Gins from India are truly evolving and innovating! There wasn't much of a “gin scene” in India until quite recently. However, there is a growing base and market for gin with changing tastes and preferences. These Indian craft gin brands are celebrating India's unique tastes and traditions, while some are also going beyond taste and helping with conservation efforts. Here are more details on the brands nominated at the upcoming Zee Zest Unlimit Awards 2025 that you should have in your bar for your next house party.
Doja
A combination of Indo-Japanese botanicals with predominant yuzu notes—that’s Doja for you! As a gin that embraces all cultures, it has notes of peppermint, coriander, juniper, sansho pepper, cedar leaves, hinoki chips, fennel, and cardamom. The refreshing mint notes of this gin will linger after you add a splash of tonic water and a squeeze of lemon or orange juice.
Perfect for: Tropical cocktails like a Paloma, or best had simple as a G&T.
Jaisalmer
Radico Khaitan's distillery in Rampur produces Jaisalmer Gin, made from a combination of botanicals including lemongrass, Darjeeling Green Tea, citrus peels, juniper, and plants native to India. The neutral grain alcohol that goes into making gin is redistilled three times using a classic copper pot still. After a global premiere in late 2018, the spirit made its way to India in the latter half of 2019. You may find the gin in duty-free shops across the world, including in India, the Delhi NCR, and Goa, or you can best get it online!
Perfect for: Its citrus notes complement a cocktail with vermouth. Our recommendation is to create your own cocktail with tonic and egg foam to properly savour the floral and citrus notes.
Cherrapunji
This new domestic gin is a real bottled version of Cherrapunji's rainwater; we are not kidding! Mayukh Hazarika, a resident of Shillong, used junipers sourced from Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayas to create Cherrapunji Gin, a spirit with vibrant, flavourful profiles. A touch of smokiness, coupled with spicy peppers and other ingredients, is also present. The members of Team Cherrapunji independently procure all of the plants from Northeast India and collect rainwater in the nearby town of Mawsynram. Their orange peel comes from the GI-tagged Khasi mandarin trees in Meghalaya, their tea from Assam, and their peppers are cultivated only in the jungles of Meghalaya. The gin's distinctiveness lies not only in its manufacturing but also in its reusable stainless steel bottle, which is adorned with colourful art that captures the essence of Meghalayan life.
Perfect for: A cocktail with bitters and light mixers can enhance its spicy undertones. We recommend having this simple with soda or a bubbly ginger ale!
Kumaon and I
The tiny, hyperlocal distillery Himmaleh Spirits of Uttarakhand has released their debut product: this Himalayan dry gin. The new gin takes nine hours to distil using water from the Himalayas and eleven regional botanicals, each of which contributes a distinct taste profile. Galgal, black turmeric, thuner leaves, coriander seeds, kinnu, kalmegh bark, rose, walnuts, and indigenous peppers called timur are all part of this category. The aroma will be spicy peppercorns and citrus, and the flavour will be medium-dry with a lengthy aftertaste. Try it in a traditional Negroni or as a gin and tonic.
Perfect for: Since the top notes are floral, we recommend adding some freshness with citrus sparklers and garnishing with bitters for a perfect and balanced cocktail!
Stranger & Sons
Stranger & Sons is a national treasure made with garden-fresh ingredients. Its signature juniper, black pepper, nutmeg, mace, coriander seed, angelica, liquorice, cassia, and citrus peels make it stand out. In addition to co-founding Gateway Brewing Co. and SVAMI artisanal tonic waters and mixers, Sakshi Saigal's cousin Vidur Gupta and her spouse Rahul Mehra were also co-founders of the firm. The gin's lively, citrussy flavour makes it perfect for a summertime G&T. After distillation, their latest limited-edition Sherry Cask Aged Gin was aged for more than a year in ex-Amontillado and Oloroso sherry barrels, imparting spirit characteristics of cinnamon, black fruit, vanilla, and raisins.
Perfect for: Think sunshine, beach, and summer when you have this gin. A screwdriver with a twist, or a really potent LIIT with Stranger and Sons gin, will truly let you enjoy its flavours!
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