Text by Joanna Lobo. Photographed by Tenzing Dakpa
A spirited craft liquor industry finds a home on the state’s shores
There’s a new gin lining the shelves of certain Goan supermarkets. It’s a flat, hip flask-shaped bottle, and the liquid inside shimmers with a faint hue of blue. This butterfly pea gin is marketed as the cheapest craft gin in Goa. And at 245 rupees per bottle, it’s a well-founded claim.
The past few months have seen an influx of new liquor brands: the above-mentioned Clearly Good Gin, Maka di craft beers, Maka Zai rum and Rahasya vodka. On the anvil are Matinee Gin, Aani Ek infused feni and GinGin. And so my recent sojourn back home found me exploring liquor shops with a keen eye, and I spot shiny new bottles of gin, vodka, beer and whisky. They boast tags like “local”, “home-grown” and “craft”, and the producers are a mix of locals and non-locals who’ve made Goa their temporary home.