Why Goa is awash with more homegrown gins than ever

A rush of new gins, heady with locally sourced botanicals and spices, are being distilled in Goa. Discover them before they slide into 2022’s cocktail menus

In Goa, Nilgiris tea meets Himalayan juniper and cashewnuts on the beaches and in the bars. While the past two pandemic years slowed business, and closed down many bars and restaurants, across the country, Goa has been bustling with new ideas and launches.

Over the past two years, a host of home-brewn gins have mushroomed across the State, building on the impact created by Greater Than, Hapusa, Stranger & Sons and Jaisalmer, the gin brands that began celebrating Indian botanicals.

In 2020, Jin Jiji launched its India dry gin, with the unique flavours of botanicals like chamomile and tulsi . This was followed by Clearly Good Gin, India’s 1st Blue and Vapour-Infused gin created by Goa-based Shubham Khanna. The year 2021 witnessed the launch of multiple brands: Seqer, DOJA, Tāmras, to name a few. “Each of these has a unique story. While Seqer — from packaging to the botanicals used — preserves and boasts of the Goan identity, Tāmras has unique botanicals like sweet lime, lemon verbena, Nilgiri tea, Egyptian grapefruit and Indonesian cubeb peppers. Doja is a small-batch gin with a blend of Indian and Japanese botanicals,” says Rojita Tiwari, a certified drinks professional, educator and consultant.