Traditionally Talli: 11 Indian Brews to Raise Your Spirits

Local liquor from around India, from Ladakh to Assam.

Wherever there are grains, people have found ways to ferment them and make them into a drink. But we ask, what’s the big brew-haha over alcohol anyway? After all, aren’t we a nation where talli meets traditional.

Here are 11 local Indian brews that have been making our ancestors buzzheads.

P.S: We have other drinks than the usual suspects — Toddy, Arrack and Feni.

Chhang is a barley based alcoholic beverage from the mountainous Ladakh region of J&K.

This millet-based drink is found in Nepal and also consumed in the neighbouring Darjeeling and Sikkim.

Apo, the rice beer is popular among North Eastern tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and consumed in a bamboo shoot.

This crude beer is made from fermented rice or barley.

Handia is an indigenous drink made by the tribals of Jharkhand and Orissa in Central India.

Judima is a must for all celebrations in Assam’s Dimasa community.

Made up of 22 spices, rumour has it that this drink of the royals of Rajasthan turned Roger Moore into a fan during the shoot of Octopussy.

This Meghalayan, low alcohol drink is best had in bamboo tumblers.

Grapes, apple, wild apricot, and pear make this Himalayan brew super tasty

This fermented drink made from rice is made locally and is a favourite among the Angami Nagas of Nagaland.

Grown in the Hnahlan village in Mizoram, this wine has also made this village one of Mizoram’s most prosperous.