by How Traditional Urak and Goan Feni Are Made — I Experienced It Firsthand at Dudhsagar Plantation
You’ve probably seen the viral videos of people sipping urrak on Goa’s beaches, looking blissfully happy with a glass of something mysteriously golden. Maybe you’ve even tried it yourself. But honestly? Until I visited Dudhsagar Plantation and watched the entire Urak making process with my own eyes — and yes, participated in it — I didn’t truly get what the fuss was about.
And let me tell you right now: this is not just a drink. This is Goa’s culture. This is Goa’s story.
So buckle up, because today I’m taking you through the complete traditional process of how Urak and Goan Feni are made — from picking cashew fruits off the ground to sipping a jaw-dropping Jungle Juice cocktail poolside in the middle of a forest. This one’s going to be good.
What Even Is Urak? (And Why Should You Care?)
Before we dive into the Urak making process, let’s get one thing straight — Urak isn’t something you’ll find at your average supermarket back home. It’s a traditional Goan spirit made from fermented cashew fruit juice, and it’s the first distillation in the process of making the legendary Goan Feni.
Fresh Urak typically has an alcohol content of around 15 to 18% — light, fruity, and incredibly smooth. It’s what you drink during the cashew season when it’s fresh and vibrant. Feni, on the other hand, is what you get when you distill Urak again, bumping the alcohol content up to around 40 to 45%. Think of Urak as the young, breezy cousin and Feni as the wise, aged legend.
And the coolest part? Fresh Urak, if stored properly, stays beautifully intact for up to a year. Feni? It only gets smoother with age — 4 years, 5 years, even more — just like a fine spirit. Goa really said, “We don’t rush things here.”
The Experience: Dudhsagar Plantation Is Where the Magic Happens
I got to experience this entire process at Dudhsagar Plantation, and honestly, calling it just a “plantation visit” would be doing it a massive disservice. This place is a living, breathing piece of Goan heritage. Surrounded by lush greenery, with a natural non-chlorine pool in the middle of the forest, it’s the kind of place that makes you want to slow down, breathe deep, and just exist.
But first — we had cashew fruits to crush.
Step 1: The Cashew Trail — Only the Fallen Fruit Gets Used
We started with a walk through the cashew trail, and right here I learned something that immediately changed how I looked at this drink.
Those cashew fruits hanging perfectly ripe on the trees? They don’t use those.
Only the fruits that are naturally ripened and have fallen to the ground on their own are collected for Urak making. No plucking, no forcing. The fruit has to be ready on its own terms.
And exactly this philosophy is what makes Dudhsagar Plantation’s Urrak so special. There’s a patience and a respect for nature baked into every single step of this process. It’s not about maximizing yield — it’s about honoring the ingredient.
Once the cashew fruits are collected from the ground, the cashew nut is carefully separated from the fleshy fruit. That nut? It goes through its own processing journey to eventually become our favorite dry fruit — kaju. The cashew we snack on literally starts its life attached to this gorgeous, juicy fruit that most of the world has never even seen.
And that juicy, fleshy part of the fruit? That’s about to become Goa’s liquid gold.
Step 2: Foot Crushing — When Making Drinks Becomes a Dance
This was honestly my favorite part of the whole Urak making process in Goa, and I’m not even slightly embarrassed to admit it.
The collected cashew fruits are placed on a traditional stone platform, and then — in pure, authentic Goan style — they are crushed with bare feet to extract the juice. That’s right. No machines. No modern presses. Just feet, rhythm, and tradition.
And I’ll be honest — it started as juice extraction and ended as an impromptu dance session. Maka ite maza aali (I had so much fun!). There’s something incredibly joyful about this process. The squelching of the fruit underfoot, the sweet-tangy aroma rising up, the laughter — it’s immersive in a way that no factory tour ever could be.
The fresh juice collected from this crushing is pure, unfiltered, and absolutely beautiful.
Step 3: Fermentation — Let Time Do Its Thing
After the juice is extracted, it’s transferred into large barrels where the fermentation process begins. This is where the magic starts to quietly happen.
The fresh cashew juice begins to ferment naturally. No artificial yeast, no additives — just the natural sugars doing their thing. As fermentation progresses, the bubbling slows down, the liquid settles, and eventually the bubbles stop completely. That’s your signal. The juice is now fermented and ready for distillation.
This process is what transforms simple cashew fruit juice into the base for Urak — and it requires patience. Goa will teach you patience whether you like it or not.
Step 4: Distillation — The Traditional Copper Pot Method
Now we get to the part that genuinely fascinated me — the traditional distillation process.
The fermented cashew juice is poured into a traditional copper pot — and when I say traditional, I mean it. This isn’t some modern stainless steel setup. This is the same style of pot that Goan families have been using for generations. The pot holds a significant quantity of fermented juice, and the entire setup is sealed airtight using cloth wrapped around the joints — no modern gaskets, no silicon sealants. Just cloth, precision, and knowledge passed down through time.
A fire is lit underneath the copper pot, and the fermented juice begins to boil. The process takes about one and a half hours to complete.
Here’s where it gets really interesting: the steam travels through a pipe into a cooling chamber. Inside that chamber, the steam cools down and condenses back into liquid form. And from that cooling chamber, drop by drop, the liquid flows out.
That liquid? That’s your Urak.
“From that side, Urak comes out,” our host explained with a quiet pride that said everything. Watching those first drops emerge from the pipe felt like witnessing something sacred.
From Urak to Feni — The Second Distillation
Once you have Urak from the first distillation, you have two choices:
- Enjoy it fresh — light, fruity, around 15-18% alcohol, incredibly smooth
- Distill it again to create Goan Feni
When Urak undergoes a second distillation, the alcohol content rises significantly — up to around 40-45%. This is your classic Goan Feni, a spirit that has been awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, meaning authentic Cashew Feni can only be produced in Goa. It’s in the same prestigious category as Champagne or Scotch Whisky.
And the aging story is phenomenal. Fresh Urak stays perfect for up to a year if stored well. Feni gets better with every passing year — smoother, more complex, more elegant. A 4-year or 5-year-old Feni drinks like a fine aged spirit. Goa’s liquid legacy, bottled and patient.
The Tasting Session — This Is Where Things Got Seriously Good
Okay, we’ve done the hard work. We’ve walked the cashew trail, crushed fruit with our feet, watched fermentation bubbles disappear, and witnessed the ancient copper pot distillation. Now it was time for the best part: tasting.
At Dudhsagar Plantation, the tasting experience is thoughtfully put together, and I tried several things that I want to tell you about.
Goan Tequila-Style Plain Feni
First up was their plain Goan Feni, served tequila style. Clean, neat, no frills. And honestly? It’s a revelation if you’ve only ever had bad Feni as a tourist. Good Feni is smooth, aromatic, with a distinct cashew character that lingers pleasantly. Vimala! (Amazing!)
Iced Tea with Spiced Feni Cocktail
Next was an iced tea and spiced Feni cocktail, and this is where I started to understand why Feni deserves to be taken seriously as a cocktail base. The spiced version adds layers of warmth and complexity that pair beautifully with the cold tea.
Oro Spiced Feni — Buy This Bottle
Their Oro Spiced Feni deserves its own paragraph because, seriously, this thing is just amazing. It’s smooth, spiced, aromatic, and dangerously drinkable. Next time you’re in Goa, buy this bottle. I’m not saying this lightly. Put it on your Goa shopping list right now, above everything else.
The Star of the Show — Jungle Juice Cocktail (Poolside, in the Forest)
But my absolute favorite? That came last.
Using the fresh Urak we had made earlier that day, the team prepared a Jungle Juice cocktail right there by the natural pool, surrounded by forest. And the setting alone would have made anything taste incredible — but this cocktail? It genuinely slapped.
Here’s exactly how it was made:
Jungle Juice Cocktail Recipe (Dudhsagar Plantation Style)
Ingredients:
– Fresh lemon juice
– A pinch of salt
– Around 60 ml of fresh Urak
– A slitted fresh green chilli (the secret weapon)
– Limca
– A splash of soda
– Another slitted fresh chilli to finish
Method:
1. Start with fresh lemon juice in the glass
2. Add a pinch of salt
3. Pour in 60 ml of fresh Urak
4. Take a slitted fresh chilli and swirl it around inside the glass — this releases just enough heat without making it overwhelming
5. Top up with Limca
6. Add a splash of soda
7. Finish by swirling another slitted chilli through the drink for that final spicy kick
The result is something that’s simultaneously refreshing, tangy, lightly spicy, and deeply satisfying. The fresh Urak gives it a fruity, clean base. The lemon and salt sharpen everything up. The chilli? That little swirl of heat that creeps in at the end and makes you go, “Ohhhh, okay. Yes.”
Sitting by a natural, non-chlorine forest pool, sipping this Jungle Juice while the trees stood tall all around me — honestly, one of those travel moments you just don’t forget.
Verdict? Wah! This is my favorite drink now. Full stop. No competition.
Why the Urak Making Process in Goa Is More Than Just Booze
I think what struck me most about this whole experience wasn’t the tasting (though that was spectacular). It was the philosophy embedded in every step of the Urak making process in Goa.
Only naturally fallen fruit is used — no rushing nature. The feet that crush the fruit are connected to the earth. The copper pot has been in families for generations. The cloth sealing the joints is the same technique grandmothers taught their daughters. The cooling chamber where steam becomes liquid is a metaphor for transformation through patience.
Every single part of the process says: slow down, respect what you have, and trust the process.
In a world that’s increasingly about shortcuts, maximizing output, and instant gratification — Goan Urrak making is a love letter to doing things properly.
And that’s exactly why it tastes the way it does.
Practical Tips If You Want to Experience This Yourself
If this whole thing has you ready to book a flight to Goa (same, honestly), here are some quick tips:
- Visit Dudhsagar Plantation — they offer immersive cashew experiences during the season (typically February to May when cashews are in season)
- Go during cashew season — this is when you can experience fresh Urak and the live distillation process firsthand
- Buy the Oro Spiced Feni — trust me on this one
- Try the Jungle Juice cocktail — if it’s on offer, do not skip it
- Ask questions — the hosts are knowledgeable and passionate, and the stories they tell make the whole experience richer
- Fresh Urak is available for purchase — if you find some, get it and store it properly to enjoy that flavor for up to a year
Final Thoughts — Goa’s Liquid Gold Deserves Your Respect
Look, I came into this experience knowing about Urak and Feni vaguely, the way most people do. I left with a genuine, deep appreciation for one of India’s most unique and underrated spirits.
The Urak making process is not just a production method — it’s a cultural practice, a seasonal ritual, and a piece of living Goan history. From the cashew trail to the copper pot to the poolside Jungle Juice, every moment of this experience at Dudhsagar Plantation reminded me why travel is about more than ticking off tourist spots.
It’s about understanding why a place is the way it is. And in Goa’s case? A big part of that answer flows through a copper pipe, one drop at a time.
If you found this helpful, drop a follow and stay tuned — there’s a lot more Goa magic coming your way! 🌴
Have you tried Urak or Goan Feni? Drop your experience in the comments — I want to know if you’ve found a cocktail better than the Jungle Juice. (Spoiler: you haven’t.)
