Six years since opening, Magnus on Water remains a bar built around Maine itself – its coastline, its seasons, and the cultural heritage of the people who run it. Weathered wooden beams salvaged from Biddeford’s old mills line the ceiling, granite slabs from local quarries form the patio, and a black walnut bar top, made locally, runs through the centre of the room with a thin blue-green resin seam symbolising the Saco River that divides Biddeford from its neighbouring city. What was once a stretch of bare concrete out back has matured into a lush, plant-filled patio.

The drinks programme reflects the personal heritage of its team as much as its coastal setting. Tropical, exotic flavours drawn from Filipino and Peruvian roots sit alongside foraged Maine ingredients – wild apples, beach plums, rosehips and seaweed – some of which are brought in by regular guests themselves. House-made blackberry sea salt, produced from foraged coastal blackberries and salt drawn from the ocean, captures a genuine sense of place, while a citrus-forward caramelised syrup, developed to reduce waste from oxidised lemon and lime juice, now anchors one of the bar’s most popular drinks.

Presentation follows a firm no-garnish philosophy: the glassware is the garnish, sourced from a constantly growing collection of thrifted pieces, with each cocktail matched to its own particular vessel. Ice is treated with similar precision – four distinct types are used across the bar, from large hand-cut cubes left deliberately imperfect to crushed ice for drinks meant to be consumed quickly. The bar’s longest-standing cocktail, the Couch Surfer, has remained on the menu since opening and is finished with a signature seafoam that regulars love.

The physical menu was recently redesigned entirely in-house by co-owner and Creative Director Cat, drawing on Japanese-inspired design principles after years of working with outside designers. It’s since become one of the team’s proudest creative projects, alongside an ever-changing back bar that has developed into something closer to a personal collection than a fixed display.

Hospitality here runs on genuine relationships rather than scripted service. Guest notes are kept on returning visitors, tracking favourite drinks, milestones and personal details, and staff take pride in remembering names and building on previous conversations. At the end of a visit, guests receive their bill inside a check presenter featuring candid staff photography from service, rather than polished marketing imagery.

Training is treated as an ongoing, collaborative process rather than a one-off. Weekly blind wine tastings have become a fixture of staff education, and leadership – including a Head Bartender and Service Director promoted from within – regularly mentors newer team members. The bar has also built a close relationship with the local high school’s culinary and hospitality programme, offering graduating students real-world mentorship as they begin their careers.