Bartender Izler Thomas Created Signature Drinks for SF Neighborhoods for Modern Indian Restaurant Tiya | Eater SF

"The bartender's first cocktail playground was a club in the oceanside Juhu neighborhood of Mumbai known affectionately as Razz. Described as an ever-evolving music destination for high-energy local indie metal bands, it served as formative training: he "started working at Razz in 2016, at 17 years old, occasionally dabbling in cocktails." Working there provided crucial industry connections and hands-on learning—"Working at Razz was heaven," Thomas says—where he built relationships with Indian bar and entertainment aces such as molecular mixologist Nitin Tewari of Bartrender. Personal circumstances (having lost his father in high school) and guidance from his brother Roger Gomes pushed him into the back rooms of local Juhu restaurants doing whatever job was available, and Razz became the place where his curiosity about cocktails began to take shape." - Nandita Godbole