Urrak: How the jungle juice from Goa is having its moment

Feni is a drink, but urrak is an emotion.

This is the overarching sentiment across all those urrak reels breezing across Instagram, come April. This drink has seen a cult following in recent times as Goa’s official summer drink.

After the first harvest of cashew apples at the end of February, the first batch of fresh urrak hits the market by mid-March. From then on, the urrak fever gains momentum until May-June, although urrak purists claim that the best is enjoyed young and fresh, during the earlier phase.

I sit down for lunch one afternoon with Mac Vaz, founder-president of All Goa Cashew Feni Distillers & Bottlers Association, and director of Madame Rosa Distillery, a pioneer within the industry. Their flagship brand, Big Boss, is recognised globally for the superbly fruity feni, packaged in Chianti Classico style wicker basket bases. “Given the popularity of urrak, we are now bottling the liquid for the last eight years or so under our PVV brand and the USA is a big export market,” he tells me.

So, what is the reason for urrak’s meteoric rise?

Youngsters bond over urrac
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Approachable and pleasing to first time users too, urrak is obtained with a single distillation process of cashew juice. With an ABV of 20-25% (as opposed to feni’s 40-45%), it is fresh, fruit-forward, and most importantly, hangover-free. “It goes down deceptively smooth, and because of the absence of the strong, pungent smell, has enjoyed a certain mass appeal. Urrak is also rather affordable, with prices starting at a mere ₹200 a litre,” concludes Mac, who does not believe that the urrak fever should ebb away with the close of summer.

Served in the classic way as Goans prefer it, urrak is mixed with Limca, a pinch of salt, twist of lime and with that slit green chilli perched wickedly on the side of the glass. Throw in a few cubes of ice, and you have the perfect drink to sip on while enjoying a Goan sunset.

However, given its flexibility as a spirit base, some mixologists are being playful with it.

“Here at Petisco we have been serving urrak cocktails since the year we started. Popular ones are Panje Classic, a sophisticated take, where urrak is infused with orange and basil, which is then milk washed, lending it more character. Or Uzou, where we mix urrak with lime and homemade jalapeño brine,” shares Dev Narvekar, bar head, Petisco Kitchen & Bar.

Mango chilli cocktail
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Special Arrangement

Dev is a local Goan boy from Vasco, and this year, he has created his special imli pop, with urrak, tamarind, jaggery cordial and a spice mix. “It’s a take on imli candy which I used to cherish after school, so it brings the childhood memories of summer afternoons floating in,” he says, showing me his imli pop reel on Instagram, which has gone viral.

Talking about urrak’s popularity and reach, it may soon be elevated to a premium status globally with a well-deserved GI tag, due to the thrust it has received from Deviya Rane, MLA and Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) chairperson. The second edition of the Cashew Fest, inaugurated by Deviya recently, saw the celebration of urrak or Goa’s ‘jungle juice’ as a signature drink true to the culture.

“Urrak and cashew feni are original ‘Make in India’ products made by our forefathers exclusively in Goa. For over 300 years, we in Goa have honed our craft to coax out a very cheerful spirit that is fun and is Goa’s favourite summer drink. There is no drink like urrak that exudes the flavour of summer and Goans take immense pride in it,” sums up Deviya.

The love of urrak recently took me on an exploratory trail through the taverns in Panjim with Soul Travelling, where the pit stops turned out to be revered temples of heritage rather than dodgy watering holes. One such stop was Bar 1964, the name indicating its year of origin; a dimly lit, retro space with memorabilia like old lanterns and a typewriter on the windows and flanked by a group of local lads in football jerseys sipping beer on the patio. Their kokum cocktail with urrak was a light and refreshing take, but the one with guava juice and a smattering of coriander leaves seemed to be a much more imaginative spin — lush, tart, sweet and delicious.

Urrak sorbet ice cream
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

During my stop at Cifa, a tavern open since 1976, I stopped to chat with the owner, Savio Raposo, over a classic urrak cocktail, fluffy pois and a plate of chicken liver fry, where he mentioned that “more and more tourists were stopping by to taste urrak, due to its seasonal charm and no-fuss appeal”.

My urrak adventure reaches a crescendo with an urrak sorbet ice cream from O’mio Gelateria.

To ensure that the urrak heritage remains well-preserved and the good word spreads, Deviya says that a multipronged strategy has been formulated, and the Cashew Fest is the first stepping stone to drum up enthusiasm. She adds, “We want this festival to travel around India and maybe the world, introducing the delightful flavour of cashew and the tradition of Goa. Our next step would be to establish points of sale like an exclusive duty-free outlet for cashew-based items like feni, urrak and cashew nuts. There must be a call to organise tasting sessions at culinary festivals across the globe. Social media can play a crucial role in spreading the word and creating a buzz”.

Published – June 07, 2024 05:24 pm IST