The world’s first Indo-Japanese gin has arrived, and it sure is divine! “Doja,” a name derived from blending the two cultures into one drink, is a gin made by a veteran master distiller in Wakayama, Japan, with its production in Goa by East Side Distillery. You can drink Doja neat, on the rocks, or with water or soda as a true celebration of two cultures in one sip. Its versatility is its most compelling attribute. Isn’t that neat?
For an afternoon filled with fun and engagement, we got invited to the launch hosted at Mizu, Bandra by founder Jai Anand, who wanted to introduce craft gin to India, elevating the drinking culture around gin. An in-depth look at the history of gin, its origin, and its ingredients narrated by the head distiller of Doja, Victor De Benito, began the event. Soon, we dove deep into what goes into making Doja.
With a box that contained each of the herbs and fruits that goes into making the gin, everyone could smell and taste each one individually, going on a journey towards attaining the final product, with getting into the nitty-gritty of each ingredient. The gin is a beautiful blend of Juniper, Yuzu, Cedar, Sansho, Hinoki, Peppermint, Corriander, Fennel, and Cardamom.
Soon after, it was time for the star to be revealed, tried and tasted. Even the journey of tasting the gin was an interesting one, as we savoured each sip differently. Each sip savoured had a different taste over-powering, as we started with having it neat, then diluting it with a bit of water and then finally on the rocks. Besides tasting the gin alone, we also had a chance to try it in a cocktail. With four options to choose from, the lychee cocktail called out our name, and it undoubtedly was delicious and the right choice!
