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A Tequila Sun-Rising

Amid the agave spirits renaissance, a phenomenon sweeping the globe, India welcomed the debut of a true global titan in the NCR with Don Julio Tequila. Bearing the name of its illustrious founder, Don Julio Gonzalez-Frausto Estrada, who was a pioneer, with a backstory as rich as the spirit he crafted.

The story unfolds in the Mexican town of Atotonilco, Jalisco, where a young Julio Gonzalez presented the simple townsfolk with an audacious dream to establish his own distillery. This naturally met with some skepticism at the time, but failed to deter Julio, who confidently asserted that he would secure the necessary funds. Having been the sole provider for his household since his teenage years, Julio had so far honed his tequila-making skills at his uncle Jose’s distillery. He went on to establish the “La Primavera” distillery in 1942, and the rest as they say reshaped the tequila landscape. The distillery produced some of the finest tequilas under the moniker of ‘Tres Magueys’, eventually transitioning to the revered ‘Don Julio’ label.

THE LUXE FACTOR

Agave spirits are notorious for their luxury and expense, because of their extensive production process, namely the ripening period of agave plants, that ranges from seven to up to 25 years in certain varieties. Just the fact that a Tequilero (maker of tequila) spends years nurturing the plant, goes to show that they don’t see a penny in their till until the turn of the decade when it finally blossoms into a bottled spirit.

Don Julio’s agave plants, thriving in the mineral-rich red clay soil of the Highlands, underwent a distinctive growing process driven by a passion for quality rather than profit. Julio strategically spaced his plants—distanced more than usual—to enhance nutrient absorption, resulting in larger, sweeter agave fruits. This deliberate approach, paired with a prolonged maturation period of 7-10 years and planting less agave plants was defying industry norms back then itself.

At the India launch, we savoured two exquisite expressions of Don Julio’s labour: the Don Julio Blanco and the Don Julio Reposado. The Blanco, often referred to as “Plata” or “Silver,” represents the unaged tequila, serving as the foundational liquid for all other variants. Ideal for crafting Margaritas and Palomas, it sets the stage with an unparalleled cocktail experience.

Next up, the Reposado, meaning “rested”, mandates the spirit to be rested upwards of two months up to a year in barrels. Their Blanco was aged for eight months in American white-oak barrels. The result: an amber liquid with a mellow varietal flavour and a blissful aroma that captivated the senses. Whether enjoyed straight up, in an Old Fashioned, a highball with sparkling water, or indulgently over ice, the Reposado proved to be a sublime liquid and a personal favourite, just like it was for Don!

As for the bottle shape, in the earlier days, most tequilas were dispensed from long, obstructive vessels, hindering conversations and interactions at tables. This prompted them to introduce a small, round bottle as a practical solution to this unique predicament.

As the evening wore on, the spirits became feisty with Latino music and flamenco performers, which served as attractive entrées before the main course, reserved for the distinguished variants: Anejo, Rosado, Don Julio 70, and the extraordinary Don Julio 1942. While the burgeoning enthusiasm among agave enthusiasts is only scratching the surface currently, given the innovation that the world of agave has yet to unveil, it’s definitely poised to shake and stir passions as well as poisons.

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BROWN GINS?! Seriously?

The science of distillation is India’s gift to the world. We enlightened the world with the study of botanicals, spices, citruses and their application as medicines, saving precious lives around the globe. Ayurveda literally means ‘the knowledge of life’. Ergo, we were bound to be proficient at making gins. Since the first Indian craft gin landed on our shelves, just five years ago, we now have approximately four dozen expressions. And, having gained confidence from creating and expanding this space, surviving the pandemic and altering the habits of the drinking classes, these craft elixirs are becoming experimental, even to the extent of changing colour. They are taking on the uber-attractive brown spirits market (rums, brandies and whiskies), of which we are champions too! I call them ‘Brown Gins’. With several examples released, they’ve ignited conversations worth having, and raised a few questions: Is it just bonne chance? Is the brand-loyal, price-sensitive Indian public ready for this intruder into their drinks territory? Is there space on your shelves for these gems?

OAK BARRELS

An oak barrel can add a great deal to an alcoholic beverage — nutty flavours, aromas of coconut and/or sweet spices, slow maturation, partial oxidation, character from previously used barrels and, of course, an alluring hue. However, barrels occupy space, need careful maintenance, and put a dent in your bottom line, all of which are drawbacks for a gin producer.

Enter Oak Chips. They have the same effect on the liquid. Whichever type of oak you use, oak adds a captivating vivacity. Gin makers looking at keeping their market excited with new variants, collectibles and limited releases have more than one reason to deploy the benefits of wood to their already tasteful liquids. Apart from the play of colour and flavours, oak allows them to open the door to the larger dark spirits market, in which India is already a presence among leading producers and consumers. There’s barely any limitation to what a gin-maker can throw into gin’s botanical mix. So why not oak as well?

INDIAN BROWN GINS

Pumori introduced Ascent, Greater Than brought out Broken Bat, Nilgiris experimented with peated and unpeated cask-ageing for a few months, and now Stranger & Sons has contributed to the arsenal. While Pumori and Nilgiris mature their gins in barrels, and Greater Than infuse theirs with toasted Kashmiri willow shavings, Stranger & Sons is rising to new heights with their India Spirited Gin which is matured in ex-Oloroso and Amontillado sherry barrels. It is then brushed with wild honey and cascara influences, making it a unique proposition that India hasn’t yet experienced.

So what do these gins taste like? Perhaps unsurprisingly, they all have different personalities. Nilgiris carries only a slight suggestion of oak, while Ascent is the true-to-style barrel-aged gin. Broken Bat is a different personification of gin with a toasty, grippy mouthfeel while the Stranger &Sons exploratory spirit is something of a departure from true gin. It’s a curious mix: concentrated oak meets savouriness from the sherry influence, while husky cascara adds to the earthiness and honey provides a candied roundness to the palate — all this while maintaining the warmth and spiciness of the traditional gin. However, to call it a gin would be a tad tricky. It can be better described as a sloe-styled gin (a fruit-based gin steeped with sloe berries) done differently or a gin Old Fashioned with a twist. If the latter, this will be the second cocktail in a bottle by this producer.

DO WE NEED INDIAN BROWN GINS?

Arrange all these innovations in a tasting flight and they provide an interesting study of what India can produce. Although the question arises: Is this the time for Brown Gin? Does India need it?

To answer this question, a dual approach is required taking into account the gin world’s simple response as well as the argument presented by the darker world. The former will simply ask, why not do it? It adds to the bandwidth of Indian gin makers, displays their craftsmanship with courage to experiment, and offers excitement and variety to local palates. There’s more. India likes storytelling, and no one has done a better job of putting India in a bottle and charming palates better than Indian gins.

DARK SPIRITS ARGUEMENT

From the other side of the argument come some simple observations. Firstly, dark spirit imbibers are rather strict about the definition of whiskies, rums, and brandies. Whisky imbibers don’t solicit influences outside quintessential sweetness and oaky flavours. For brandies, added flavours are a strict no no. Rums do flirt with flavours; there are several flavoured white rums and RTDs, while their darker siblings ride solo or at most have a spice mix. Playing with flavours outside of this spectrum isn’t really encouraged or appreciated. Add a mix of citruses, herbs, roots, barks, seeds, spices and juniper, although it might not fly, at least in theory.

THE OTHER CONUNDRUM

Then there’s the other concern: how are they to be served? In a Bar, drinking G&T (gin and tonic) is close to ceremonial. So is vodka-soda or vodka and juices. Whisky goes with water, and/or soda, unless it’s an Irish whiskey, which might attract ginger ale, or an American with, maybe, a cola. Rums are best with a splash of cola, water or neat. But brown gins have this puzzle which is still unsolved. Do we serve them neat? Ideally, yes. However, Indians are yet to fully catch on to this drinking style. The day they do, they’ll know what they’ve been missing. Until then, we wait.

If we serve them in a Martini, a Negroni, or a Highball, known as the ‘trio test’ in tasting circles, they reveal very little of their original selves or the influences added to them. A Negroni easily overshadows the oak’s subtlety, and definitely that of the gin’s junipery spine. A Martini might show right, but it will only be the finer palates who can appreciate it this way and view the experiment as a new pursuit rather than as a loss. As for Highballs, they just don’t gel with brown gins, because this experimentation takes away equally from the joy of drinking a Bushmills’s Ginger or a Jim Beam Cola as it does from a crisp Gin and Tonic.

This would tend to mean that Brown Gins only work as collectibles or limited releases. And all the effort of figuring it all out, developing a palate and a liking for just a small batch that’s simply a passing fad on your palate journey, is pretty futile.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT, THEN?

Although we are yet to find a balance and define our relationships with brown gins, they do offer an eyebrow-raising curiosity, and a conversation worth an evening over a few gin tonics or young malts. I personally wouldn’t mind an occasional Greater Than Broken Bat with ginger ale and lime, or a Stranger & Sons Barrel Aged Gin as a twist on an Old Fashioned or a Boulevardier, along with some adjustments on the amaro, vermouth and garnish.

These two are the ones available in the market now. And whenever they appear of an evening, they’ll carry the promise of sparking a conversation that’s sure to be enjoyable, even if it’s left inconclusive as to whether India could befriend Brown Gins as a style and category unto itself.

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Articles Spirits

ELIXIRS OF EXCLUSIVITY

You’ve just launched a fabulous spirit. The market is buzzing. Everyone is rushing to grab the bottle and post about it on the Gram and earn a spot of social currency. Your social media team is acing the content game. You’re the talk of the industry and the aficionados for a couple of months. Then, the very next brand that’s launched grabs your market’s attention. Brand loyalty stays, but the excitement diminishes. The onus is now on you to win back their attention and keep the excitement abuzz. And this is how life, read brand cycle, comes full circle…

With a virtual tsunami of spirits being launched, brands have to stay on their toes not only to retain their share of the pie, but to do so creatively. That’s where the play of ‘limited releases’ comes in, breathing renewed interest in the brand, while according an opportunity to spread their net a little wider. These limited releases thus become collectibles—they infuse the right dose of curiosity and dopamine to spark an entire conversation around the hows and whys. Why were they created; how to drink them, and most importantly, whether to enjoy them or hold them for their future rarity value as a noteworthy investible.

THE RAISON D’ETRE

What makes a limited release a trending proposition? How does a brand conceive a limited release? The idea is simple: keep the market excited, show your experimental prowess, and add to your share of the pie from other similar markets. International brands have already paved the way with endless examples—Hendricks Gin has an entire range of Bathtub bundles, and even Elon Musk had a go at it with his Tesla Tequila. But the inevitable question is whether it’s just a fad or a play for the long run?

Limited releases are an intelligent response to what a brand has learnt over time and their propensity to bottle it. It is a sensitive play since there’s a lot that can go awry. To begin with, in India, we have a ‘problem of plenty’. There are too many distracting influences. That new gin that was just released, it could’ve been made in a thousand possible permutations of botanicals. Of course, the one they ended up with was the expression that proved the best fit at the time, give price sensitivity and the maturity of the market. That said, each year they can flirt with their botanicals even if they use the same, they can simply alter the proportions to create new renditions just like Greater Than’s Juniper Bomb, which used three times the juniper compared to the original Greater Than. Voila! The world goes chasing after it.

PLAY OF TIME, PLAY OF CHARECTER

On the other hand, a whisky distiller could just fill their mash bill with a plethora of grains. More importantly, age them in a particular cask shape, size, build, duration, or exposure that the country hasn’t seen before. And you have a collectible whisky. Glenfiddich’s Winter Storm was Scotch whisky aged in Canadian Icewine casks, Glenmorangie’s Nectar d’Or had a Sauternes dessert wine cask finished whisky, Amrut has exclusive Port pipes aged whiskies, Tamnavulin aged their spirits in a Rioja Tempranillo cask…the list is endless.

 

For an agave spirit maker, toying with a special wine cask could add a hue, tannins, and terroir that the spirit could have never experienced by itself. That’s precisely what Pistola Agavepura, an Indian agave spirit, did when they rested their spirits in a specially sourced Cabernet Sauvignon barrel from KRSMA Wines from Hampi, birthing their Rosa Select edition. Rakshay Dhariwal explains this union simply: “There’s a certain complexity and special character that a wine barrel can add to a spirit that no other cask can add. We are making good wines in India; we are crafting brilliant spirits in the country. It only makes sense that the two meet”.

It’s not just the barrels and what they deliver to the spirit, sometimes it’s also the duration of the ageing. India’s proximity to the equator makes it among one of the hottest places to age a spirit. Our spirits age four times faster than those in Japan, Ireland, or Scotland. So if something is aged in India for 12 years, it is equivalent to a 50-year-old Scotch. That’s half a century, have you seen one that old yet? Then again, who was thinking about ageing a spirit for that long in India 12 years ago? Last year Camikara Rum stunned everyone with its introduction of a rare 12-year-old example, sparking off a serious conversation about India’s distilling prowess, more importantly about sturdy rums in the country.

And it’s not just about gin and whisky, there’s so much that can be done with our favourite wines, beers, meads, and other spirits that settling for just one should be, deemed a crime, at least socially. It’s a fantastic way for the brand to remain relevant, keep the consumers guessing, and the creative juices flowing with storytelling that weaves fantasia and not just fluff.

THE CONSUMER WINS

More than for a producer, limited releases are for the consumers—tiny offerings that are like surprise gifts from Secret Santa. Moonshine Meadery, Asia and India’s first of its kind setup, collaborated with Subko Coffee for a remarkable coffee mead. Nitin Vishwas, owner and cofounder of Moonshine, saw this as a great way to grab the attention of the specialty coffee drinkers and draw them into the mead market. Coffee enthusiasts often seek information on the product’s origin, its fermentation style, roast levels, grind grade, and the brewing methods. A similar query is relevant in case of honey’s origin and the process that transforms it from a natural product to a drink worth relishing. And the same applies to wines, chocolates, teas, fruits, and a lot more, promising a congenial marriage with a happily ever after for the palate.

A Liquid Interpretation

Whether it’s the trend of the time, say the revival of pink gins and spiced rums, or capturing the moon landing in liquid form, these limited releases encapsulate a moment, a philosophy or a concept. Take a leaf out of the Indian single malt whisky success of Goa-based Paul John Whiskies, which has aced their collectable series programme. Whether it’s the once a year limited release called the ‘Christmas Edition’, which has a cult following now, or their even ‘more limited’ Constellation series that has yielded gems such as Kanya and Mithuna. Even rarer is their Mars Orbiter—a tribute to ISRO for their successful launch of Mangalyaan in 2013, a once in a lifetime event that merited a unique celebration. These spirits have become a global phenomenon now, and done much to prove that India is a mature market for such niche collectibles, single-handedly nudging the shelf price of Indian whiskies close to upwards of a lakh. Diageo’s recent Indian international whiskey, Godawan released a 100 bottle batch of what was unimaginatively called Godawan Century and came with a price tag of ` 1 lakh. And its rarity value will only hike the price from here on.

Personally, my favourite interpretation of India’s collective love distilled in a bottle was the Broken Bat by Greater Than gin, released at the end of 2022. The 2023 cricket World Cup was being hosted by India, everyone was bleeding blue, and they launched the gin that singlehandedly ignited the gin revolution in the country with a single masterstroke—a gin that was macerated in Kashmiri Willow from the bats that once scored the winning runs on the streets of India. While oaky gins might have been a point of contention among its aficionados, a spirited homage to the second greatest love of the world’s largest population proved to be quite the charmer.

While not all limited releases are exciting and some are even undeserving of a welcome on the shelf, but they endeavour to serve our ever-increasing appetite for experimentation. Till we have a palate that can be teased and tantalised, a mind that can appreciate creative storytelling, and a desire for the finer things in life, limited releases will continue to add exciting twists to our favourite elixirs. To the sun in the sky and the amber in our glass, we say: “Tomorrow is another day”.

Originally written for India Today Spice

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India’s First Hyperlocal Gin

Mid-day musings: who turns down daytime, midweek indulgence? And that too for a new Gin that promises the provenance of the misty hills of the picturesque Kumaon, in a bottle? Too good to be true; we didn’t believe it either till we sampled Kumaon & I. The heart and hard work behind the gin is the same as behind other labels that wooed us such as Jin Jiji and Kamet Single Malt Whisky—Ansh Khanna. Touted as the country’s first hyperlocal provincial gin, Kumaon&I prides itself in sourcing botanicals that are native to the region. Putting together a gin in India presents a unique problem, the problem of plenty. You ask for a citrus fruit, and we have a library of more than 100 limes alone. The humble ginger can take shapes and forms that’ll make your head spin. And then comes the herbs, roots, flowers, seed, teas…you get the idea. With an ocean to pick from, it’s only fitting that Kumaon&I opted to keep it regional, since Kumaon has a rich history of foragers, cultivators, and distillers. This provides a peek into the rich agricultural spread of the region, and also supports the local community. Now that’s a gin with a cause! The backbone holds strong and stands tall with the rustic earthiness of the Himalayan juniper—India’s introduction to the world—supported by ten other botanicals. Timur is the Himalayan equivalent of the Schezwan pepper with an electric zing, Black turmeric adds an alluring mouthfeel, Galgal (pahadi nimbu), and Kinu fills the spectrum with bright citrus freshness, walnuts act as a binder, coriander seeds with their citrus spice twang is unmistakable, and then come the ethereal aromatics of Rose, Thuner leaves, and Kalmegh. The last two are Ayurvedic ingredients often used in local households. The bottle design too accentuates the regional heritage of Aipan, a local hand-painted art form, drawn on a smooth surface of wet red Geru mud with a white paste made by grounding cooked rice in water, called Bisvar. The black round designs symbolise coming full circle and is a nod to their sustainable credentials that embody the spirit of farm to bottle. Each bottle is a result of a nine-hour distillation process, on the bed of a rice-based spirit. We sampled Kumaon&I in three formats: neat, with a dash of water, and with a splosh of Indian tonic water. Each revealed distinct facets of the spirit, while respecting the dominant Himalayan juniper notes as its lynchpin. Here’s toasting another exciting chapter in the evolution of the Indian craft spirits landscape.

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Coffee Meets Alcohol: The Best Of Both Worlds

There’s something civilised about drinking a cocktail. And during the lockdown, we needed it more than ever to distract us from the boredom. Another drink that kept us sane and cheery was coffee. I can’t imagine starting my day without a crisp cup of medium roast, pour-over, that’s preferably from an Indian estate. It wasn’t surprising then that someone had the idea of combining these two lifesavers — coffee and alcohol to make one single drink. The most-consumed cocktail during the pandemic was the Espresso Martini!

Over the last decade, the surging popularity of coffee and cocktails have resulted in innovations among vendors and helped us better our appreciation and understanding of these products. Words like craft roasters, single-lot coffees, grinds, roasts, brewing techniques, nitros, AeroPress and pour-overs, have become a part of our vocabulary and changed the way we consume our favourite beverage. A similar change has been underway in the alcohol and cocktail space as well. Mixers, syrups, tonics, craft beer are now part of everyday conversations. 

The coming together of the two fast-growing craft segments have resulted in a new breed of drinks like the Espresso Martini. And it is just the beginning of what is promising to be an excellent future for coffee-accented tipples.

Nitin Vishwas of Moonshine Meadery breaks this phenomenon down. He says the specialty coffee brands have done a ton to educate the consumer. “They’ve been pushing the envelope and making big waves. So have been the craft alcobev producers. It’s only natural for them to come together,” he explains. 

Aman Thadani of Fullerton Distilleries declares that doing something with coffee was always a part of his plan. He sees an overlap in consumers of the two beverages. “Mixing coffee and craft alcobevs isn’t new, and with the craft spirit movement in India growing in confidence, it is only natural for them to try new things,” he says. 

Here we look at a few exciting new products in the market that do a good job of combining coffee with alcohol. 

Malabar Stout

Bira 91 and Blue Tokai joined hands to put an Indian coffee-accented brew on the world map. The limited-release Malabar Stout is a celebration of the coming together of the Indian craft beer movement and the beautiful coffees of South India. The rich, malty stout with a chocolate flavor that India loves gets a power-packed, aromatic, cold brew boost from select south Indian coffee estates. Bira 91 founder Ankur Jain kept coffee at the centre of the recipe while crafting a beer that accentuates its nuances. The result is an outstanding brew that is robust and impressive. It has a creamy feel and a chewy, malty character. The acidity in the cold brew cleans the palate and makes you return for the next sip. (Mumbai: Rs 170, Bengaluru: Rs 130, Noida: Rs 120)

Coffee Mead and The Collab Project X Subko Specialty Coffee

Mead is not beer. It is largely unknown in India though we created and gifted it to the world; think of soma from the Vedas! Pune-based Moonshine Meadery is the pioneer of modern-day mead in India and probably Asia. Besides their traditional mead, which is a fermented honey drink, they have crafted a coffee mead – a combination of the founders’ two first loves. While Nitin Vishwas is a coffee fanatic, Rohan Rehani is not just an enthusiast but he’s also part of the jury at the Indian Aeropress Championship. 

During their home-brewing days, Nitin threw a handful of coffee beans in his traditional mead, and the result was an instant wow! Their friends loved it, and the founders knew they were on to something. The soft, mild taste showed what a good coffee and a well-made mead could do together. Meads are gluten-free, vegan, with honey at its base, and environment friendly — easily amongst the most sustainable drinks. Pair it with coffee, and you have a morally conscious morning in a glass!

Later, when Rahul Reddy of Mumbai-based Subko Specialised Coffee Roasters reached out to them to get one a project together, it led to a ‘collab series’, the results of which are now sold under the brand name ‘The Collab Project X Subko Specialty Coffee’. It was done in a true spirit of cooperation. Rohan’s company aged the raw green coffee beans in a traditional mead and sent it back to Subko. It was dried and roasted there (they even turned part of it into a coffee, which was on the Subko menu for a few days. I was lucky to be in Mumbai at that time and I loved it). The coffee beans were coarse-ground by Subko and returned to Moonshine to be turned into a specialty mead! The result? A concoction with a boastful coffee character and nuanced notes, one that needs time to open up and patience to appreciate. If it were a wine, I would’ve decanted and let it breathe before sipping — not straight from the bottle, but in a wine glass, at room temperature, like how a fine tipple deserves to be had. The current lot is a limited edition of 1000 bottles. But I am told new coffee meads are on their way. (Coffee Mead, Mumbai: Rs 185, Goa: Rs 140; The Collab Project X Subko Specialty Coffee, Mumbai: Rs 240)

Greater Than Coffee Negroni/Gin

No craft spirit wave has been as impressive as the gin revolution in India. Greater Than, from Goa-based Nao Spirits, was among the earliest to innovate in the game with their limited-release Juniper Bomb. Launched in 2017, Greater Than was India’s first craft London Dry Gin, and there is always an expectation from the founders of the company to up their game. With the pandemic pushing everyone indoors, it allowed them to go loco with experiments.

Co-founder Anand Virmani remembers his distillers bringing him a carton of experimental distils, of which coffee-infused ones instantly stood out. Having experimented with pink gins, juniper styles, citruses, and spices, coffee was a no-brainer for Virmani. At their `bar-takeovers’ across the country, during the early marketing days of Greater Than, he had served a signature cocktail of gin, tonic water, and a cold-brew float called ‘No Sleep G&T’. To create a Coffee Negroni, they reached out to coffee maker Sleepy Owl to source medium roast beans from Chikamagalur. The beans were steeped in water for about two days to create a sturdy cold brew, and then, instead of cutting the distillates with demineralised water as is the norm, it was cut with this strong cold brew. The result is a gin mix with no added sugars, colours, or flavours, except for the crisp and bold coffee expression and fruitiness. It can be drunk with a splash of tonic, an espresso martini, or as a cool coffee Negroni. (Goa: Rs 1,000, Bengaluru Rs 2,400, Mumbai Rs 1,850)

Segredo Aldeia Cafe Rum

Gin may have got all the attention these days, but there is as much action on the rum front too. And among the more popular recent launches has been Segredo Aldeia cafe and white rums from Aman Thadani’s Goa-based Fullarton Distilleries, which also makes the Pumori gin. Aman is also a coffee enthusiast, so it was only a matter of time before he began experimenting with a coffee-rum combination. 

Single-origin coffee beans were sourced from South India, dark roasted, and later infused and sweetened with cane sugar. This jaggery spirit was aged in ex-Bourbon casks and mixed with unaged cane spirit made in a rustic Rhum Agricole style. The process gives the resulting alcohol a ton of complexity, making it a fun yet serious spirit. Infusing whole beans provides a mix of coffee, cocoa, and rustic savoury characters. The sweetness makes it easy on the palate. Keep it in the freezer and pour a dram for yourself from time to time. A splash of water unfolds the spirit, opening it to full bloom. Cafe Rum is like a breath of fresh air on the Indian alcohol shelves, boasting of a new age craft distillers’ sense of confidence and the gentle push to the consumers to try something out of the box.  (Goa: Rs 1,650)

All things said, there is no saying how long this coffee-infused alcohol trend will last. According to Vishwas, overcomplicating the drink might cause the consumers to shy away from trying them. The aim should be to bring the nuances of the two craft beverages together in a way that is simple and easy to decipher.

First Published in Mans World India ,2022

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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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Blog Conversations

Conversations with Indulge – Charnelle Martins

I’m an Alcobev Scientist and Distiller working as Head of Distillery Operations for Stranger & Sons Gin at Third Eye Distillery, Goa. I’ve done my masters in Food and Alcohol Biotechnology and IBD Dip. Distillers exams in UK and an overall alcohol geek. I’ve worked with the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, Edinburgh and Diageo India on all things whisky before my foray into Indian Craft Gin with Stranger & Sons. I am excited about giving India the experience of a homegrown premium Gin that we all can be proud of!

What defines your philosophy of distillation? 

What drew me to distilling, primarily, was its ability to manipulate simple ingredients to create something unique, to express one’s creativity and ideas through spirits. I like to take a scientific approach while working – understanding why you use a certain method or ingredient over the other. Keep things simple, focus on quality ingredients and trust your palate. 

What is your personal connect with spirits: first sipped – notable milestones on your malted journey? 

I have always loved science and been curious about flavours and food since I was young, tasting my way through everything in the kitchen. We often brewed wine and made liqueurs at home. My dad would always let me sample his liquor cabinet because “it’s important to know what good alcohol tastes like!” He, albeit unknowingly at that time, made me appreciate the finer nuances of good alcohol and set me on the path of becoming a distiller. The blended whiskies were popular back then, and Johnnie Walker was probably the first whisky I sipped – but it was the single malts that got me hooked! I decided to travel to the UK, where I did my masters; worked and visited every distillery, brewery and gin bar I could find. This exposed me to a whole new world of spirits and then there was no turning back! 

What would be a typical day in your work life? 

The best part of working at a distillery is that no two days are alike, and that’s why I enjoy what I do! Walking into our distillery in picturesque Goa, I am welcomed with the smell of gin being made. I oversee the entire production process – from sourcing the botanicals from local farms across India to distilling every batch of gin and finally bottling. Every batch of gin made is approved by me before it heads to bottling, which is my most important task as it puts my palate to the test! There is also constant R&D for experimental gin batches, future spirits and other products like cordials, tinctures and bitters that we use for our Stranger cocktails. 

What would you distill if there were no restrictions or rules? 

Opening up my own little distillery has been the dream. And with no restrictions I would probably go crazy distilling everything! 

What challenges do you face being one of the few women working in this field in India? 

You need to put in the hard work and dedication to hone your craft and not let stereotypical industry “norms” hold you back. Skill goes beyond gender and personally that’s what I want to be recognized for. Today there are so many women shaking up the world of liquor, all while proving gender is irrelevant when it comes to crafting the perfect libation. 

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

A Stranger G&T with a light tonic water and garnished with a slice of ginger. It’s delicious, refreshing and easy to make! 

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

It takes passion and love for spirits along with the right mix of
experience, knowledge, creativity and patience to make it in this industry. 

My advice is to do your research – knowing what you’re going to be
jumping into will be critical. Do a few courses or get an internship to gain
on-ground experience, go on as many tours as you can and network with others in
the industry. Most importantly taste, taste and keep tasting some more to train
and build your palate. 

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Blog Videos

#52Drinks52Weeks – Tonic Water

With Peru, Spain, France, Holland, Britain, Indonesia, India, and Africa contributing to perfecting the beverage over a span of over 500 years, Tonic Water has come a long way. From being a global medicinal drink to that of choice of the British Raj in India, tonic water was once as precious as gold.

Sommelier Magandeep SINGH and Gagan SHARMA share the long and lesser-told story of Tonic Water, the Indian Tonic Water, and how it shaped cultures over centuries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sTmitSm99A&t=326s

Tonic water has murky beginnings – no absolute clarity as to where it all began.

17TH CENTURY PERU

Spanish colonists discovered a treatment for Malaria in the bark of the Quinquina tree. 1638, one account insists that the fateful encounter was the result of the wife of the Spanish Viceroy in Peru, the Countess of Chinchon (In Spain, near Madrid), falling ill with Malaria. The Quechua (Inca) peoples had long understood the Cinchona tree’s ability to stop shivers in cold temperatures. The potion worked and she quickly recovered.

And when the Count and Countess of Chinchon returned to their castle and lands in Spain, in 1640, where malaria was rife, the Countess took her miracle powder with her. It was, thus, called the “Countess’s powder” or simply bark from the “fever tree” 

FRANCE IS A PAL, BRITISH AREN’T

It’s a known fact that then the Spaniards and the French were a team, while the British and the Portuguese worked together.

By 1817, French scientists Pelletier and Caventou found a method for extracting the bark’s most medically powerful compound, quinine. They established a factory to isolate quinine from the bark and sold the drug as a means of preventing Malaria.

France of Dubonnet, the wine-based aperitif and favourite of the late Queen Mother. This tonic wine was invented in 1846 by Joseph Dubonnet, using a blend of herbs and quinine, and was said to be commissioned by the government to tempt the French Foreign Legion to take their antimalarial medication while abroad. 

In 1841 the English Journal complained of ‘a visit to Holland, where gin and quinine must be drunk to keep malaria away’. In the military, however, gin wasn’t yet popular.

The powers of South America were growing. In 1860 alone, South America exported around two million pounds of Cinchona bark to Britain and the United States. A South American monopoly combined with over- harvesting pushed Cinchona trees to the brink of extinction.

Quinine became as valuable as gold. 

PERU AND THE DUTCH

With Peru still prohibiting exporting Cinchona seeds, both the British and the Dutch turned to smuggling cinchona seeds out of South America and set upon a race to find a way to supply their own demand. 

1860s, Charles Ledger infamously smuggled Cinchona seedlings out of Peru and sold them to the Dutch government. Holland set up large plantations in Java, their colony in Indonesia. By World War I, (1914 – 1918) the Dutch nearly monopolised the quinine trade from their plantations in Java, supplying 95% of the world’s quinine

Perhaps equally importantly, by the 1880s cheap and dependable supplies of quinine – a key ingredient of tonic water – became available from the India, Sri Lanka and Java plantations. All the 19th century references to gin and tonic, from 1868 onwards, are from India and many but not all have military connections.

By 1870, Schweppes used the appropriate name Indian Tonic Water for its tonic water.

During World War II, (1939-1945) Japanese occupied Java, and planted Quinine in Africa. Today, most comes from there.

INDIA AND TONIC

In 1825, British officers had already began mixing gin with their daily ration of quinine tonic and unwittingly, had invented a potent precursor to the classic Gin and Tonic. After the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 (or the “Indian Mutiny”), the British Crown took over the governance of India from the British East India Company and strengthened its presence on the subcontinent. 

Many credit its invention to officers in the Indian Army taking their daily bitter quinine dose washed down with gin and soda. Some date this as early as 1825, unlikely that this is the true origin, and no records or references have been found to support this.

INDIAN ARMY – In the British Army it seems that whichever spirits were most handy were used, most often brandy, whisky, rum, wine or local spirits. An 1863 report on the army in India and Ceylon records that quinine doses were given daily in b, a locally distilled spirit. Rum or ‘grog’ was the preferred Navy tipple for taking a dose.

AT THE BAR – The first known reference to gin and tonic as a bar cocktail is in the Anglo-Indian Oriental Sporting Magazine in 1868, a decade after the first patented quinine tonic water. The term was evidently a familiar phrase in India, being called out by attendees of a horse race at Sealkote (Sialkot), in current Punjab of Pakistan, as they finish for the evening

GIN OVER BEER – England’s sailors often found themselves traveling to destinations where malaria was prevalent, so they brought quinine rations to help prevent and fight the disease. Quinine tasted notoriously awful, so Schweppes (1870s) came out with an “Indian Tonic Water” to make it palatable. London Dry Gin accompanied the sailors on these voyages. It was in fashion at the time and made for better cargo than beer, as the latter quickly spoiled in the sweltering bellies of ships. So, like true Englishmen, eventually the two liquids were combined to form what is now the classic gin cocktails. Limes were added due to their b properties, thus birthing the term “limey,” a moniker for sailors. Cordials were made to preserve the limes, and a lime cordial and gin were inevitably combined (hello, Gimlet).

TONIC AND CURE

Quinine was the only effective Malaria treatment for over 300 years – now it isn’t.

It was taken daily as a preventative, not just a cure. The recommended amount was one to two grains per day, in sherry or another alcoholic drink – between 65 and 130 milligrams.

A modern tonic water contains a maximum of 83 milligrams of quinine in a litre.  It may not be a preventive dose but surely aids in digestion.

A light-hearted research trial in 2004. This measured quinine blood levels after volunteers downed between 500ml and 1,000 ml of tonic water in 15 minutes. Even with this quantity, tests showed only a brief and minimal protective effect against malaria.

“Cinchonism” symptoms include headache, nausea, ringing in the ears, and in more extreme cases, loss of hearing and vision.

NOW – A controversial, highly processed sugar derived from cornstarch, called High Fructose Corn Sugar (HFCS) is used as a sweetener. It is extremely dangerous and unhealthy. The today tonic has approximately 3 times the sugar as fruit juice.

What we do know is the the ‘Indian Tonic Water’ is a recipe with lesser sugar and higher citrus than any other tonic water style. Also, it uses Saccharine than HFSC, which is comparatively less dangerous, but it is still sugar and is unhealthy.

Categories
Blog Conversations

Conversations With Indulge – Anand Virmani

Anand Virmani – Founder Nao Spirits

India is the fifth largest Gin producing country in the world. Anand Virmani is the founder of Nao Spirits and India’s first craft London Dry gin, Greater Than. With great passion in the world of beverages, Anand has also been behind Delhi’s famous Perch bar. So, we guess what the F&B world really needed was some out of the box thinking. Greater Than, and Hapusa (which is a Himalayan Dry gin made using indigenous botanicals) are making their presence felt across bar-shelves around the country. Recently we sat Anand down for a quick round of Q&As and this is what came forth.

What inspired you to produce Gin in India?

The lack of good Gin! It was partly selfish because we quite like drinking Gin ourselves and could not find interesting enough options, so the natural option was to go out and make it ourselves.

How do you plan to raise awareness about Gin in the Whisky dominated market?

We’re hoping for general enlightenment, one sip at a time. Our feeling is that the Gin & Tonic (a drink which was invented in India incidentally) is naturally best suited for the Indian climate. I can’t imagine too many people will go back to their Whisky options once they’ve had a tall, crisp glass of Gin & Tonic.

What is the future of Indian Gin on the Global scene?

As Trump says, “It’s going to be huuuuge”. We are generally optimistic about Indian Gin in the global scene given how it is the one main-line spirit made from herbs and spices, something which India has always prided itself on.

What is the best thing about making Gin in India? The worst?

Greater Than Gin by Nao Spirits

The absolute best thing about making Gin in India is the massive love and support we have received from the trade and consumers. “Local” was a negative term only about a decade ago and it’s supremely heartening to see how much this has changed. “Local” is the flag we fly proudly.

The worst thing is the vagaries of the rules and regulations surrounding our industry. Alcohol is still a bad word in the country and starting your own venture in the industry is like driving through the Delhi smog – a very unhealthy trip into the unknown.

If not Gin, which other beverage do you look forward to?

We would love to one day be able to make a really good Wine in the country.

Which are the most unique botanicals you have come across while working with Gins?

The list of botanicals in India is just endless. Mango Ginger is something which was very new to me initially and something I desperately wanted to use in our Gins but just couldn’t work it in. Turmeric is one that I’m very happy about using in Hapusa.

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

Depending on the day, either a Beer or a Gin & Tonic.

What’s your advice to young professionals seeking knowledge on spirits?

Started from a non-beverage background, Anand also heads Perch Bar in New Delhi.

Go out and find unique ways to acquire this knowledge for yourself! Most of the formalized education in the field is focused on Wine, but there are plenty of books and resources out there on spirits as well. Importantly, there is a lot to find out about in the spirits world which can often be just as complex if not more so than the world of wine.

What’s the most motivating factor that keeps you going in this line of profession?

There is just so much to be done. The big spirit producers of the country are absolute Goliaths in the world scene, our newly forged craft industry needs to dazzle the world with our creativity, our story-telling and our ton-notch quality!