I was beaming in the car as I looked out of the window to changing landscapes. Goa was more than the shacks, beaches, palm trees, sullen clouds and the nightlife. There were mountainscapes opening up right before us and the car was surrounded by lush plantations and buffaloes on the outside. There is a part of Goa which most people talk about, which includes the nightlife, shacks, beaches and parties. And there is another side of Goa which includes buffaloes on the streets simply lounging in the sun, this side of Goa is most underrated. I was crossing the sunny, lazen side and was trying to balance my experience of exploring both the underrated and overrated parts of Goa. The car was headed towards Adinco distillery in South Goa.
I had spoken to them over call and had organized a visit. Goan culture involves being really friendly towards strangers. Goans socialize on beach shacks and in parties, they are used to meeting strangers and being really friendly towards them. Mr. Solomon Diniz, the owner of the Adinco distillery was really friendly to us as he gave us an interesting tour of his factory.
Cabo is a beautiful metaphor for Goa wrapped within a bottle. The bottle is beautifully and intelligently crafted as it has birds, a palm tree and the sun in its logo. It feels like the word “Cabo” is resting on a beach and lounging in the sun with a glass of wine in its hand. The bottle lounging on the sandy beach near the sea-shore changes to the imagery of me lounging near the sea shore with Cabo in my hands itself. Cabo represents the touristy Goan dream with the promise of a fulfilling life spent just watching the waves crash and watching birds fly free with their wings opening up right over you. Cabo tastes like a wonderful soulmate with the scent of childhood. For all the coconut lovers who drool over bounty, Cabo smells like fresh coconuts plucked right out of a palm tree.
Voodoo, this bottle goes with the tagline “Spell it”, and it isn’t imaginary, it is a real representation of the bottle since it does cast a spell on you. The bottle is a classic and it is one of the only three bottles of alcohol in the world which are made of black glass. Voodoo tastes like ice cream, milkshake and alcohol mixed in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory but for adults. Voodoo is a great accompaniment with ice cream after dinner as well. The bottle was designed to represent the figure of a woman with large buttocks, this is evident in the curves of the bottle design. It represents a dark trip down memory lane, a childhood memory which has been changed because of adulthood or a broken relationship which you swallow in the gulp of a shot and still remember with fond memories.
The owner, Mr. Solomon, was an interesting character in himself. He took us around the factory and told us more about himself. He was extremely humble, and he also invited us to party with him. In Goa, friendships built with strangers can last a lifetime. I am still in touch with Mr. Solomon and have saved his name as “Feni” on my phone. Feni is a local alcohol from Goa which is made of cashews. It is something which goes well along with every kind of meal. I was intrigued by how friendly Mr. Solomon was since he was able to gel with me and my friend so well. I felt like he could be friendly with a diverse crowd and thought that his nature was just like “Feni”.
The Adinco Distillery Tour ended with an alcohol tasting session. One thing which we are all advised to do while drinking is to not mix two different alcohols together. However, we did exactly the opposite. We had different things back to back ranging from wine, whiskey, Cabo and Voodoo to vodka. It was a tough choice between sobriety and craziness, we surely crossed a border and made it back alive.
This entire trip made me realize one simple thing: people everywhere are just the same. You need to bar to judgement and hold no cultural differences, and you can make friends everywhere across the globe. You just need to find a way to reach across different hearts, continents away and empathize with them. Alcohol surely is a fun addition to bond over.
Disclaimer: Please be of legal drinking age based on the laws of the region where you are going to drink. Don’t drink and drive.