A little bit of spirit never hurt anyone. If you’ve got alcohol at your destination wedding in Goa, you can rest be assured there will be lots of celebrating. But you don’t have to always stick to a regular bar menu. Add some exotic liquors from India to the mix and gift your guests an interesting drinking experience on your big day.
Picture Credits - Cazulo Premium Feni
ZAWLAIDI
Wine is high on the list at celebratory events today. When wedding planning in Goa, it can seem easy to go with well-known Indian brands. For a dash of the different, try Mizoram’s Zawlaidi wine, grown from high-quality Lubrusca grapes in the mountainous state. Locally, it is considered to be a love potion, the ideal drink at your romantic destination wedding in Goa!
Picture Credits - 17 Oz Bar Events
ROYAL MAWALIN
Add a regal tinge to your wedding planning in Goa with a spirit whose recipe is known only to a noble family in Rajasthan. With 39 ingredients, including exotic dry fruits and dates, Royal Mawalin offers a hint of the bitter with a rich texture. Believed to have curative properties, and particularly helpful with digestion, this alcohol will make the ideal accompaniment to all the gastronomic indulgence.
Picture Credits - Deepali Gupta
FENI
Your destination wedding in Goa will be incomplete without a local element. Bring it to the bar with Goa’s famous cashew or coconut feni. While the latter is harder to source, the former is a fiery heritage recipe that lends itself well to cocktails. Made from cashew fruit available only during a short few weeks, its sweet aroma is loved across Goa. One of the premium brands to try is Cazulo, a family-run unit that seeks to preserve the spirit’s 400-year old tradition.
Picture Credits - Fazenda Cazulo
THANDAI
Technically this isn’t an alcoholic beverage but if you substitute the usual bhang for more easily available spirits, you’ve got yourself a hit. Its traditional recipe involving nuts and spices mixed with milk and sugar can be blended with a wide variety of alcohols to make interesting cocktails. Try vodka or gin with peach schnapps, crème de menthe for a fresh hit, or a mix of Baileys and Amaretto for a dessert-style variant.
Picture Credits - Shabana Khan
MAHUA
Made from the flower of a popular tree in central India, this drink holds a special place in the hearts of the forest tribes and adivasis. It is an essential drink in local celebrations and the tree is sacred in these areas. The fresh, fruity and heady spirit has been described as one of India’s best local drinks. Mahua is available commercially via Goan brand DesmondJi under the name DJ Mahua.
Picture Credits - DesmondJi
GHANTI KINNAUR
From the high reaches of Himachal Pradesh comes a drink the locals like to call Ghanti and are fiercely protective of. Made from apple and apricot, the transparent drink has a fruity smell and goes down smoothly if made well. Also called Chulli, it is typically paired with water and can warm you up well on a cool night. Currently available from local brewers, microbreweries are expected to be set up in the region soon to make it more easily accessible
Picture Credits - Happily Unmarried