The Best Brands Offering Homegrown Alcohol in Goa: Part 1

Noticed the recent boom in Indian-made liquors in the market? They’re quite impressive too, aren’t they? Well, here’s a fun fact: a lot of them are from the good ale’ state of Goa. Every new home brewery in Goa and distillery is experimenting with locally sourced ingredients to create unique flavour notes and profiles for a new spin on traditional alcohols – including gin, rum, whisky and even regional liquors like Feni.

We’ve curated a list of must-have brands for your bar and here’s the first one of our series, covering the top 3 brands of homegrown alcohol in Goa. Discover their story and share it with your friends, when you proudly pour these fantastic homegrown alcohols from Goa.

1. Cazulo
 

 

We’re talking about Goa here. So, it only makes sense to start with a brand that offers nothing but the finest of the most popular Goan local liquor: Feni! Tastefully founded by Hansel Vaz in 2013, Cazulo is a feni-tastic brand by a family-owned distillery that has been producing the cashew-based alcohol since 1983. What’s wonderful about Cazulo is that it not only bottles feni, but also truly celebrates it, highlighting its history and culture. If you haven’t tasted Cazulo yet, begin with the classic Cazulo Premium Cashew Feni and then explore the Cazulo Premium Coconut Feni. Their bestseller, the Cazulo Premium Dukshiri Feni, is a very rare variation of feni that is distilled like a gin. Cazulo boasts of recreating a centuries-old recipe to bring out its sublime expression. Of course, you don’t want to miss out on it.

2. Stranger & Sons
 

 

Gin lovers, assemble! Stranger & Sons is a contemporary Indian gin that’s quite popular among gin connoisseurs, but did you know its origin story lies in Goa? It’s not just a great ’Goa local liquor’ but a gin that’s ginning hearts all over the world. Stranger & Sons Gin is the debut spirit of Third Eye Distillery, which was founded by Rahul Mehra, Sakshi Saigal and Vidur Gupta. This citrusy, premium gin has an emphatic freshness that’s rounded off by a carefully balanced blend of spices like black pepper, nutmeg, mace and coriander. The only Indian gin we can think of, which is as cocktail-friendly as Stranger & Sons, is the one by Short Story Spirits which, guess what – is from Third Eye Distillery, too! The award-winning liquors by Short Story Spirits are available almost all over India, and the gold-medal-winning Stranger & Sons have even made their mark abroad. But sipping on your favourite version of Gin & Tonic on a beach in Goa has its own charm, right?

3. Maka Zai
 

Introduce your taste buds to India’s first homegrown, artisanal, premium rum: Maka Zai. Crafted to perfection by Stilldistilling Spirits, an independent distillery founded by Kasturi Banerjee, which takes pride in using natural ingredients and recipes of homemade alcohol in Goa. Fancy a white rum? Sip on some Maka Zai White – Bartender’s Edition: a truly rum-arkable blend with tropical characteristics. Its flavour profile is floral, sweet, spicy and herbaceous with creamy and elegant aromas. Wish to try something new? The Maka Zai Gold – Tribute Edition is far from old. It’s a classy, contemporary dessert rum with hints of praline, dry dates, figs, caramel, cinnamon and honey. It’s a creamy mouthfeel with a well-rounded accent of vanilla. FYI: Stilldistilling Spirits has recently launched MESMA: a limited-release barrel-aged rare rum that’s best enjoyed neat. What’s special about it is its barrel-ageing process in ex-bourbon casks. There are only 600 bottles of it in Goa, so pat yourself on the back if you manage to find one! If you’re a true rum connoisseur, a rum-antic trip to Goa to collect a bottle or two of MESMA should be on the cards.

And while you’re in Goa to taste the spirits of our land, may we recommend the best villa to stay in Goa as well? Villa In Palms by V Escapes is a fully staffed, 5-bedroom award-winning villa in North Goa. With a private chef, a butler, chauffeurs and a VIP Experiences Manager all you need to do is chill, enjoy the best of Goa and we’ll take care of the rest.

Kickback poolside as your butler pours your favourite cocktails from the alfresco poolside bar all day. Check out the images of what your private pool will look like right here. Your Villa Experiences Manager can not only have your favourite ‘Goa local liquor’ delivered to your doorstep but also organise private tastings with food pairings for you at the villa or even a spectacular cocktail tasting session at Goa’s hottest new restaurant and bar Village 36.

Perhaps you’d like a workshop to learn how to make some splendid, crowd-pleasing cocktails, well all of that and much more can be arranged for you. Click here to discover some special experiences, Villa In Palms offers.

To book the entire villa for your Goan holiday, please contact us at +91 93723 23328 via call or WhatsApp.

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We hope this list of the best Goan local liquor brands has added some fine Indian spirits to your list too. We’ll be back with a few more in the next blog. Stay tuned. For updates follow us @vescapes on Instagram.