Jamun’s getting a premium upgrade. The humble Indian fruit, commonly associated with roadside vendors during summer and monsoon months and celebrated for its distinct sweet-and-tangy flavour and rich purple hue, is finding its way into beverages and culinary innovations.
Cheers to desi
The alco-bev industry is adapting the Indian fruit in more ways than one. Diageo India’s Smirnoff launched vodka variant called ‘Minty Jamun’ in July last year. It was followed by Radico Khaitan’s Magic Moments Jamun SpicyMint in September. “For years there was this unspoken rule that premium meant imported, that if a flavour didn’t sound European or exotic it couldn’t sit on a prestige shelf.
That rule is dying,” says Ashutosh Rajput, COO of Alcobrew Distilleries, an Indian liquor company that recently launched One More Next Twisty Minty Jamun, a new flavour in its vodka range. “Jamun works as a spirits flavour for very practical reasons. It has a natural tartness that behaves well with alcohol; it’s seasonal and nostalgic in a way that creates instant emotional recall, and nobody has to be taught what it tastes like,” adds Rajput.
The shift reflects growing consumer confidence in Indian flavours and ingredients, says Varun Jain, CEO & founder of Smoke Lab, NV Group, which recently added Blue Moon Minty Jamun flavoured vodka to its portfolio. “The opportunity for the spirits industry is to take familiar regional ingredients and reinterpret them in contemporary formats. It is less about simply making a product ‘desi’ and more about giving Indian flavours a modern, premium context.” Some other jamuni liquor available in the market include V21 Jamun, which brings a familiar Indian favourite to vodka, and Samsara Enchanted Jamun & Pink Salt, a craft Indian gin that mixes juicy fruit with a touch of Himalayan pink, and Jamun The Himalayan Juniper Dry Gin, an artisanal craft gin produced by the Mohan Meakin distillery.
Nostalgia in a glass
Jamun is now Indian-ising cocktails, mocktails and shakes. MONIN India’s Spiced Jamun Syrup — the French company’s first-ever desi flavour — for instance, reimagines a nostalgic Indian flavour in a contemporary format. Similarly, Raid & Run by Bartisans, a cocktail and mocktail mixer, blends childhood memories of eating jamun with a hint of savoury jeera. For a cocktail lover, Oxymorons, a premium cocktail bar in Hyderabad, is a go-to place to get the purple rush. Its ‘Jamun Yuzu Gin & Tonic’ is “a gin & tonic gone rogue”, as per founder Rehan Guha. “Jamun and yuzu are blended straight into a rustic and unstrained purée, topped with tonic for a tart and citrusy sip.”
Cool comfort
Another F&B space that is celebrating jamun is ice cream. Artisanal brand Naturals offers a ‘kala jamun’ variant, so does NIC Ice Creams. Kwality Wall’s Slow Churn Jamun ice cream has a rich, velvety texture with a sweet-and-tart flavour profile enhanced by a hint of black salt and spices.