Deep in the tangled forests of India, a mythical being with two tails and three eyes prowls the foothills of the Western Ghats. This stranger, the bearer of wisdom, keeps juniper berries tucked in her tails and the recipe for the perfect Indian gin in her mind. One night, under a full moon, she visited the verdant coast of Goa, where she passed along her secrets to a very special family.
Meet the distillers behind Stranger & Sons Gin, our award-winning September 2020 Gin of the Month, and hear the incredible tale behind the creation of this strange yet utter delicious spirit.
Stranger & Sons Gin
Winner of the Outstanding Gold Award at the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2020, scoring 98 out of a 100!
Distilled in Goa, India
Botanicals:
Juniper, Indian Citrus Peel Mix (see below), Coriander Seeds, Nutmeg, Mace, Black Pepper, Angelica Root, Cassia Bark, Liquorice Root
Tasting Notes:
Beautiful freshness on the nose from a blend of four Indian citrus peels. On the palate, black pepper, coriander and mace meet juniper. Liquorice, cassia and nutmeg make for a finish with a warm and sweet flourish.
Spirit of the Stranger
Third Eye Distillery’s co-founders (from left): Vidur, Sakshi and Rahul
India is a world unto itself. The birthplace of several world cultures, this sprawling state is home both to heaving metropolises, where the whole world seems to change from moment to moment and to rural idylls where life has kept the same cadence for hundreds of years.
In this land of contradictions, worlds as different as day and night thrive alongside each other. And the connecting piece – the golden hour that draws darkness and light together – is a deep instinct for storytelling.
“With Indians, the penchant for storytelling is inherent and inherited.”
For Sakshi – along with her co-founders, husband Rahul Mehra and cousin Vidur Gupta – the rich stories of their Indian childhood became even more crucial one night as a full moon shone over the tropical shores of Goa. An ancient creature suffused with magic and mystery appeared to this tight-knit family in a lucid dream. And she brought them something very special indeed.
“As is true for most mythological Indian texts, our elusive protagonist — the three-eyed, two-tailed mythical being — is the bearer of wisdom.”
This mysterious creature had the recipe for the world’s first truly Indian gin hidden in her third eye. Finding something special in Sakshi, Rahul and Vidur, she shared it with them – and set this family on the path to building the first gin distillery in India and, eventually, distilling the beautiful gin in our member’s September 2020 Gin of the Month box.
“You should know that the mythical being didn’t choose us because we’re special. We’re special because she chose us, and who knows? While you’re having a moment alone, sipping this gin on your veranda, she might visit you as well.”
The verdant jungle of Western Ghats
An Image of India
“There is no common thread that ties the landscape of India together as one. When you speak of Switzerland or Iceland or Singapore or the Maldives out loud, there is a very distinct picture that comes to mind – this can’t be said about India. It’s easy for the West to appropriate a lot of Indian images that they’ve seen or read about, and then associate the country with elephants, Maharajahs, camels and snake charmers… but this couldn’t be further from reality.”
Sakshi, Rahul and Vidur were business people, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs who had built their careers by harnessing the energy and excitement of India in all its glorious modernity and style. They spent their most formative years watching their nation grow into a modern powerhouse while still retaining all the ancient customs and myths that make it such a varied country.
But when they went abroad and began drinking gin – whether in London’s craft cocktails or the gin tonics of Barcelona – they kept encountering gin brands based on a vision of India that they knew very well had never been a reality.
“What we all noticed was something rather peculiar. A lot of the gins on the shelf spoke of a strange connection to India – either they were named after an Indian city or they used botanicals commonly found in every Indian kitchen. It made us question why products with these botanicals and this cultural heritage are made everywhere but here. We knew it was time to make a truly Indian distillery gin and thus pioneer the creation of quality gin in India.”
A gin that pays tribute to India
A Stranger Calls
As the birthplace of the gin and tonic, it would stand to reason that India is as crazy about gin as the UK. But, in fact, the country’s gin wave has just begun.
The Indian spirit of choice has historically been rum, so when Stranger & Sons’ co-founders decided to open a distillery, it would be India’s first with an emphasis on gin. But they knew that their home country was rich with botanicals. And while gin wasn’t the spirit that brought Indians together, it was a perfect vehicle for the thing that did: spices.
“Travel to any state, city or corner of India and you’ll find that everyone, from local chai stalls and common homes to our top restaurants and royal kitchens, has their own unique spice blend – one they’re very proud and protective of!”
Black pepper is a key botanical
This was the India – full of variety and ingenuity, tradition and flavour – that Vidur, Sakshi and Rahul wanted to distil into their gin.
The group began by tasting more than 400 gins, picking out the flavours and styles they liked best. They knew that they wanted to create a robust gin with a distinctly Indian flavour profile. But with so many amazing botanicals to choose from, and so much at stake, these distillers found themselves stuck.
That’s where the mythical creature stepped in. Seeing their noble struggle in pursuit of an authentic Indian gin, she appeared to them in a lucid dream. Her gift to these champions? The names of nine inherently Indian botanicals, which would come together with Macedonian juniper to form the strange and spectacular spirit that Rahul, Sakshi and Vidur had hoped to make. They packed their bags and headed to Goa, on the southwestern coast. It was time to build their distillery.
The Third Eye
Setting up an independent distillery in India is no easy feat, with every state having its own regulations. Additionally, alcohol is conventionally mass-produced, resulting in the perception that local products are of lower quality. Stranger & Sons, a small-batch and premium craft gin, was set to change minds.
Beautiful Goa is a microcosm of all that Sakshi, Rahul and Vidur adore about India.
Famous around the world for its white-sand beaches, gentle blue waves and incredible nightlife, Goa is, in fact, a fascinating patchwork of Indian and Portuguese cultures. Much of the European-style architecture still stands, incongruous and incredible against the backdrop of a tropical paradise. Like all of India, Goa is a place of incredible character; of painful legacies and thrilling futures; of cricket and the spice box.
And, crucially for the co-founders of Third Eye Distillery, Goa is a land bursting with botanical flavours. It was the perfect location to build their distillery. In fact, the team can source their raw materials from very close to home.
“We have an abundance of spice farms around our distillery, and literally get our black pepper, coriander, nutmeg and mace from our neighbour across the road.”
Rahul and Co. source their botanicals locally
These beautiful botanicals are joined in Third Eye Distillery’s high-tech still by a mix of Indian citrus peels, hand-selected to capture the diversity of the country’s produce.
“Every part of our country has a citrus fruit that represents the region, so we set out to source these from across India.”
The team at Third Eye Distillery – headed up by master distiller Charnelle, who spent five years distilling for one of the biggest drinks businesses in the world before turning to gin – always sticks to the ‘one-shot’ method. This distillation technique dictates that all of the botanicals be distilled together, in a single round. It requires absolute precision and extended experimentation to get right, ensuring that the best possible flavour is extracted from hardier ingredients without burning more delicate botanicals. When the distiller gets it right, it’s an incredible testament to their skill.
“We like to compare our distilling process to an Indian musical Jugulbandhi, where each ingredient fights for its flavour to come out until they come head-to-head in a final act of pure, symphonic cacophony.”
With its bright citrus and complex spice blend, Stranger & Sons is every bit as magical as the mythical being that came to its creators in a dream – and its authentic, inherent connection to India goes beyond what’s in the glass.
Gardens and Gibsons
Its birthplace and botanicals are authentically Indian, but Stranger & Sons’ connection to Indian culture goes beyond how it tastes.
“Family businesses are more than just tradition in India. Although ours is a contemporary take on one, it was important for us to highlight this tradition that’s so characteristic of our country.”
Strange & Sons is a versatile base for cocktails
With most family businesses, knowledge and wisdom are passed down from one generation to the other; for Rahul, Sakshi and Vidur, working together gives all three of them the benefit of insight.
“It allows us to be brutally honest with each other, but it also allows us to assess and play to each other’s strengths, which we’ve seen all of our lives. And hey, a family that drinks together stays together!”
All three co-founders are involved in every aspect of the business, including one crucial part: their commitment to giving back.
“We believe that being socially impactful is not just an option in today’s times, but a must. One of our biggest concerns is water.”
It takes a lot of water to make gin, and the team at Third Eye Distillery works hard to ensure that as little as possible goes to waste. They’ve invested in a recycling tank, which reduces their water requirement from 10,000 litres every week to just 25. And, when they must drain water, they always use it to water the botanical garden behind the distillery.
That garden is kept by women from a local self-help group, primerily housewives looking to learn new skills or find a new vocation. Be it by peeling the citrus fruits for the still or advising on which botanicals and fruits will flourish on the land behind the distillery, their contribution is invaluable for everyone involved.
And nothing from this garden ever goes to waste. Even the flesh of the citrus fruits finds a new life in the cordials that Third Eye Distillery uses to make its signature cocktails, or becomes a beautiful pickle – another rich Indian tradition, and perfect for garnishing a drink.
“When we aren’t distilling, you’ll find us sitting on a porch sipping on some Gibsons, made with our homemade pickles!”
Nothing is wasted at the Third Eye Distillery
In its beautiful bottle, emblazoned with the sun and moon, this gin represents the point where all of India’s contradictions – past and future, tradition and innovation, myth and reality – come together to create a single, incredible country.
“India is indeed grounded in tradition and myth, but it’s embracing modernity in its own way. That’s the India we want our gin to represent.”
What goes into Stranger & Son’s special Citrus Peel Mix?
Gondhoraj Limes
Also known as the King of Limes, this close cousin of the kaffir lime is found primarily in East India. It’s large, with very zesty peel but little juice.
Indian Oranges
These local oranges grow in several Indian states; Third Eye Distillery sources them from Nagpur, in the centre of the country.
Mausambi Limes
Mausambi limes, or Indian sweet limes, are common fixtures in most Indian kitchens. They have a lot of sweet juice and a thick, sweet peel.
Nimbu Lime
These limes are small, sharp and very sour – perfect for pickling! After two years of growth, the nimbu lime trees at Third Eye Distillery have just yielded their first crop.
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