DIVAR: Anil Durbhatkar’s claim to fame may only be a tiny, spartan bar set in the rustic surroundings of his home on Divar Island, but thanks to this feni connoisseur’s warmth and passion, a visit to ‘Island bar and restaurant’ rivals any fancy wine-tasting experience you may have had- especially if you love the funky, feisty patron spirit of Goa. Anil’s motley collection features an array of feni infusions- from spices to herbs and aromatics, and some secret concoctions he keeps very close to his chest. His eyes light up when he senses a kindred spirit in a customer, and an impromptu feni tasting begins as he brings out his mismatched bottles of feni, pouring small shots of each of his infusions. Lemongrass, ginger and jamun follow cardamom, jeera, coriander and coffee infusions of a beautifully smooth and fruity feni, that you wouldn’t want to sully with limca. Anil’s cashew feni tastes nothing like the branded, spirit-forward feni served at swanky cocktail bars in Goa’s numerous gentrified neighbourhoods. “I have been sourcing my feni from the same three to four traditional distillers in Bicholim for decades now, and they have never let me down. They produce some infusions; I make the rest myself,” he says proudly, explaining how each aromatic variant is used to help soothe a different ailment, and in different weather conditions. “The coriander one is good if you have an upset stomach, and ginger, for a throbbing headache, or cold and fever. You’ll wake up fresh tomorrow,” he quips, plying you with more, and offering salted grams as a palate-cleanser.
Once the more obvious ‘flavours’ are out of the way, Anil begins to play the guessing game, offering a free bottle of feni to anyone who guesses the secret blend of spices and fruit that go into his mysteriously-named variants, ‘Release’, ‘Aroma’, ‘Island Special Masala-I and II’, and ‘Magic masala’, which is best paired with cola. Reminiscent of liquorice, or even Ouzo, the anise-flavoured Greek liqueur, Anil’s ‘Release’ emerges the crowd-favourite, but being a stickler for detail, he does not entertain vague or uncertain answers.
For Anil, running his bar is more a labour of love than a commercial venture; he and his brother Shubhash also live off the land, fishing at the sluice gate nearby and growing their own vegetables and chillies that are cooked up in the tasty fish and chicken starters his wife serves from their kitchen next-door. “I want to offer good, clean feni and enjoy stimulating conversation, that’s it,” says Anil, who has mixed feelings about the rising popularity of the heritage brew. “I’m glad that feni has become famous and some bottlers are even exporting it as an elite spirit. However, I would like to know how much of the profits earned by people selling their branded feni at Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per 750 ml, against my Rs 350, actually reach the cashew farmers and distillers, so they can also enjoy a better life?” he asks, earnestly. “If only the middleman makes a fortune, while the producers stay at the same level, what is the point of fame?”
