This week, Damian sits down with Paul Aguilar, head of R&D at Himkok in Oslo – ranked No. 4 on Europe's 50 Best Bars 2026 – to talk clean Norwegian flavours, high-volume hospitality and how a bar gets noticed in a country where you can't advertise alcohol.
A quick note: this conversation was recorded before The World's 50 Best Bars 2026 was announced. Himkok was No. 14 in the world at the time, the ranking you'll hear mentioned, and it now sits at No. 24 on the 2026 list.
Paul arrived at Himkok almost ten years ago with a degree in marketing and finance and a short-let apartment start-up behind him. He started in the bar's outdoor kitchen before taking over prep and syrups. He explains how Himkok works as several bars in one building: a table-service distillery bar, an outdoor cider bar and an upstairs draft bar that serves groups of 20 to 30 in a couple of minutes. That's 350 guests looked after by a team of around a dozen, plus a barbershop inside the bar.
The on-site distillery produces around 10,000 litres a year of gin, vodka and aquavit for the bar, for RTDs and for Norway's state-run Vinmonopolet. Paul also shares where Norwegian whisky is heading as the category agrees its rules.
On the menu, Himkok keeps things direct. Each drink is named after its main ingredient, so the apple cocktail tastes of apple. Berries, seaweed, vegetables and Norwegian produce lead the way, without fussy garnishes, and the team even competes over who can make the best drink at the lowest cost.
Because Norwegian law stops bars from promoting alcohol, Himkok tells its story through art. Paul walks through the yearly conceptual menus: a photographer, a graphic designer, a fashion show, an album with Sony, and a design-studio menu where a cherry tomato cocktail became a red chair and a raspberry drink became a lamp, all sold at a gallery during Oslo Design Week. Next up is a menu interpreted by a lead dancer from the National Ballet, performed live for around 400 guests.
In this episode:
- From marketing and finance to head of R&D at Himkok
- How one building runs three very different bars, and why the draft bar is the moneymaker
- Distilling gin, vodka and aquavit on site, and the early days of Norwegian whisky
- Why naming a drink after its main ingredient works
- Norway's drinking culture and running a bar under strict licensing
- Getting round alcohol advertising rules by collaborating with artists, designers, musicians and dancers
- Writing a business plan and budget for a cocktail menu, and paying every collaborator
- Why margins matter, and why bars shouldn't be shy about saying so
Mentioned in this episode: Himkok (Oslo), Crowbar (Oslo), Paradiso (Barcelona), Oslo Design Week.
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Find Himkok:
- Website: himkok.no
- Instagram: @himkok.oslo
Find Damian and The Cocktail Academy:
- Instagram: @welovecocktails
- TikTok: @welovecocktailsx
- Email: sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com
- Website: www.thecocktailacademy.com
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