Alcoholic Beverages of India.

HospiBuz Desk

Vodka, whisky or rum. When it comes to drinking everybody prefers foreign drinks. Many people are not aware that our country produces a variety of good alcoholic drinks. They differ in name and taste but their fermentation process is almost the same. People call it ‘desi’. Their names are not so cool but their taste is not disappointing. And since ‘Make in India’ is something we all are paying attention to then why not try some wonderful Indian Alcoholic Drinks.

Bhaang

It is a tradition to drink bhaang on many festivals in India specially Shivratri and Holi. It is consumed with drinks and desserts. It is popular all over India. It is added to the food and drinks in the form of a paste. It is utterly delicious and it works as a coolant in hot weather. Its effect depends on the amount of paste you add to your food or drink. So be careful when you use it.

Handia

It is a traditional rice beer which is made in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odhisa and Madhya Pradesh. It is prepared from Ranu tablets which is a combination of almost 25 exotic herbs. The rice is boiled and Ranu tablets are mixed in that water and then it is left for about a week for fermentation. It is safe for the people who prefer light drinks since its alcohol amount is quite low. It is easily prepared at home. It is mostly consumed by the labours to sedate their aching body and sleep after a tiring day.

Zutho

Zutho is the less known Indian alcoholic beverage from Nagaland. It is made from rice fermentation like other drinks. It is very popular in tribal people of Nagaland. It has a fruity odour and white colour.

Feni

It is made from the juice of cashew fruit. It is generally of two types feni and toddy. The cashew nuts are smashed and then fermentation and distillation are done. It is very strong. It contains 15% alcohol. It is produced in south Goa.

Chaang

This drink is famous in Sikkim, Nepal and parts of Himachal Pradesh. It is prepared with millet, barley and rice. They are kept in bamboo barrels after fermentation. It is known as tsongba in Nepal.

Thatti Kallu

It is a palm wine. It is created from the sap of palm trees. A sweet liquid comes out from the cut flower of the palm tree. It is non-alcoholic before fermentation. After the liquid comes out within 2 hours fermentation leads to an aromatic wine of up to 4% of the alcoholic content. The wine may be allowed to ferment longer, up to a day, to get stronger.

Mahua

It is popular in Maharashtra. It is consumed by the locals there at the time of festivals. It is prepared by fermenting Mahua flowers. It is high on alcohol.

Zawlaidi

It means a love portion. It is a grape wine produced in a small village Hnahlan, Mizoram. It is smooth and high on alcohol. It is among the best country alcohol made in India.

The options for getting booze are so diverse in our country. The recipes of these beverages are being passed on from generations to generations. This is also our country’s heritage as some come directly from the Harappan era. Give these beverages a try.

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