India’s first museum dedicated to alcohol has opened its doors to “spirited” enthusiasts in Goa. The museum “All About Alcohol”, set up by local businessman Nandan Kudchadkar, is in North Goa’s Candolim village.
The museum houses hundreds of artefacts linked to feni, including large, traditional glass vats in which the local cashew-based alcohol used to be stored centuries ago.
The idea behind the museum was to make the world aware of Goa’s rich heritage, especially the story of feni - the strong local drink, Kudchadkar, who is a collector of antiques, said.
“When I thought of creating a concept like this, the first thought that came to my mind was whether there is an alcohol museum in the world. There is absolutely no place where you can see the kind of stuff pertaining to alcohol anywhere in the world. If you go to Scotland, they are very happy about their waters, about their drinks, etc. Similarly, in Russia, the people feel happy to showcase the drinks they have,” he said.
“When we come to India, we project alcohol differently. Following my instincts, I decided to set up India’s first museum dedicated to alcohol,” he said.
“One of our prominent drinks is Kaju Feni and it has been put on display here. This drink is fermented naturally. For Goans, the consumption of alcohol was a symbol of hospitality,” Armando Duarte, CEO, Alcohol Museum said.
“The amount of information preserved here is amazing. I am dazed and awestruck with the place. The amount of information, they have kept here for visitors to see is super amazing,” a tourist said.
