Jigger & Pony’s Indra Kantono Is Thinking Beyond the Cocktail Bar

Indra Kantono is having an extraordinary year. In July, the Jigger & Pony co-founder was named Best International Bar Mentor at the Spirited Awards, then received the Roku Industry Icon Award at Asia’s 50 Best Bars days later.

His flagship bar ranked No. 9 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026. Cosmo Pony, the group’s first Jakarta venture, placed No. 15, while its newest bar, BOP, debuted at No. 52 on the extended list.

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A million and one things to be grateful for.

Kantono said he had “a million and one things to be grateful for,” but he quietly identified the birth of his daughter in July as his greatest blessing. He and his wife, Guoyi Gan, founded Jigger & Pony in 2012. The group has since grown to eight venues employing 120 people across Singapore and Jakarta, despite the couple having never shaken a drink before 2010.

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Being book smart is nowhere near half of the equation.

Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Kantono studied at Anglo-Chinese School and Raffles Junior College before moving to New York. He arrived believing strong grades would be enough, but said he quickly saw that classmates were combining their studies with unpaid internships and far greater drive. The experience taught him that “being book smart is nowhere near half of the equation.”

Kantono had always wanted to go into business, following the example of his entrepreneurial parents, but initially lacked the courage to leave well-paid professional work. He worked first at Bain & Company and then in private equity. Gan, who had been a Singapore Airlines crew member, helped push him toward starting something of their own. She wanted a bar, while Kantono imagined a boutique hotel. The hotel plan required too much capital, and they ruled out a restaurant because, as he put it, “Cooking felt a lot harder than making drinks.” The bar concept won out.

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Cooking felt a lot harder than making drinks.