Hurrah! It's Uracca Season in Goa
Urraca is the first distillate of the cashew harvest, bottled un-aged, and released annually in the first week of March, available only for a short 15 weeks in Goa.
Over the din of gin, whiskey and vodka brands assiduously trying to call Goa home, there is a local alcohol, not yet mainstream, with a quiet underground cult following. Delicious, flirty and made from that same hallowed fruit as cashew feni, it is one of the prettiest distillates in a bottle.
Uracca, Urrack, or Uraq?
Mistaken, misunderstood, and most certainly mispronounced, Goa’s favourite summer drink has a cheerful reputation and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Call it Uracca, Urrack, or Urraq – even Hurrak is tolerable – but say Arak or Arrack, and we can’t promise you won’t find a fistful of salt in your glass! While Arrack or arak are generic names for spirits of high-percentage distillations with a strong after-bite, made in other parts of the world, Urraca is specifically the first distillate of the cashew harvest, bottled un-aged, and released annually in the first week of March. Just like in English, spoken Concanim (Roman Konkani) is a stress-timed language; not pronouncing or un-stressing the last vowels of a word (notably 'a' and 'o') is the practice in spoken Concanim. Thus, although spelled as Urraca, it is pronounced Urrac(a).
How is Uraq Made?
In popular culture, an untamed approach towards distilling alcohol seems unprecedented. Nuanced and rigorously tied to tradition and culture, our style of distillation is consensually crafted and methodically agrestal. When it comes to distillates coaxed from the cashew apple, the cashew must come from the State of Goa, and no other fruits or sugar must be added. By handpicking only tree-ripened and naturally fallen cashews, the flavour notes of bursting tropical fruit and spice are guaranteed. Just as a winemaker would, cashew are stomped to press out the sweet juice, protecting that beautiful flavour. Fermentation occurs naturally, without the addition of artificial yeast, organically creating a flavourful but funky sort of cashew wine. Thanks to a quick and high-temperature first distillation, the distillate retains a fresh and fruity aroma without drawing out the typical spirit-forward character of other distilled spirits. At a fun 35 ABV urraca is light and subtle, lacking the punch of feni, making urraca a very easy-to-drink beverage. Its soft spice, and bright punch of tropical fruit notes, is compelling and celebratory, every bit the crowd pleaser. Marked by a distinctive cloudy appearance, Urraca is fresh, light, vibrant and fruity, and tastes a lot like cashew juice — only better.
Race to the First Urraca
Some might say that the race from Cashew to Copinho is frivolous, but part of the fun is knowing that there is some respite to our sultry Goan summer. It is rather unclear what triggers the race to get the first can of the fresh Urraca – the change of season to a warming summer, or the first sight of cashews on the trees. Whatever it is, barmen and aficionados race to be the first to source the new vintage — bragging rights guaranteed! Buntings proclaiming, “Fresh Urrack” or “New Urrack" sprout outside wine shops and bars proclaiming the ‘news’. And by the time season has wrapped up, it is anyone's guess how much has travelled directly from distilleries to bars and homes around Goa. Unlabelled and unpackaged, it is generally served within the week, enticing those seeking a light-hearted, fruit-filled spirit to charm a summer evening, at a price to match any beer-sipping budget.
Urraca is available only for a short 15 weeks in Goa. The cashew harvest is between in late February and end May. But in February, as the season lazily dawns, sporadic fruiting, uneven ripening and slumbering wild yeast do not make for the perfect conditions for urraca. The taste of this early season distillate is hackly and flat, low on fruity notes, and concentrated in tannins. And this is why, traditionally, at the beginning of the harvest, the distillate never qualified, and was never consumed as Urraca — it was dismissed as a ‘pochok' or ‘pochek', translating to ineffectual, without substance or impotent. Typically, the good stuff is released around the second or third week of March. Patience is key, because it's the monkeys, squirrels, and porcupines who are first to the table, gorging themselves on the cashew fruit. The few buckets of fallen cashew are most often half eaten, gnawed at, and unripe. This is a battle not worth fighting, and it is only when the animals have had their fill, that we humans can claim our share. However over the last decade, celebrations around this drink have grown and spread, and so has the chase to get the first urraca of the season. So very often, ‘pochek' is passed off to the un-initiated.
Uracca: Boon or Bane?
It is interesting to note how urraca affects the economics and the workings of a distillery. The sheer unpredictability of the growing season often leaves distillers scurrying. A night of heavy dewfall or an un-seasonal rain can blur the lines between a bountiful summer, and an outright nightmare. Being seasonal and much-looked forward to, the sale of a few cans of urraca offers liquidity to the distilleries, keeping them from dipping into the till for expenses like worker salaries and fuel. While a quick cash infusion during a calamitous crop can be an obvious consolation to a distressed distiller, a bountiful harvest can also offer unexpected perils: the danger of approaching surplus volumes during peak harvest season, which only an immediate sale can ease.
Notes from an Insider in the Uracca Industry
Urraca may not be a masterpiece of spirits – but it was never meant to be. However, understanding Urraca is a way to grasp the essence of cashew feni. While a good cashew feni is applauded for its character, mouth-feel and bouquet, urraca is remarkable uncomplicated, making it easy, accessible, and fun. Urraca, for the longest time, was written off, either because of the taboo of its ‘country spirit’ mantle — which, in this country is still proving hard to shrug off — or because people in our country have never been accustomed to low-strength spirits. There has been a huge push towards feni in the last decade, with producers like myself focussed on rebuilding the reputation of feni in Goa. As industry insiders, we believe that the unplanned popularising of urraca could instead fly the feni category too close to the sun. Could urraca's playful reputation damage cashew feni’s reputation as a complex and age-able spirit? And because urraca is so enjoyable, the over-consumption of urraca could deprive the feni industry of vital raw materials – urraca itself! People forget that a gorgeous feni can only be made only when urraca is double distilled! That is why urraca was never defined, and no provision for its sale exists in the Goa Excise Act.
However, evangelists for the feni category also see urraca as a symbol of celebration; a celebration of tropical bounty, and the raison d’être to be in Goa in the months of March to May, when urraca comes into season. Traditionally the local taverna licenciada, beloved for their affordability and warmth, had a cheat code, a secret password that would lead directly to the good stuff — “Urraca asa?” Drop that phrase and eyes would light up. It signalled an openness to all things exciting, occasionally unusual, even profoundly joyful. It has taken a while for tourists and the new age 'hipster bar-owner,’ who earlier avoided urraca because of its perceived ‘local’ tag, to pay attention to this buzzy trend for ‘local drinks’. Barmen not familiar with the culture of urraca often end up reading from another spirits song book, creating party-boy visions of saccharine, hangover-inducing swill, and conjuring party ‘cocktails’. But traditional urraca drinkers are will be horrified when urraca is robbed of its simplicity and unfettered gulp-ability
How to Drink Urraca
There is a saying in Goa, you know its Urraca season when beer sales slump and Limca sales go up. True to our easy-going lifestyle, to get the best flavour, serve urraca lightly chilled over ice, and with Limca or the locally produced equivalent 'Taan'. Best drunk in tall glasses with a tiny sprinkling of salt (I skip the salt) garnished with a sliver of green chilly or lemon. None of that fancy stuff!
Ageing Urraca
Urraca has a bit of a reputation; once you’ve got a taste for it, it’s easy to get hooked and you may find yourself wanting a ready stash at home to enjoy year round! Regardless of what word on the street is, I scratch my head in amazement when I hear of bars that store and serve it all year round. Some folk keep urraca in their fridge to 'age' for a few years. But there is no real reason to keep urraca for longer than the season's summer; a light ABV spirit does not improve with age. Rather, its fruity aromas starkly diminish with time, and the flavour goes flat. It also lacks the ‘spirity bite’ of feni, which is why it doesn't age well — or at all. Without a high alcohol percentage, Urraca lacks the structure to hold for more than a few weeks. As a seasonal specialty, it is meant to be consumed young. If you keep it too long, it will develop a light vinegar-y aroma. If the urraca isn't zingy and fruity, you've waited too long.
It's been an season of missed urraca opportunities for two years in a row. 2022 will probably be the first un-interrupted urraca season since the pandemic struck in March 2020. So if you’re fortunate enough to summer in Goa this year, you best make it count. Open a bottle with friends and get a taste of what Goans wait for all year!
Hansel Vaz is geologist by profession and the founder of Cazulo Premium Feni at Vaz Liquor Industries.
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