True blue label: Rajasthan cellars ready for a royal challenge

‘‘I am down to my last few bottles of exotic liquor, made by my ancestors way back in 1952,’’ the Thakur says. ‘‘Since the government banned production of liquor by everyone and restricted it to village thakurs, I have been worried that those splendid recipes would be forgotten.’’

The Excise Department in Udaipur earlier this week managed to push through the concept of ‘‘heritage liquor’’, opening up doors to the thakurs and maharajas of Rajasthan.

Under the new excise policy, which is still being given its final shape, royal families in Rajasthan will be allowed to commercially produce and sell liquor traditionally brewed in their homes. Outside agencies will not be allowed to set up shop and the government hopes this decision will revive the dying industries in the state, whose excise earnings are about Rs 1,000 crore.

‘‘The rules were in place in 1998. The only thing that the government was considering is whether the products should be grouped under country liquor or Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) categories. That’s been sorted out — it’s under the IMFL slot,’’ says Ashok Bhandari, additional excise commissioner, Udaipur.

In Ghaneshwar Singh’s household, only Dhabai and Sawai Mal know how to brew kesar, orange, aloe vera, grapes and saffron to produce the heady brew, with about 98 per cent alcohol content.

‘‘It’s very strong and can be compared to a good whiskey,’’ explains Randhir Vikram Singh, general secretary of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association. ‘‘It is drunk neat, with no water or soda. And the best way to relish the drink is to slowly sip it, enjoying the unique flavours.’’

An added plus is that none of the brews has artificial flavouring. ‘‘Everything is natural, there are no chemicals added.

To get the right colours all we do is add flowers and herbs,’’ says Singh, adding that anyone who has had a chance to sip the manna has always come back for more.

Singh’s visitor’s book is littered with comments on the heritage liquor stacked in his cellar, some of them made from recipes more than 300 years old. ‘‘Foreigners love it. They always wonder why the product is not available in the markets,’’ Singh says.

Randhir Vikram Singh adds that the jaggery-based drink would give a boost to the sagging tourism industry. ‘‘It’s a great thing. Just like cuisine, the variety and taste of the product varies from region to region and all old families have an amazing stock.’’

Between the Udaipur royal family and old families in Kishanganj, Devgarh and other parts, there are over 100 recipes to choose from. Sriganganagar’s Kesar Kasturi and Udaipur’s Asha were talked about brands till their production stopped.