AAA – All About Alcohol Museum in Goa

In India, if there is to be a museum on alcohol, it has got to be in Goa. AAA is the All About Alcohol Museum located near Candolim beach in Goa. The museum is a tribute to alcohol with special emphasis on feni, the indigenous drink of Goa. The museum, founded by businessman Nandan Kudchadkar, flaunts his versatile collection of a myriad things related to the art of drinking and liquor making.

I had read about AAA previously and visiting this museum was on my mind for my August trip to Goa. Sitting in Miramar beach in Panjim, I called AAA and asked if they will be conducting a guided tour the very next day. The answer was positive and so we set off the next day. After completing the nature walk in Socorro Plateau, and eating a sumptuous breakfast of banana bread (thanks to the Secret Food and Beverage Trail Walk for introducing us with it) we visit AAA.

The All About Alcohol Museum tour starts

The collection here spans across 5 rooms. A huge centre-table rules the first room. Neatly arranged on it are chalices and beer jugs. Around the walls are chest of drawers, antique lamps, wooden furniture, wine glasses and what looks like ancient hydrometres.

A little ahead is a bar counter. One by one the guide pulls out glass jars and asks us if we know which beverage is served in it and why! There is wine glass, cocktail glass, whiskey glass, gin and tonic jar and so on. Then she gives trivia about the origin of every glass jar. We find this part very interesting.

In the next room again, there is again a huge collection of antique alcohol-related crockery. We see teapots, bronze/brass/copper crockery. They are neatly arranged inside wooden cabinets and spotlighted. A worn-out scooter stands in the middle. These are sourced from various countries. The guide is explaining a lot but she is too softspoken and I am a bit short on hearing. Honestly, I just could not hear sometimes.

All about Feni

Next, we go to a room that showcases wicker baskets, earthenware and metal containers that bear the mark of time. This room houses very interesting tools and equipment related with feni harvesting.

Cashew Feni is a GI tagged alcoholic beverage from Goa. During the Portuguese regime in Goa, they had brought cashew from South America and planted these trees to prevent soil erosion in Goa. Cashew trees, including the fruits, are toxic in nature. The Portuguese had no use for the cashew apples beyond the edible nuts. The Goans, who were already making coconut feni, tried making feni out of these leftover cashew apples and a new beverage was invented that was to stay in Goa forever.

From here we pass on to an open area that has a replica of how a feni distillation station looks like. I have already seen a real one in the Floating Feni experience so it does not excite me much.

Next we visit the cellar. Stacked on shelves are bottles of cashew feni fermenting in glassware and wooden barrels. Occasionally, water is sprayed from a nozzle to keep them cool, and the room foggy. The feni ageing here is produced from the owner’s cashew farm. I hear he is trying to get a license and develop his own brand.

Feni tasting in the Alcohol Museum of Goa

The tour ends with a tasting session. We go to the bar area and the mixologist concocts cocktails for us. We drink cashew feni neat and cashew feni with kokum syrup and lime. Then the comparatively spicier version of cashew feni with orange juice, basil leaves and tobasco sauce. Finally, we taste a slightly pungent concoction of feni with mustard sauce, honey, mint leaves, lime juice and pudina. We munch on some apples, sweet lime, and guava as we enjoy the drinks.

On this note the tour ends. What a fenitastic ending! I must mention that the feni is served in small portions, so there is no intoxication.

Details:

Price– INR 300 or 350 per head, I forgot the exact figure. This includes the guided walk and tasting session.

Duration– 1 hour

Location– Candolim, Goa

How to book– Walk-in booking. You can trawl their Instagram (@alcoholmuseum) and find out more or get in touch.

feni tasting at AAA — Feni tasting at AAA in Goa

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