OG menu.

The Shady Pig has come a long way from being one of the first on the island. Known as one of the pioneers of having a strong cocktail menu on the island, it is now neighbors with plenty of cocktail bars with talented bartenders and mixologists, some of them are Jonathan’s friends and favorites.

The Shady Pig continues to push boundaries and create a community of bartenders and bar lovers, changing the cocktail identity (or lack thereof) for a better drink-savvy Bali.