Sheltered in the shade of a mango tree entwined with peppercorn vines, a vast clay pot sits on top of a fire, its lid sealed tight with mud. Distilling within is India’s oldest alcoholic spirit, said to date back almost 500 years.
This spirit, known as feni, was the liquor that lubricated life here in India’s small, verdant state of Goa for centuries; sipped gently in the evenings, uproariously knocked back at festivals, and given as a medicinal pick-me-up for aches and fevers. While a potent, locally brewed jar – made either from coconut wine freshly tapped from palm trees or fermented cashew fruit – could be found in almost every Goan home, it was never drunk outside state borders.
