Feni gets a makeover courtesy new brands crafting spiced, infused, and cocktail variants

It is a cocktail unlike any other.

The Patoleo feni is a cocktail version of the famous Goan sweet, patoli, made with rice flour, coconut and jaggery. This drink, made with family-owned brand Cazulo Premium Feni’s coconut feni, is in symphony with coconut milk and liquid jaggery. It is a delicious, sweet drink and just one example of what a talented mixologist can do with a liquor as versatile as the Goan feni.

Feni is the distilled liquor made from the sap of the coconut palm (coconut feni) or the juice from cashew apples (cashew feni). It finally appears to be having its moment in the sun.

In the last few years, mixologists and bartenders have discovered the versatility of feni and added it to their bar menus. Recently, at Tokyo’s award-winning Bar Benfiddich, mixologist Karl Fernandes conducted a feni masterclass, introducing the liquor to the Japanese bar industry. At the first Cashew Fest organised by Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) this April, feni played an able supporting character, showing up in classy branded bottles, flavourful cocktails, food, chocolates, and even sprayed on top of ice cream!

The feni-making process begins with the collection of cashews, which are then separated into the cashew apple and the cashew nuts
| Photo Credit:
Joanna Lobo

“I love this excitement towards feni,” says Clement DeSylva, one of the founders of Goa-based artisanal brand Aani Ek that launched its infused feni flavours in 2022. “The more feni there is in the market, the more people become aware that it is a catch-all term for a bouquet of offerings. There are now many options for those seeking good feni,” says Clement, who launched with limon, chilli, and cinnamon honey variants to a “phenomenal response”. The brand can be found in stores and at different markets and pop-ups, showing off the infusions in different cocktails. They now have 12,000 litres under infusion and Clement says the biggest joy is when someone who knows their feni, likes it and orders more. “It’s vindication, validation…everything.”

Meet the fans

It was a seemingly innocuous question — “What does India drink?” — that set Yash Sawardekar on a search for the answer. Whiskey did not seem an appropriate answer. The former flight attendant quit his job, moved to Goa from Mumbai with his family in 2021, took over their ancestral cashew farm, and started making feni. Goenchi (meaning of/from Goa) launched last August with a coconut feni; cashew feni made an appearance in summer.

Yash runs Goenchi with his sister, Tulika, and the siblings are involved in every stage of the process — working with the distillers at their farm in Sanvordem, doing sales meets, designing labels, and learning about bottling at Naveen Distilleries. They spent significant time fine-tuning their feni ‘recipe’ — including measuring the grav (strength), BRICS level (amount of sugar in 100gm of solution), specific gravity and pH. “We use modern science to back their ancestral knowledge,” says Tulika.

Once the cashew apple is stomped to remove the juice, the remaining pulp is gathered in a mound and a heavy weight is placed atop it
| Photo Credit:
Joanna Lobo

For friends Tanishq Palyekar and Reuben Ramos, bringing out a feni was par for the course. In 2021, under Finally Friday Spirits, they introduced a premium port wine called Vinho Fontainhas. Moji (meaning mine) launched this February. “We wanted to bring feni’s name up in the market. It needs to have that prestige associated with it,” says Tanishq. “We want it to become Goa’s tequila.” Moji feni has a slightly extended fermentation period, as compared to the 1-3 days traditional feni takes, and involves a charcoal filtration process, which is done to mute the aroma of feni that some find overpowering. The response has been good, especially among tourists.

A visit to liquor shops indicates that there are at least 20 new feni brands in the market, each showing off snazzy labels and packaging. One of the recent additions is Ouro, a spiced feni from Goa Heritage Distillery.

Father-son duo, Ajit and Ashok Malkarnekar have been making feni for years, which has been well-received especially by guests at their farm stay, Dudhsagar Plantation. After working on their recipe during the lockdown, they are set to launch a small batch of spiced feni, called Ouro (gold in Portuguese). “The perception of feni has changed in the last few years. Year after year, we have seen the loyalty of our customers and an increased willingness to sell it at higher rates. There are people in the neighbourhood giving up on feni production, but we felt it was something worth preserving,” says Ashok.

Rosita

Beyond the experiments and infusions, there is even a bottled feni cocktail — Rosita. It comes from beverage company, Tap-House, and they launched it at the Cashew Fest. The idea behind the drink was to answer two questions: where to get good feni and how to drink it. Rosita is a kokum, lime and feni cocktail that is extremely mild, smells and tastes like urrak, and has a lower alcohol content than feni. Tap-House will also be launching their own feni soon.

“This interest is absolutely required to keep the artisanal feni industry alive,” says Ashok who envisions the market just growing year on year. The popularity of feni could have a ripple effect — with more players in the market, more people learn about it and become educated consumers, and it could lead to a greater demand for cashew and, hopefully, more land dedicated to its cultivation. Besides, more brands bring healthy competition. “The market is large enough for everyone to survive. We have access to a market that knows feni, and we have to keep it growing, and get new people interested in the drink,” adds Clement.

Going premium

This wave of interest in feni could not have come at a more opportune time. The Goa government announced the official Goa Feni Policy in 2021 in a bid to streamline the production process and popularise the liquor. They have also written to some State excise boards to consider the drink as a heritage spirit, and have asked the diplomatic missions of some countries in India to import feni. On the ground, there has been no major change as yet. Though it has the tag of a heritage spirit, it is still a country liquor on paper. Coconut feni is on a decline because of less demand and the absence of toddy tappers. The cashew feni produced within the state is not enough to meet the demand. Many are giving up on production because of the low returns on such a labour-intensive process, and cashew farmers get very little aid or support.

Feni by Aani Ek
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In such a scenario, it is heartening to see a new generation returning to their roots, and bottling and branding feni as a premium product.

The Sawardekars believe that feni suffers from an image issue, which they want to change. “A way to keep feni afloat is to create a premium market for it. With a little bit of marketing, we can sell it for the price it really deserves,” says Yash, adding, “People should want to buy this product not only to conserve it’s history and heritage, but because it is good.”