One of the most famous and popular drinks that Goa is actually synonymous with is the Feni. It’s a drink that will get you drunk in no time!

Feni is made with either coconut, or more commonly, cashew nuts. It is triple-distilled and is served either neat or mixed with soda water or lemon juice.

The process of making the Feni is quite tedious and involves quite some amount of effort. First, the cashew apples are crushed manually in a rock atop a hill that is in the shape of a basin. This natural basin has a separate for allowing the juice to flow out when the cashew apples are being crushed. This juice is collected in an earthen pot which is then buried deep inside the ground to allow fermentation. During fermentation, almost 4% of the juice is turned into alcohol. This juice is then collected and distilled in copper pots. Then the juice is heated and the alcohol vapors are collected in a cooling condenser.

And what does it smell and taste like? The aroma is very strong but not terribly unpleasant. The taste however is a combination of fruity, medicinal and death.