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What Will They Think Of Next? India’s Tryst With Wine In A Can

Two can of beer, female and male hands on the background of a beautiful, wooden surface. Top view, close-up. Concept of leisure and travel

Of the ‘coolest’ trends coming out in 2020, one has to be India’s acceptance of wine-in-a-can. Albeit Sula Vineyards putting their 8 years old brand, Dia Sparkling, in cans last year, it really exploded in the markets this year. Fratelli Vineyards joined the party with their canned red, white, sparkling, sparkling rose medium-sweet wines, called TILT, recently. While the packaging, appeal and branding are utterly exciting, wine-in-a-can concept is still in its adolescence, and most believe it may be just too early to comment on its future in the country.

Is it a fad or something to stay, Gagan SHARMA, Certified Sommelier and wine educator explores. 

PUTTING WINE IN A CAN – WHO FIRST?

The first official study about the concept was conceived nearly half a decade ago in the US, which remains the biggest wine-in-a-can market. Between 2018-2019 the market has grown by 70% in the US, and 125% in the UK alone. Traditional countries like France and Italy are joining the race as well. Returning to the US, various factors have contributed to the success of this nouveaux category.

One being the ease of carrying, storing, and serving the cans. Add to that their catchy labelling and visuals, which have become absolutely imperative for the social media and Insta-ready generation (after all, they’re the fine wine genes of the future!). Others are the ease of committing to a 180-250-330ml can over a 750ml bottle, which many find a commitment bigger than marriage, or adopting a puppy. Not just the liquid, it is a financial commitment too!!

And then think of the technical jargons one has to record and decipher – the understanding of languages, regions, sub-regions, villages, crus, vintage charts, terroirs, etc. Then comes the NASA-equivalent act of uncorking a bottle, decanting it with panache, and watching it breathe. And what follows next? You drink half, and don’t know how to store the rest, since, you know, spoilage is a science by itself. Eh! Who wants that? It’s intimidating! A peppy looking can, with bright colours, a funky name, ready to rip open, and sip away, while holding a burger, a sub, or an avocado toast in the other hand, that’s more millennial-appropriate.

MILLENNIALS – FOCUS ALL THE WAY

Millennials definitely reign over the biggest portion of this pie. But, they haven’t just stuck to the basics. In 2019, over 60 percent of craft beers were packaged in cans. And cans are becoming the container of choice for beverages, think of water, coffees, soft drinks, beers, etc. Younger consumers are now perceiving cans as premium packaging. Taking advantage of this, winemakers are now making some bold moves of putting premium wines in cans, wines that can be vineyard specific, varietal specific, even vintage dated. What’s even better is that with the replacement of corks, wines don’t fear a chance of cork taint, rapid oxidation, being skunked or light-stuck, or a variety of other such complications. Yet, red wines are still to gather acceptability, the largest group remains roses and whites. Maybe the purists are hesitant to see their beloved Bordeauxs, Super Tuscans, Aussie Cabernets, or prestigious Chilean wines in an aluminium carrier just yet. After all, as we said, we are still waiting and watching.

WINE IN A CAN – AS GOOD AS FROM THE BOTTLE?

To get the stiff old school wine-in-a-bottle drinkers to see the magic of this new avatar, wine-in-a-can producers have been running trials and blind tasting tests to see if the packaging makes any difference in the quality of the liquid. Some have found that it was nearly impossible to tell them apart, giving the industry a much-needed morale boost. It does inch us closer to believing that it may after all not just be a fad, but a trend to stay.

India has added the concept to its repertoire with commendable acceptability. The price point works too. Sula’s Dia retails at INR180 for a 330ml can, at 8% abv. While Fratelli’s TILT is at the same price mark, it pours 250ml, at a higher 11%. Having said that, for the connoisseurs of even the most basic wines they both pose a challenge. One, they both offer only bubbly wines thus far, and the other, that their wines are semi sweet or sweeter. With that comes the problem – how much sugar can you imbibe? Nonetheless, not for once have I seen even the social-drinkers not get excited on seeing the cans and jumping on to try them. If they like it or not is for later, getting enthused and providing instant acceptability is definitely promising.

WHERE DO THEY FIT?

For the hospitality space, these cans offer solutions to a plethora of traditional problems. Be it spoilage, storing, portion size, disposal of glass, confusing glassware and their maintenance, easy service protocols, resolved staff training and development, being great for mini bars, in-room-dining, brunches, pool side parties, at banquets, and much more. However, is it ready to be accepted as that, only time will tell.

Some believe it will be a long wait before they are. And what about their future? Radlers, cocktails, premixes, flavoured wines? Who knows, but there’re definitely possibilities, opportunities, and innovations awaiting. Till then, you must get a can for yourself, of a few maybe, throw them in a chiller, try them for yourself and see if they satiate your wine cravings. Or do you miss the ritual of opening a bottle and a fine sommelier’s story telling too much?

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All You Mead Is Love

Here’s a story of a drink you may have never heard of. It’s mentioned in the vedas, Mahabharata, Lord of the Rings, Games of Throne, Hobbit, and many such sagas. Possibly the oldest drink on the planet, Mead is a fermented honey drink which was also Lord Indra’s favourite. It has made a comeback to India, thanks to the duo of Nitin Vishwas and Rohan Rehani, who’re leaving no stones unturned in ensuring it reaches our cups with Moonshine Meadery.

Rohan Rehani + Nitin Vishwas – Duo Behind Moonshine Meadery

INCEPTION OF A MEADERY

Many success stories start from its creators brewing an idea in a garage for years before one of them takes the leap. Rohan and Nitin did that, quite literally – from being novice homebrewers to becoming Asia’s first licensed meadery, which took them nearly half a decade. Nitin had an epiphany while reading about meads on an international flight. Upon landing, he tried convincing his childhood pal, Rohan, about re-introducing this heritage drink to India. They had nothing to base their plans and projections on, nor had any directions to follow since there were no pre-existing benchmarks or studies to learn from, thanks to the complete absence of a meaderies in the continent.

A few years of procrastination later, they finally approached the state excise department in March 2016, only to learn meads didn’t qualify for a licence under prevailing laws. Then started the long and exhausting bureaucratic process. Meanwhile, they not only set up their production site, just outside Pune, Rohan even quit his cushy job and enrolled himself into a full-time bee-keeping programme at the Central Bee Research Institute. He patiently chased the excise department consistently on the side. Nearly two years later, when they were nearing losing hopes, the news of mead finally being intronised in the Maharashtra Excise filled them with renewed excitement in July 2017. And, thus, Moonshine Meadery was born, or rather we should say, a revolution was born.

NOW WE MAKE MEAD – HIT AND MISS TO PERFECTION

The duo ran over 200 trials before they created their first meads. To save costs, they self-built a ton of equipments on their own, had a long-standing problem of filtering their final product, labelled the bottles with hand, and delivered orders in their personal vehicles. The first meads that entered the market were the Apple Cyder with Kashmiri apples and Coffee Mead with Karnataka-grown beans. Nitin recalls knowing nothing about the liquor trade when they launched in February 2018. Their friends came to the rescue. They received lessons in the sweetness level of their drinks, product pricing in retail, how to have them priced on restaurants’ menus, in trading and distribution, training and education, and often in humility. Nitin remembers posting himself as a part-time promoter at various liquor stores. He was even asked to shave his beard, and wear nothing but solid shirts. That made him learn about the magnitude of work involved, which made him depart from his corporate suit-tie-cufflink avatar in January 2018. He wears an insatiable smile while reminiscing about the early days. 

Mead Lab Series

LEARNING ABOUT HONEY + EXPERIMENTING IN THE LABS

Rohan is the honey master of the meadery. He created a network during his bee-keeping programme and now sources honey from Maharashtra, Punjab, and Uttarakhand. He recalls meeting with small farmers while searching for varietal honey, which can be rather tricky to spot in india. From there, they met with a flourishing honey aggregator (trader) who educated them about the sourcing business and often financially supported them too. Today the meadery uses seven types of honey between their flagship meads – coffee, apple cyder, and traditional – and the search for more styles is on-going. They use them in different permutations for their experimental range called the MeadLab series. MeadLab is a fun concept of creating more exciting variants with flavour combinations that the sales team, clients, friends, professionals, or their customers suggest. They’ve already created over 15 different styles like cucumber, mango, earl grey, guava chilli, orange chocolate, christmas apple pie, smoked bacon, and bourbon oaked apple. Kokum and sea salt and cocoa husk were amongst my top rankers.

When asked, why such a wide variety of flavours, Nitin chuckles while sharing that honey was always the base of historic alcohols made from fermented fruits. Using flavours in honey drinks has come through the evolution of civilisation and they’re humbly reviving the practice. He also stresses on the importance of seasonality. Honey changes seasonally, so does the basket of fruits, florals, spices, vegetables, and other ingredients. Put the two together and, well, you get two things, ins’t it? One, the confirmation that mead is a craft natural beverage with nearly no possibility of creating a consistency in batches. And the other, the uncountable possibility of showcasing the irresistible flavours fresh to the season while keeping mead as a base. And that fine balance of nature-meets-business Moonshine Meadery has managed to strike very well. 

VISITING THE MEADERY

Before the national lockdown, I made my maiden visit to the meadery in Pune. Though I’m allergic to honey, tasting that array of beautiful raw nectars shall remain an imposing life-altering moment. There were honey that tasted of orange blossoms, berries, eucalyptus, mustard, rosewood, and carom seeds or Ajwain. Meads are gluten free, vegan-safe, and lower in calories than beers. Once honey is sourced, it’s diluted with RO water and left to interact with Champagne yeast that takes upto two weeks to ferment it dry. Once it settles, it’s filtered, bottled, pasteurised, and labeled. Moonshine has collaborated with several artists to have their labels designed, which makes their bottles a collectable proposition. And they can be held on the shelves for long.

Meads, unlike beers or ciders, don’t have an expiry date, rather they get better with age. The honey flavours get further amalgamated in the drink, developing layers of complexity, and shining brighter on the palate with time. Colours also deepen. We tasted youthful and older meads, served at room temperature, which tasted much better than when chilled. Of course, this also varies from the style of mead being served, which further urges the consumers to experiment and find their own favourite style of imbibing this elixir of gods and vikings.

DIVERSIFICATION IN MEADS

To further make their offerings exciting, Moonshine Meadery is now working with Maharashtra’s tribal communities to source strains of some sacred honey. They had to painstakingly convince them that their beloved nectar won’t be exploited for commercial purposes and it’ll be held with utmost regard. Nitin shares that some tribes pray for a week before even entering the forest and heavily guard their trails to ensure no one could trace it, securing their liquid gold like a lioness protecting her cubs. These meads yield upto 13% alcohol and fetch upto INR6000 for a 750ml portion. It reminded me of the oxidised wines of Jura or a well-crafted Olorosso sherry, partially piney and resiny, utterly complex and layered with notes of sap, savouriness, animally character, sweet tobacco, and earth. On the palate, it stood astute with ethereal acidity, and an everlasting aftertaste. It wasn’t available for sale during our visit.

MATI MEAD PROJECT – LIQUID GOLD

The tribal honey mead will be a part of a bigger offering called the ‘Mati Project’. It will feature different batches of special meads, produced from single origin honey from various parts of India, accentuating their special characteristics. The plan is to work with local potters to design special earthenware bottles in which they’ll be sold. Meads, like wines, can be barrel aged, and some of the Mati meads may see some maturation depending on their individual personality and style. Since meads don’t oxidise either, Mati meads will be able to withstand the test of time over decades, and it’ll start at the meadery with a minimum six months ageing prior to release. Bottles will read ‘best after’ date, further stressing the urge to hold on to the liquid for a rather special occasion. Such liquid definitely demands and justifies a higher tag. Yet, they won’t be even a fraction of the price of your favourite Bordeaux. If you are a proud guardian of a discerning palate, keep an eye on their release as they’ll be small batch produce. 

WHAT DO I THINK OF MEADS? THE FUTURE?

So, for anyone approaching a mead must bear in mind that it isn’t a beer or a cider, and must be treated as a drink by itself. There’s way more mysticism and romance in the liquid, and definitely holds more promise than other low alcohol ferments. It’s a category that’s bound to grow rapidly and earn its spot on our shelves and the list of favourites for our Friday evening soirees. It doesn’t take too long to befriend the taste of meads, but it stays on like a cruel mistress, arresting your desire of stopping at one. And lets not forget what Albert Einstein said – if the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. Now remember when you’re drinking meads next time, you’re making a small contribution towards keeping the planet alive. 

Stay alive and drink more meads, after all all you mead is love!!

True Story Bro
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Chardonnay In India Is Weaving A Revolution!

A new wine producer’s primary task is to understand the relationship between the vines, climate cycles, and the potential of the land at disposal. In India, this gets even tougher, simply because we’re off the universal grape belt of 30-50 North/South of the equator. Conventional viticultural principles don’t apply to our geography. Yet, with every passing vintage, Indian winemakers are understanding this trio better, allowing themselves an ever-growing confidence to experiment. In my recent trip to Nasik, I noticed one such continuous experiment finally bearing fruits. It’s the oak-oriented Chardonnays which India has been working on for 20 years now. They not only look most exciting and diverse, but also hold a massive promise for the future which we are yet to realise.

INDIAN CHARDONNAYS BEGIN WITH VINTAGE WINES

Unlike in other countries, growing Chardonnay wasn’t easy in India. Majority of this had to do with the psyche of the farmers. To begin with they were shy to experiment and, even though some agreed, they weren’t very happy with the results. The yields were negligible with marginal quality, and, of course, there wasn’t much demand in the first place. This burdened the winemakers to buy crops at enormous rates, making it a financial and strategic nightmare to fail at.

However, Yatin Patil, Director of Vintage Wines, recalls the economic risk, yet allowed his passion for the varietal to reign. He was undeniably the first one to take the grape to farm in 2000. Their 2005 harvest became India’s first varietal, unoaked Chardonnay. And with the arrival of new oak barrels in December that year, their 2006 crush gifted India its first barrel-fermented Chardonnay. It’s an unignorable personality with exuberant tropical fruitiness with a backbone of a strong oak accent, overall making a brilliant treat for the palate. And, let me boast, it still remains an epitome of an Indian winemaker’s courage. With Reveilo’s Reserve Chardonnay, India definitely marked the arrival of a wine-style that’ll be followed for the decades to come. Vintage Wines today solely uses Italian clones and self-grows all their Chardonnay crops. 

IN COMES FRATELLI WINES

The Italians were to take notice of this, and Fratelli Wine’s dynamic winemaker duo of Alessio Secci and Piero Masi did just that. They planted their first Chardonnay vines in 2007 in Motewadi and the following year at Garwar. They too had to begin on their own. Alessio developed the vines at their winery’s site before passing them to the farmers in 2015. To offset the initial financial risk farmers feared, they not only paid them a high per kilo price, but also offered a minimum guarantee plan, which worked in their favour.

Piero proudly submitted that he found their soils’ mineral characteristics similar to that of Burgundy. It moved them to introduce Burgundian clones to the sites. Alessio adds that it’s the minerality of their sites, combined with the highly qualitative clones that makes all the difference. And, probably, that’s why there’s no one that produces as many shades of Chardonnays in the country as they do.

They initiated oak integration with their iconic Blue Label Chardonnay in the initial year, however it’s now a virgin, unoaked expression. The urge for a completely oak-oriented Chardonnay was still bubbling somewhere in the back of their creative minds. This gave birth to their French oak barrel-fermented Vitae Chardonnay, which gained instant attention. I remember promptly lauding its quality of oak integration, lees influence, and minerality. In the times to come, the Vitae range, which also had a single vineyard Sangiovese, and an aromatic blended wine with Muller Thurgau and Gewürztraminer became a symbol of gutsy experimentation from the house. However, it has lately been delisted to make space for a new identity.

Its juices now contribute to the highly-regarded J’noon and JCB47 labels, born from the collaboration between Fratelli Wines, the Italian duo, and the enigmatic Burgundian, Jean Claude Boisset. It’s a limited release, small batch production which was destined for international markets alone, with a humble allocation

Tanks Bearing Chardonnay At Vintage / Reveilo Wines
Fratelli Wines Vitae Chardonnay

As Alessio confirms, “JCB takes the lead in the blending process and aims at bringing a taste of their own culture. He’s been instrumental at helping the label going in the Burgundy direction, which was Piero’s founding idea with the varietal.” When asked why JCB would invest in Indian Chardonnays, Alessio points out that it reminds him of the Burgundy soil from back home. Now, J’noon uses a 60-40 blend of barrel-fermented to stainless steel Chardonnay, while JCB47 is a high-quality bubbly with a base of 100% barrel-fermented wine with a long 24 months lees ageing. There’s a J’noon red as well, however, it’s the white sibling that’s captured the attention since its first introduction of the 2016 vintage which only produced 2600 bottles.

MAGIC OF HAMPI HILLS – A KRSMA OF SORTS

From Nasik to Akluj, the next Chardonnay crops were being planted in the then yet-to-be-celebrate Hampi Hills in Karnataka. KRSMA Estates planted their Chardonnay vines in 2009 which were first bottled in the 2013 vintage. They envisioned the combined influences of this virgin terroir, cool resting nights, and the unique soil type yielding a commendable expression. Vintage and Fratelli Wines had already arrived on the scene, KRSMA had taken notice of their potential. Krishna Prasad Chigurupati, owner of KRSMA Estates, strongly believed that Hampi Hills’ Chardonnay could create a niche of its own.

The initial vintages aimed at displaying the promise of the fruit, sans the wood. They kept toying with ripeness levels and winemaking styles before, in 2017, their Chardonnay interacted with oak for three months. It was partially their curiosity and growing confidence, partially the changing consulting winemaker. I remember tasting a very young expression of the wine where the liquid and oak were yet to become a single entity. A few cellaring years later, it yielded a beautifully harmonious amalgamation. Unfortunately though, the promise lasted only as long. After five successful vintages, vines demanded more nutrients than the soil could offer. In a hard decision, KRSMA Estates had to uproot the varietal. It was one of those styles that held enormous promises, but had to see an early departure. 

Chardonnay Bunches At KRSMA Estates

YORK & SULA JOINS THE PARTY

While this was happening in Hampi, back in Nasik the two neighbours York Wines and Sula Vineyards were gearing up for their expressions. Winemaker and the creative genius behind York’s wines, Kailash Gurnani, believed that making a good Chardonnay is a virtual pat on your back in the winemaking world. And his desire to make something beyond the famous whites and reds in India – Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon – drew him closer to the varietal. He realised the potential in Indian Chardonnays during the trials at Chandon India.

He planted his first Chardonnay vines in 2014 and increased plantation the following year. 2018 was Kailash’s first crush of the varietal, which was released as India’s first single vineyard Chardonnay, called H-Block. The name comes from the section on his plantation where the vines were planted. The H-Block stands out from other oak-influenced Chardonnays in India. It isn’t a typical heavily oak-influenced wine, nor would I qualify it as a fruit-forward one. It accentuates the plot’s expression and its minerality stands out amongst all the whites in the valley. It’s primarily a stainless steel fermented wine with some portion fermenting in used French oak barrels.

As he explains, “oak in wines is like salt in food. A winemaker must only use it enough to enhance the flavours. The aim is to make an overall harmonious and memorable recipe, not to glorify its parts”. 4000 bottles of H-Block were released in the first vintage and have now grown to 6700 in 2020. I’ve always lauded Kailash’s winemaking style and philosophy, it has a minimalistic approach and a strong confidence for experimentation. Though H-Block is a single vineyard wine, he would neither like it to be marketed as one, nor as a reserve wine. He sees a growing potential in the style, and, with demands soaring, it may not remain a wine of single vineyard origin.

While returning from the trip, I wasn’t surprised that I only picked Chardonnays to bring along. At the helm of it was Sula Vineyards Dindori Reserve Chardonnay. Karan Vasani, Sula’s chief winemaker, has done an excellent job of creating a consumer-friendly wine that has exuberant fruit, balanced oak integration, packaged under an eye-catching label, at a price point that allows the denizens to take a chance. Not only was this to be their first tryst with the varietal, but to label it under their iconic Dindori range must’ve taken some determination.

Karan shares their first vintage was in 2018 with about 1000 cases in production. It was exclusively sold at the winery. From there, the confidence soared, and now the production has grown five folds. In its introductory vintage, they brought new French oak barrels, hence only some portion went through barrel fermentation. In the following vintages, lesser new oak is used, with additions of a few experimental American oak barrels. Whatever their experiments be, they seem to be fairing out well. I have my eyes set on their future expressions for sure. 

York Wines H Block Chardonnay
Chardonnay Of The Future

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Indian Chardonnays are definitely beyond their teething stages. The promise is immense and winemakers are backing their experiments through the growing demand for the varietal. Piero Masi suggests that it can be the grape of the future, as long as guaranteed quality is achieved within a price range. Fratelli has done well with four different expressions. But he does add that it’s still challenging to grow good Chardonnay in India. He suggests holding a strong control in the vineyards. “Fratelli initially produced 13,000 bottles of their Chardonnay Blue Label, which now has grown to 100,000 bottles!!” says Alessio

Yatin Patil confidently says that Chardonnay quantities have definitely grown the most for them. And there’s further scope. He opines the key is to keep experimenting, understanding the varietal better, and aligning with consumers’ ever-altering palates. In India, fruit forward wines with some  complexity work best. The moment they get too oaky, consumers move away. Thus, it’s imperative to understand and adapt to changes, and not try to imitate an international style.

Karan Vasani is pleasantly surprised with the response, he didn’t anticipate Chardonnay will be an easy sell. Now he’s confident about putting his money on it as the style for the future. He sees a magnitude of versatility in the category and suggests consumers must try the full spectrum. He’s noted a growth in Chardonnay plantations and considers it a safe varietal to grow. He does add that Chardonnay crops are more expensive than any other white varietal being grown in India, justifying the higher price tag.

WHAT I THINK?

I’m a convert. Indian Chardonnays is where I’m putting my bets. Indian palates have definitely evolved and gotten refined. Our consumers have become smarter with their choices, and more inquisitive about what they’re drinking. They wish to learn the story behind their liquids, and Indian Chardonnays definitely have a story worth narrating. I see Indian Chardonnays being an excellent vehicle through which Indian palates can adapt to drinking oaky whites, and lean towards experimentation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Indian Chardonnays picking awards and becoming a definitive style globally. India is seen as a hot country, and our chardonnays may just shatter that image and open minds of international drinkers as well. Much like our sparkling wines, and oaked Cabernets (blends) I’m sure to carry a few bottles of desi Chardonnays on my international tasting trips, with utter pride and passion. 

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Indian Gin

Undoubtedly, it’s the golden hour for innovations in Indian spirits. And amongst them, the blue-eyed child are the new Indian gins. With a thick Indian accent, unprecedented brio, nostalgia-suffused storytelling, and endless trials of flavours, they’ve stirred up a storm, one that the country and its tipplers hadn’t seen before. It’s so engraved now that if your Instagram profile doesn’t have a picture of an Indian gin, you’ll easily be called a social outcast. So, what’ve these homegrown gins done, in only a couple of years, that’s arrested everyone’s attention? We enquire.

British gins were the first to catalogue their botanicals on the bottle, tell their stories, and mesmerise the global population with the idea. Neither were their botanicals local, nor were they the epitomes of storytelling. Yet, consequently it became the norm. “For the longest time, western gins were taking our story, our botanicals, and reselling them to us. Now, after decades, there’s increasing curiosity in knowing about Indian botanicals and stories”, notes Anand Virmani, creator of Hapusa & Greater Than. And so should it be. After all, we were on the Spice Route for a reason. Karina Aggarwal of Terai further explains, “There’s been a global cultural shift. Everyone’s interested in knowing what they’re consuming, its source, how they’ve been cultivated, traded, etc. And with Indians travelling extensively now, their understanding of ingredients has grown drastically. There’s a sense of pride in supporting homegrown produce and how many you’ve tried”. 

EFFORT LESSLY INDIAN

Indian households, mythology, ceremonies, and rituals have for long revolved around botanicals, florals, and citruses. Be it the morning prayers around the Tulsi plant, or nimbu-mirchi hanging on trucks & lorries, or betel leaves, nutmeg, rice, sugar on puja thalis, scents and flavours have forever been the thread holding our daily lives. Put all these emotions & essences in a bottle, and it’ll be hauntingly intriguing. Accepting them will come naturally. In what’s traditionally been a dark spirit market, no one has consciously allowed such an expression that these new Indian Gins have. And it makes complete sense why we’d effortlessly get allured by them, and not position them as snobbish, but somewhat our companion. Forget not, ease and convenience is what’s driving the world now anyway.

EASY ACCEPTABILITY

Anand recalls from his earlier stint, at Hendricks gin’s launch, people enquired what whiskies were being poured at the bar. Now, a decade on, people enquire about the gins on offer. Aman Thadani, creator of Pumori, calles dark spirits a tricky proposition. “Whiskies & rums have their histories, templates, ageing, cask finishes, terminologies, etc. All this makes them pretty technical. Gin on the other hand is a free and simpler playing field”. Aditya Aggarwal, founder of Samsara, adds “Gins are easier to talk about. They create a nostalgic recall, and forego the technical gyaan one has to invest in before picking a dram”. Vidur Gupta, co-founder of Stranger & Sons, echoes the thought. “Unlike years of encyclopaedic information crunching in wine studies, gins are easy. And their mixability & versatility makes it further playful.” Karina adds, “it’s also the image of dark spirits in India, a quirky whisky bottle can also be questionable, let alone how to drink it, or the glass of your choice. With gins, there are no such moulds.”

PLAY OF BOTANICALS + IDEAS

However, the spice box of the world has so much to offer, it could be easy to overdo. Even the thought of constructing a gin in India can be daunting. Greater Than was the first craft gin in the country in 2017. Anand recalls, “we had a clean slate and could do whatever. It was equally exciting and confusing. We started with 120-130 single ingredients, then started putting them together, and the final recipe had only 10-12 ingredients”. Vidur says “we have a problem of plenty in India. There’s an endless list of botanicals we know of and even bigger one of those we don’t”. However, “No single ingredient is going to trigger someone into liking a gin. It does become a differentiating factor though, one that enriches their experience”, Anand adds. 

In such a vast expanse of ingredients, then how does one construct a gin? “Your gin distills down from your concept. We wanted to make a gin that’s bold, stands out in the crowd, is inherently Indian, and resonates with London as much as it does with Delhi. And to achieve that, our homework was to taste over 300 gins!!”, Vidur reminisces. Karina opines “though it’s a combination of various things, foremost are your personal preferences and knowing the palate of your audience. What reigns eventually is that it must be a product of provenance”. And the expression expands beyond just what’s inside the bottle. Aman puts it aptly, “put gin in a bottle versus a story, and you’ll see the difference. Before one picks a bottle, if you could tell them its inspiration and journey, the experience will grow manifolds”. Karina adds “from the label design to the bottle style, the gin needs to stand out, and have its own personality & identity. Consumers are also asking their tipples to be different, and it’s imperative that new gins do that.”

GINCREDIBLE INDIA

From these plethora of emerging ideas, one that shines is that of celebrating India. Our creators are proudly coining and nearly-boasting inscriptions like ‘India Dry’, ‘India Spirited’, ‘Himalayan Dry’ on their labels. But what are these terms and what do they signify? Like London Dry Gin, is there one that defines Indian gins? It’s simply too early to say. There’s no one India, in its geographic spread, cultural diversity, culinary spreads, languages, and attractions, there’re mere interpretations. And thats the most exciting feature in these new gins. They’ve celebrated India for Indians, that too at a time when our politics and a pandemic have divided us like never before. There’s a dire need for something that binds us together and makes us fall in love with our India again, and Indian gins are playing their part. 

Creators have very carefully and distinctly picked various features of India and put them in their bottles, on their labels, and in their stories. Haupsa, sanskrit for juniper, celebrates foraging local juniper from the snow-clad Himalayan mountains. A whiff of its gin teleports you to a rustic land with moist wood, petrichor, forest-floor, and fills you with a sense of adventure. Terai descends to the fertile & plush lowlands and has an imposing Indian accent through its fennel, tulsi, citrus, and floral hues, kindling a comforting assurance of botanicals you instantly resonate with. Stranger & Sons celebrates the Indian ghats and its agricultural diversity by putting a complex mix of spices, citruses, and aromatic botanicals in the hue. It teases you before it arrests you like a cruel mistress and doesn’t let you go. Samsara picked its botanical and aromatics reminiscing the scents at an Indian ceremony and the gin exhibits that in its floral liveliness, captivating secret citruses, and a regal khus note. And for once think, what do Himalayas, plush lowlands, the ghats, and Indian ceremonies have in common – nothing. And what’s India without either of them – nothing. And thats the play that Indian gins have mastered – there’s a union even in their diversity.

EMPOWERING THE CONSUMER

Finally, at a time of home drinking culture, where conversations around a refined drink have become the norm, gins are providing a reason to celebrate. Aditya exclaims “there’s a lot to resonate for everyone from a single sniff and sip of a gin”. Karina agrees and adds, “there’s a level of familiarity Indian gins offer, be it in the botanicals, or in their names, or designs”. Gin & Tonics have become the new norm. Vidur isn’t surprised, “we are a hot & social country, drinking chilled tall drinks makes sense”. Anand is on the same page and says “we’re in a country where whiskies are our almost national drink, but why? Drinking ideas from the EU don’t make sense in India”. Aman opines “consumers have elevated their game and for them a gin’s not a gin, a tonic’s not a tonic anymore, it’s much more”. 

Karina takes it a step ahead and claims “you can’t do anything wrong with gins, add any cordial, flavours, syrups, tonics, sodas, garnishes, throw them in any glass and it’s acceptable. Do that to a single malt whisky and you’ll get stares from every corner of the room. Unlike with some other spirits, here the consumer decides how they appreciate it. And you might be the only one who has that concoction in that pincode, which is so empowering”. And even for a humble G&T, Aditya says “there’s such sincerity in the process – cutting the fruits, getting the ice, picking garnishes, apt glassware, which elevates the aesthetics of the drink and the drinking ritual.” Sounds pretty civilised, eh!! 

India was always celebrated for its precise craftsmanship, and botanical offerings. With over a dozen gins on the shelves already, and many getting dressed to be unveiled, all in a span of 4 years, the gin revolution has been announced. There’s such promise in the category that one can’t help but anticipate more exciting introductions. If you haven’t befriended and added Indian gins to your repertoire, do it promptly. This wave isn’t calming down. 

 

First published in Sommelier India The Wine Magazine

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Articles Cocktails Conversations Events + Affairs Spirits TippleTalk Trade

Scotch Love

When Scota, the Egyptian wife of the Spanish Celtic King Milesius, invaded the island in 1699BC from Ireland, who’d have even in passing thought of the power this meagre colony would possess in the modern era. They used their advanced knowledge of chemistry to concoct beverages using native ingredients primarily to restore health and what started as a medicinal endeavour developed into producing a spirit called aqua vitae or aptly ‘the water of life’. Local farmers of these fertile lands took up distillation as a secondary occupation, converting their excess grain into whisky, seeking some extra income. The fortunes it yielded for these poor farmers were rather handsome and attractive, as also providing an alternative to their commoner local tipples and therein emerged an industry, and a drink, that have never looked back since then.

Surviving endless wars, dodging the bane of the Prohibition period and the heavy taxations that ensued, managing to usurp Cognac’s dominance in Europe and more recently, that of vodka in the US, Scottish whiskies have had a journey like no other spirit. They belong rightfully to a world of royalty, grandeur, and celebration even if they are somewhere a matter of snobbery for us Indians.

Swirling in a small-cupped stemware, a bright golden liquid with a regal sheen, gently settles in the bowl leaving lazily trails of descending tears, a burst of aromas kindle a silent excitement, providing a soul-stirring emotion – that’s the enigma of a Scotch.  Some say that a minute sniff of a dram can evoke a vivid image of the environs where the whisky originated. Whisky expert, Dave Broom, describes the landscape as a place where you can read the rocky poetry of the Earth’s birth. With an abundance of clean springwater making its way to the distilleries, healthy grains glistening in the gentle sunlight, and a familial passion seeped down generations of distillers – the stage is indeed set for this unctuous drink to be born.

In the early years (circa 15th century) , every house had a miniature pot-still distillation apparatus that produced the house’s supply of aqua vitae. While the men worked in the farms to produce the grains, it were the ladies of the house that produced the spirit and used it intelligently when someone took ill. As the knowledge of this art grew, farmers turned towards the profession of distillation indefinitely. The agricultural scene in the Highlands was much more developed than in the Lowlands and so was the overall quality of produce and lifestyle. With distillation being introduced, Highland focused on smaller batch production, and lavishly double-distilled their spirits, taking them to a higher alcoholic strength, as they yielded lesser but richer (read: pricier) returns. Lowland distillers took the easy route of rushing through the process, producing a foul and weak spirit in contrast. By the end of the 18th century, these two styles were well-established, and Highland was the preferred one. Lowland fell so far behind that today it only features three operational distilleries. Towards the western frontier was the jungle of distilleries that mushroomed so close to each other that they not only shared the dividing walls but the neighbours could actually smell each other’s spirits from their own cellars. This was the land on either sides of the River Spey, unimaginatively  called, Speyside! Just falling short of the mainland  on the eastern edge was the Island of Islay. It was banned from using coal to roast the grain for malting and the wood was mostly too moist to burn easily with a reassuring crackle. Thus, they were left with only one option: to utilise the natural resource of ‘peat’, which was compressed vegetation that had died over millions of years ago to become a semi-carbonised fuel. It burns freely releasing mammoth fumes, imparting to the grains, and consequently to the whiskies, their key character of smokiness and pungency.

To simplify the matters for the untraveled, particular regions make a particular style of whisky. Or so goes the common adage. And it is true to some extent, for a label can often help a buyer decipher just what kind of a whisky he is in for. Various stories can be narrated attempting to explain as to why the landscape is divided in to Highland, Lowland, Speyside, and the Island of Islay and further be used to generalise their respective whisky styles, and while there does exist a sort of a taste template for each region, exceptions do exist, and that’s what makes it exciting.  Approaching them from a distance, Highland scotch are marked for their sweet, fruity, and citric appeal, Lowlands are light and gentle, Speysides may be appreciated for their floral and fragrant character, and Islay malts are identified by their smoky masculinity.  However, the key to how a scotch may taste rests upon four pillars – water it uses (after all a whisky is more water than alcohol), raw material (generally malted barley, its grade, and blend), distillation finesse (speed, quality, and size), and finally, the art of blending. 

That last one, blending, is the key to every whisky, or rather every spirit  we leisurely swig. It is also the one thing mired in much controversy in the Scotch world for it launches a debate about which is better – blended or single malts –  and has kept the two schools’ tempers raging. In geekspeak, a single malt whisky is made from a single grain, in this case malted barley, while blended whisky uses a blend of grains and cereals as its base. While single malts are the crown jewel of the distiller’s art, a master blender takes pride in meticulously crafting the blended whisky every year and making it taste just the same as its first batch even after decade. In the passing of the tradition from one generation to the next, the art has remained unaltered, but some have graduated to become the epitome of their regions. In the Highland, sweetness of Dalwhinnie, tight fruity and slightly tart charm of Glenmorangie and Ardmore, and the heaviness of Dalmore have established themselves as style icons of their respective profiles . Speyside has a web of distilleries producing a range of styles to satisfy every whisky type of connoisseur. While Glenfiddich and Glenlivet bear the flag of the fragrant, floral, light-bodied, easy-sipping whiskies, Glenfarclas, Balvenie, Macallan, and Cragganmore fill the richer, fruitier style cabinet in the collection. One travels to Islay looking for what all other whiskies fail to deliver, the love-it-or-leave-it ‘liquid cigar’ alikeness. While Ardberg, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig are the bad boys of the region, producing the mouth-coating fumé style, Jura, Bruichladdich, and Bunnahabhain are the alter-ego, unpeated styles of whiskies. Bowmore and Talisker aim to please both the sides and do a fair job of it. Returning to the mainland to the least populated whisky area, Lowland is the home of Glenkinchie and Auchentoshan, which are generally considered light and gentle.  

It’s often said in connoisseur circles, “A drink makes you travel without requiring you to leave your armchair.” Scotch, after wine of course, does a handsome job of keeping that spirit alive. It is a produce of nature, crafted with the art of the distiller, nurtured in the hands of a wise blender, all combined and softened with the patience of the breathing barrels, till finally it is bottled and makes it journey to you, reaching your discerning palate only so to take you back to where it all began. It’s an experience worth the pause it evokes. No matter where it comes from, you’ll be happy to go there. 

 

First published in Times of India Luxpresso in Feb, 2014

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Blog Videos

52 Drinks 52 Weeks – Baijiu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXq_wx1rqT0&t=21s

The most consumed spirit on the planet, Baijiu, is more than just a shooter or a local Chinese spirits. It is complex and has many shades. The bald sommeliers – Gagan SHARMA + Magandeep SINGH discuss its journey and production, and Rohan MATMARY fixes his take on the spirit with a Hongkong Martini.

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Blog Videos

52 Drinks 52 Weeks – Pimm’s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC1BQAqbyC0&t=7s

The queen loves it, tennis stars vibe on it, and the Brits brought its ration on voyages to India, the red-brown digestive made to cure digestive issues at an oyster bar in 1840s London is now a staple at homes and summery soirees. Our baldies get in to narrate is story and Ani Sharma puts together a No. 1 cup for us.

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Blog Videos

52 Drinks 52 Weeks – Negroni

Amongst the all time favourite cocktail of mixologists and barkeeps around the world is the humble Negroni. A 100 year old recipe of simple equal parts of Gin, Vermouth, and bitters, is savvy, sophisticated, and its history crosses oceans. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFwIatCT-_8&t=44s

Origins of Negroni

Much like any classic there are many stories. The most agreed upon one, however,  begins in 1919 at Caffe Casoni in Florence, Italy. A gentleman named Count Camillo Negroni who’d drink Americano which is a mix of Sweet Vermouth and Campari, and an orange garnish.
One fine day he asked his bartender friend, Fosco Scarselli, to ‘strengthen’ his drink, replacing soda with Gin, and hence the drink was created.

But, why would an Italian man ask for a drink called Americano in Italy or have it generously infused with British Gin?
Do you know The Americano, in fact, is the first cocktail ordered in the first 007 novel. It may be called Americano but the cocktail was born in Milan. Initially, there was a drink called Milano Torino, since it was equal parts of Campari and Vermouth, and Campari came from Milan and Vermouth from Torino. But then with the Prohibition in the US, tons of Americans came to Italy. They loved the drink, but decided to top up this bitter sweet concoction with club soda, and this was then called Americano.

History Complicates Everything 

Some say Milano Torino always had soda and the American didn’t add it, some deny that. Some say there were two men called Count Negorni some say there was only one. Some say the elder one Pascal Oliver created the drink in Africa, some say no Count Camilo did in Italy. Some even say Negroni had lemon garnish earlier, some say it was always orange.  even today the true recipe of Negroni can be debated!
There are various sources with varied recipes. The simple equal part recipe was first mentioned in writing, only in 1929, 10 years after the drinks creation. What about the Harry’s New York Bar invention – The Boulevardier then? That came 2 years before this written recipe. A shot each of Campari and Vermouth and a shot and a half of Bourbon. 

Variation in Recipes

An ocean of choices between different Gins, vermouths, and even a different bitter beyond Campari!! And for the garnish, while a citrus works, why not try herb complimenting the Gin? there are Tequila or Mezcal Negronis, and they work!!  White Negroni – Gin, Suze, and Lillet Blanc finished with a citrus garnish. One can even put some in oak casks which people do quite a lot nowadays. But, forget not what Late Anthony Bourdain said – The drink will “hit you like a freight train after five or four”

Legacy and Records

There’s a Guinness World Record for the largest Negroni made? In 2018 in Pheonix Arizona, a 504 litres of its was made in an oak barrel within an hour. It may’ve gotten a few people drunk but the proceeds from that benefitted local charities. Another special thing that Negroni has to itself that probably no other cocktail does is the worldwide celebration of the Negroni Week. It started in 2013 and today they celebrate it in over 120 countries and have collected about $3 million for charitable causes. It’s generally celebrated in June, but this year for very obvious reasons, it’s celebrated in Sept 14-20. So mark the calendar !

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Blog Videos

52 Drinks 52 Weeks – Sidecar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWe1ddq-SOs

Here’s a riddle. It’s the 1st World War, we are in Paris. An army captain goes to a bar and orders a drink. The bartender concocts one. The captain asks, whats the drink called. The tender looks at his motorbike and names the drink after it. What was the drink called?

It was called Sidecar.

History of Sidecar

The sexy drink that is simple to put together but easy to get off-balance. A bonafide Prohibition-era classic that’s making noise at bars once again.

The parent of the Sidecar is the Brandy Crusta, a cocktail that has its roots in New Orleans, America. Put Brandy, Curacao, Lemon Juice, Bitters, and Gum Syrup together, shake and pour in a wine glass that has its rim rubbed with a lemon peel, and voila there you have it.

Much like any mother cocktail, Brandy Crusta went through some innovations too. The Crusta made a two-fold change to become Sidecar. One, there was a fancy sugar rim (as noted by Jerry Thomas in How to Mix Drinks) and another the addition of lemon garnish to the glass. 

Citrus wasn’t commonly used in drinks in the mid-19th Century, unless you were a sailor trying to avoid scurvy. It was expensive too, and using every bit of it was only natural.

The Disputed Origins of Sidecar

Like any classic cocktail, the origins of Sidecar are disputed. The more commonly believed one is that where the French take the cake. It’s believed it was created at the famous Harry’s Bar in Paris during World War 1, requested by an Army Captain who rode up to the bar in the sidecar of his friend’s motorcycle. When he asked for a pre-dinner drink, the suggestion of a Cognac-based cocktail came up and that’s how the drink was created.

But then Pat MacGarry, the bartender at the Buck’s Club in London, is also often credited with creating the drink. He’s the inventor of the popular, but less well regarded, Buck’s Fizz cocktail as well.

We can’t tell which is the true story there. However, there’s one more story to Sidecar that must be shared, this time not of its origins, but its name.

Dale DeGroff, and his book The Essential Cocktail, says the portion left over in the shaker after pouring the drink in the glass and serving to the guest, the bartender pours it out into a shot glass on the side – that little glass is called a sidecar” Could that be the reason why the drink is called so?

The changes and two schools of Sidecar

History is interesting but confusing at times. The evolution didn’t stop and prohibition-favourite, Sidecar has never really lost its popularity. With standardisations coming in place, brandy eventually disappeared and was replaced with a more standard and bankable quality Cognac. 

The same with Triple Sec. Curaçao was hard to find. It was made from bitter + inedible oranges. It was substituted for the emerging Cointreau, an orange liqueur, also from France, with a much better pedigree. 

Now, some even use Grand Marnier!! But there still is one ingredient that may be hard to standardise, lemon juice.  

In this tussle of standardising the ingredients and produce, emerged two schools of looking at the drink. The French School and the English one. The French School promotes a perfect recipe of equal measures – 1 part each of Brandy Triple Sec and Lemon Juice (1919 ABC of Cocktails) which even today is very popular

The English school prefers 2 parts Brandy and one each of Cointreau and Lemon Juice (1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book)

The more modern recipe suggests 2 parts Brandy 1/2 part Triple Sec and 1/4 part Lemon Juice (1948 Fine Art of Mixing Drinks) but some complain of it producing a very dry interpretation.

Cognac, Ports, and post-dinner drinks may have not made a big wave in India but Cognac classics have done well. Be it Sidecar, French 75, Vieux Carre, or Sazerac, we have always seen them on the lists before they are deemed ‘complete’ 

And we believe after the lockdown lifts we will soon head to our favourite bars and order some classics. Maybe we are looking at an emerging trend there – the return of the classics.

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Blog Conversations

Conversations with Indulge – Khushnaz Raghina


I am a Malt Advocate, beverage trainer, consultant, whisky lover, story teller, cocktail enthusiast!!

Khushnaz boasts 9 years of work experience in the Hospitality Industry, including stints with the JW Marriott Pune, Trident Hotel Mumbai and Gurgaon and her fifth year as Diageo’s Reserve Brand Ambassador.

“I’ve had the pleasure to work with some of the finest personalities in the Food & Beverage Industry in India and overseas and competed in various Bartending Competitions over the years.”

When not talking all things eau de vie, you will probably find her wandering streets and local markets in search of unique flavours, ingredients or even shaking a leg (and a shaker) at the nearest watering hole.

Who and what inspired you to take upon this journey of mixology?

Like most, I entered this profession with the fascination to flair. I was studying hotel management and trying to figure out what to do next. Hotel management was plan B and plan A was to pursue psychology. Hospitality came very naturally to me, one thing I enjoyed growing up was being a good host and serving people. I realised that adding a flair to what you do could change the way people perceive service.

I learned a couple of moves from my seniors in college and on the last day of industrial training I was allowed to play in the bar! Post my shift I was offered a job in JW Marriott hotel. I was thrilled and there was no looking back.

What’s been the highest point in your career so far? Maybe share a low point too and how did you get past it? 

Every new opportunity that threw me off my comfort zone was the highest point in my career. I learnt how to face them, embrace them and master them. I love challenging myself. I see every low point as an opportunity. If you are passionate enough to pursue your goals you’ll find the way.

What’s that one serious cocktail no-no that makes you cringe? And one cocktail no-no that you allow yourself to indulge in now and then?

Big no-no is using any technique or ingredient without proper or sufficient knowledge. Just because they are in trend or fashion, if you do not have any technical information, avoid using it.

I’m a strong believer that there is no wrong way to enjoy a drink of your choice. What is in your glass is no one else’s business. I occasionally like to indulge in a ‘Smoky Cokey‘. Lagavulin 16, topped up with Coke with lots of ice and aromatic bitters with a little twist of citrus. It was something I frowned upon until I tasted it. It tastes like a monsoon barbecue party which many think is a crazy idea but it is pleasant, breezy and fun!

We know of your love for Pineapples. What’s your favourite mix with it that we can concoct at home tonight?

The pineapple is a vibe! With such a rich history and being considered the universal sign of hospitality. It is so versatile that I don’t think there’s a single ingredient or a category of spirit that does not pair well with it.

I’ll recommend a Pineapple Highball with Johnnie Walker Black Label, a sweet spiced homemade pineapple cordial, topped up with carbonated water and fresh mint. Simple yet delightful!

What’s your favourite tipple at the end of a busy day?  

Conversations with close family and friends with tall delicious Highballs. Like Tanqueray and Tonic or a Ketel One Mule with seasonal flavours would be my pick! However, at a bar, maybe the bartender’s special with few inside jokes can work.

What is your advice to young professionals seeking a career in this field

‘You have the power to make a difference one drink at a time’

Have the passion and invest in your knowledge, be respectful to everyone. Be able to take constructive criticism. Competitions are also the best way to learn , so be inquisitive. Ask questions and don’t be blind followers. Be proud of what you do and have fun!