After a slow start, India’s gin market is now seeing a big uptick. The year has already seen the launch of two new homegrown gins, Terai and Gin Gin. And now, owing to the lockdown and delayed launches, the country has four more gins to raise a toast to, at the same time. It’s no surprise that they’re all coming out of the sunshine state of Goa, where rules around liquor production and distribution are less stringent as compared to the rest of the country. While some source their ingredients from as far as Macedonia, other brands are using pepper grown in their factory’s backyard. Either way, we’re not complaining. India’s gin movement is no longer just beginning; it’s finally arrived. 

Four made-in-India gins to try 

Saṃsāra Contemporary Indian Gin

The brainchild of UCLA graduate and former PricewaterhouseCoopers associate Aditya Aggarwal, Saṃsāra is the first offering from the house of Spaceman & Company. Distilled in the classic London Dry method using eleven botanicals—organic hemp seeds, rose petals, vetiver grass, green cardamom and juniper berries—Saṃsāra is floral and citrusy with a hint of of spicy earthiness. It is truly an enjoyable and easy-to-drink gin, one we foresee to be a hot favourite among gin lovers in India. 

While the juniper is sourced from Macedonia, the other botanicals, such as Indian blood oranges, cassia bark, angelica root and rose petals, are procured from farms and organisations across India. The lemon seed and vetiver is sourced from Kerehaklu in Karnataka, while the hemp seeds come from a partnership with Bombay Hemp Company, or BOHECO.

Spaceman & Company has big plans for the Indian craft spirits industry. Once it is safe and travel restrictions lift, you will be able to visit their flagship distillery in Goa for a gin masterclass, or to create a custom gin or spirit blend and brand it. Aggarwal is also going the sustainable route with his business and has tied up with design company to develop 3D printed bottles for alcoholic beverages. And hemp-based beverages in India may be a reality, thanks to Spaceman’s partnership with BOHECO. The two have come together to explore opportunities to bring non-psychoactive chemical compounds found in marijuana to alcobev products in the near future.

Recommended serving: On the rocks or with a mild tonic, garnished with a slice of ginger or a bouquet of mint leaves
Available in: Saṃsāra will be available in Goa this September and in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago later this year.
Price: approximately Rs1,350 for a 750ml bottle
More details here

Tickle Gin 

From the makers of the famous coconut rum Cabo comes Tickle Gin, a dry gin from the state of Goa. In the works for more than two years, Tickle Gin uses botanicals from across the country. There’s Himalayan juniper, orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander seeds, clove and even black pepper grown in the factory plantation of Adinco Distilleries. The gin is juniper forward with pepper and cardamom notes on the palate. Thanks to the melange of citrus flavours and spices, there’s an aroma of raw mango, which will take you back to summer holidays and Goa’s tree-lined roads.

Tickle is produced using the cold extraction method, which Adinco Director Solomon Diniz tells CNT “helps maintain the characteristics of the spices in the gin and allows the spirit to be infused with a certain freshness”.

Recommended serving: Enjoy it in a G&T with a slice of cucumber or apple
Available in: Goa currently and in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune by the end of August
Price: Rs650 in Goa
More details here 

Pumori

“Pumori isn’t just a drink—it is an experience,” says Aman Thadani, master distiller of the new Goa-based craft gin. Produced by the makers of Woodburns Whisky, Pumori is named after Mount Pumori, which is located just 8km west of Mount Everest. “The juniper in the gin is sourced from this region, and hence, the name is a hat tip to the glorious peaks and that moment of peace and clarity one attains while in the mountains.”

Produced in a facility of Fullarton Distilleries based in the woodlands of Candepar, Goa, Pumori’s 100 percent home-grown gin features 12 botanicals sourced from the Indian subcontinent. Distilled in a custom-made, self-fabricated 200 litre pot still, the New Western-style gin shines with Himalayan juniper, orange peel, lemon peel, cardamom, coriander seeds, liquorice, nutmeg, rosemary, aniseed, cinnamon, almond and vanilla. Being from the New Western school, the gin is less juniper forward, with a greater emphasis on the spice in the spirit. “Think less Bombay Sapphire and more Aviation Gin,” explains Thadani. 

Pumori is complemented with a dash of freshness brought in by cardamom and liquorice root on the palate. On the nose, the gin is a bouquet of juniper with a dash of citrus, while the finish is rounded off with a pleasant union of vanilla and almond flavours. 

The drink’s wide-bottle design was inspired by old-school traveller flasks, with the artwork on the label showcasing ancient gin-making methods employed through the ages.

Recommended serving: On the rocks to open it up or with a half and half of tonic and water or soda
Available in: Currently only in Goa
Price: Rs1,750 for a 750ml bottle
More details here 

Jin Jiji

The fourth gin from the sunshine state is Jin Jiji, possibly the first gin in the world to use cashew nuts, an ingredient synonymous with Goa, in its production. Jin Jiji uses juniper sourced from the Himalayas and distills its spirit with other Indian botanicals in a copper pot still.

The jiji in the moniker is derived from the Hindi word jijivisha to describe a passion and lust for life.

Available in: Goa
More details here